To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, IPI is today celebrating the incredible women journalists in our global network who have dedicated their careers to digging out and telling important stories to their communities. Below we highlight some of the most inspiring and pioneering journalism being done around the world by women reporters, editors and innovators in the IPI global network.
In Brazil, Paula Miraglia covers important human rights issues such as police violence, the treatment of prisoners and the rights of women and indigenous people in her role as CEO and co-founder of Nexo Journal. In Peru, Milagros Salazar works with her team at Convoca to conduct in-depth investigations on human rights abuses, corruption, and the environment. Jazmín Acuña, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Paraguay’s El Surtidor, has made huge strides forward for public interest journalism in Paraguay.
Dana Coester continues to cover the landscape of American politics through the prism of Appalachia in the collaborative news organization 100 Days in Appalachia. Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Azmat Khan not only reports on the human costs of war but is actively shaping the future of journalism in her role as director of the Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia University. Sally Buzbee grapples with some of the biggest challenges facing journalism today as executive editor of The Washington Post. Organizational member Global Press, led by CEO Cristi Hegranes, works to build independent news bureaus, staffed by local, women reporters, in some of the world’s least-covered places.
At the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Motunrayo Alaka has forged a new space for investigative journalism in Nigeria and for female reporters through the establishment of the Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme. In Kenya, Asha Mwilu leads the charge against the pervasive influence of misinformation at Debunk Media. Joan Chirwa is a champion of press freedom in Zambia where she founded the Free Press Initiative Zambia.
As editor-in-chief and co-founder of feminist web magazine Magdalene, Devi Asmarani has been a pioneer in the feminist digital media space in Indonesia. Over at Project Multatuli, executive director and co-founder Evi Mariani continues to do journalism in service of the public, telling the stories of structural injustice while herself facing harassment and cyber attacks. Also facing attacks is Maria Ressa, IPI executive board member, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of Rappler in the Philippines, whose dedication to reporting on important issues despite facing harassment and legal threats is a testament to her unwavering commitment to the truth.
Across Europe, women journalists are leading important media initiatives. Caroline Muscat is founder of The Shift in Malta, which continues to report on political corruption in Malta despite continued harassment and legal threats. Iliana Papangeli leads the investigative media organization Solomon, which tells the vital stories related to corruption, refugees and migration, environment, and food systems across Greece. As editor-in-chief of the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, Trine Eilertsen has been at the forefront of thinking about media innovation, fostering a culture of experimentation which has allowed for the transformation of Norway’s largest printed newspaper to now be sustainable as a purely digital media.
Some of the most powerful coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been championed by Sevgil Musaieva, chief editor of Ukrayinska Pravda, and Olga Rudenko, chief editor of The Kyiv Independent. In September 2022, seven Ukrainian female editors received the IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award at IPI’s World Congress in New York. They were the editors of ABO, Hromadske, Slidstvo.info, StopFake, The Kyiv Independent, Ukraїner, and Ukrainska Pravda. Their resilience and commitment to the truth have been crucial to shedding light on the conflict and the human toll it has taken.
From covering breaking news events to investigative reporting and in-depth features, these journalists play a critical role in informing and shaping the world we live in. Today, we celebrate the trailblazers, the groundbreakers, and the heroes of journalism who have contributed to the field of journalism — and look forward with excitement to the rising generation that is coming to join them.
Online safety and digital empowerment of women journalists
The IPI global network is proud to co-sponsor a side event during the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women all about Online Safety and Digital Empowerment of Women Journalists: Combatting online threats and harassment. It’s a space to discuss the challenges and threats faced by women journalists online and highlight the responsibilities of states and other stakeholders to create a safe online environment for women journalists. This conversation is as important as ever as gendered attacks against women journalists continue. Learn more and register for the event here.
