The International Press Institute (IPI) announces with gratitude a financial award of $50,000 to IPI by the Pulitzer Prize Board to provide support to journalists and media outlets covering the war in Ukraine. The Pulitzer Prize Board also announced a $50,000 donation to the Committee to Protect Journalists for support to journalists and media in Gaza.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Pulitzer Prize Board for this donation, which provides strong and much-needed support to our work of safeguarding independent journalism at risk”, IPI Executive Director Frane Maroević said. “We’re honoured to share this financial award with CPJ as an acknowledgement of the shared values and dedication to supporting media freedom between our organizations.”
He added: “At IPI, we will continue our unwavering support for journalists in Ukraine risking their lives to cover the horrors of the continuing Russian invasion. Their courage and resilience inspire our daily work to defend press freedom worldwide and serve as a testament to the indispensable role of a free press in our societies.”
IPI will distribute the full Pulitzer Prize financial award directly to media and journalism organizations in need in Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, IPI has provided nearly $250,000 in support to journalists and media outlets in Ukraine through contributions from donors and IPI members, including through our Ukraine Rapid-Response Fund. This support has benefitted independent media and journalism organizations at the local, regional, and national levels, helping cover urgent safety and institutional needs.
IPI’s Ukraine War Press Freedom Tracker, launched immediately after the Russian full-scale invasion, has documented over 1,200 instances of attacks on media in Ukraine and Russia. Last week, IPI submitted six dozen cases from the tracker to the International Criminal Court (ICC), requesting that these cases be investigated as possible war crimes.
IPI’s work has also focused on ensuring continued visibility for Ukrainian independent media and the challenges they face, most recently highlighting the plight of at least 17 Ukrainian journalists held captive in territories occupied by Russia.