The Free Press Awards nominees of 2024!

1 October 2024Reading time: 4 minutes Author: Free Press Unlimited
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Free Press Awards nominees

The Free Press Awards recognise journalists and media professionals who have a strong commitment with press freedom and independent information. We will honour journalists and media professionals in the categories Newcomer of the Year and Most Resilient Journalist.

We have received over 100 nominations of brave and talented journalists from all over the world. We see that the pressure on independent media and journalists is incredibly high, and therefore we are even more impressed by the dedication journalists worldwide show in their profession. Therefore we are proud to announce the nominees of 2024.
 

Most Resilient Journalist

Nominees of the Most Resilient Journalist often faced prosecution, violence and censorship for doing their job. They have shown a strong commitment to press freedom and independent information, and are generally highly-regarded journalists who are willing to risk their life or their freedom in order to keep the public informed. Below you find the nominees of 2024. Every week a new nominee is announced so stay tuned!

Mohammed Zaanoun
Mohammed Zaanoun is a Palestinian photojournalist. He has documented life and death in Gaza for over 20 years. Mohammed’s own house in Gaza city was targeted by Israeli airstrikes, and he had to pull out his children from beneath the rubble of what used to be his home. He also received direct threats from Israeli forces ordering him to stop reporting. But despite the risks, the threats, the displacement and the horrors around him, Mohammed continued doing his job to tell the world the truth. Since a few months he has been residing in Egypt, but still continues to use his work and his own social media to continuously and tirelessly inform the world. His images say more than a thousand words.
Lutfiye Zudiyeva
Lutfiye Zudiyeva is a Ukrainian journalist, specifically focused on covering the injustices of the Russian occupation regime in Crimea since its illegal annexation, despite the constant danger. Risking detention, journalists have gradually ceased to report. Reporting from within the peninsula is an act of courage, and an encouragement for the communities on the ground. Her documentations are also vital for the future, and for a just assessment of Russia's activity in the illegally occupied peninsula.
Kanika Gupta
Kanika Gupta is a journalist from India. After years of reporting from Kashmir, one of the most repressed regions for journalists in the world, she started working in Afghanistan where she covered the Taliban takeover, and reported on Afghan women's struggles. When Kabul fell, Kanika was on the ground, bringing real, unfiltered stories to international audiences. When the Taliban banned women from education and employment, Kanika’s story brought global attention to their plight. Despite facing threats of arrest and being told to take the story down, she stood her ground, refusing to be silenced.

Newcomer of the Year

Nominees in the category Newcomer of the Year show extraordinary dedication to journalism as a means to hold those in power accountable and to serve as a watchdog in the public interest, right from the start of their career. They show great talent in telling those stories that would otherwise go untold. Below you find all three nominees of 2024. 

Tracy Bonareri
As a journalist and fact checker in Kenya, Tracy Bonareri has a relentless dedication to uncovering the truth and defending the integrity of information in this age of wide spread mis- and disinformation. She exposed disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the trust in the press, and became a reliable source for her community, helping them to better navigate the complex media landscape. In her coverage of gender and human rights, Tracy has highlighted stories that often go unnoticed, bringing attention to the struggles of marginalized groups. For example, her work on the harmful practice of "conversion therapy" in Kenya has shed light on the severe impacts this practice has on the well-being of members of the LGBTQI+ community.
Ivana Milosavljević
Ivana Milosavljević, investigative journalist at the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia, revealed major malfunctions in the Serbian elections of 2023. This included voter manipulation, vote buying, and the non-transparent financing of the ruling party, in which they broke at least two major Serbian laws. This is the first undercover story of this scale ever done in Serbia. Reporting on the ruling party's call center led to serious online attacks targeted at Ivana that lasted for days on end. Ivana also wrote about the system failing to protect women as victims of domestic violence, which also led to threats targeted to her.
Aike Beyshekeeva
Aike Beyshekeeva is a journalist from Kyrgyzstan, where press freedom is strongly deteriorating. Aike who works the investigative YouTube Channel Temirov Live, one of the most important, and most prosecuted, media of the country. Aike has made several high-profile investigations into the corruption of the Kyrgyz presidential family, her investigation into the financing of the President's Wife's Fund by the Chinese Embassy caused a particularly strong resonance. Because of it, she was jailed on January 16, 2024 on a baseless charge together with 10 other current or former employees of Temirov Live. 268 days later, on 10 October 2024, she was convicted of ‘inciting mass unrest’ with a suspended three-year prison sentence.

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