Isabelle Khurshudyan
Ukraine Bureau Chief
It seems that every year we say our work is more needed than ever. In the last five years alone, four in five people worldwide have reported a decline in press freedom - just as 44 countries ratify policies targeting freedom of expression online.
From physical and online violence to state-sponsored threats, armed conflicts and natural disasters, real risks endanger reporters everywhere, and women and nonbinary journalists are disproportionately impacted.
For democracy to thrive, we need journalism to survive. Large newsrooms have resources to protect journalists operating in challenging environments. But ahead of the 40+ elections worldwide in 2024, including the U.S. presidential elections, it's local news media that needs our support.
Across 74+ countries including the United States, the IWMF has equipped 840+ journalists with tools, training, and grants that advance press freedom and support diverse reporting.
As one of the largest non-profit providers of safety training, we offer global, identity-informed support for newsrooms and journalists adapted to local and individual contexts. The IWMF's “wrap around” approach addresses digital and physical safety as well as mental health.
Among our many achievements in 2023, we are proud to have:
Your support drives the IWMF's impact.
We must work together to make journalism relevant and trusted, again. When women and nonbinary journalists can operate safely in challenging environments, and when we invest in diverse reporting, we are supporting press freedom and democracy. And we're all better for it.
From us all at the IWMF, thank you for being a part of this journey.
Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director
More than ever,
malicious voices are working to silence journalists and obstruct democratic principles. With your support, the IWMF has been an unwavering partner in breaking barriers so women and nonbinary journalists can do their jobs.
Let's review our footprint in 2023:
In 2023, the IWMF provided
$382.7K+
in emergency funding to 194 journalists from 34 countries.
I appreciate your support and commitment to assisting journalists in times of emergency; both the training and the programs are a great contribution to our work. Personally, they make me feel like part of a community, and thanks to your contribution, I have been able to continue working and training."
Cristina Chiquin, Freelancer from Guatemala who received support through the Emergency Fund.
A Chinese freelance journalist and the IWMF's 2022 Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award winner. Sophia was forcibly detained by the Chinese government in Sept. 2021.
A Ukrainian freelance journalist and 2022 Courage in Journalism Award winner. Victoria was last seen on Aug. 3, 2023, reporting from a Russia-occupied territory.
The release of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi after 17 months of wrongful detention for their reporting on protests following the death of 22-year-old Iranian activist Mahsa Amini.
The Israel-Gaza war marks modern journalism's deadliest conflict. Since Oct. 7th, 2023, and as of April 23rd, 2024
97 journalists have been killed
in the Israel-Gaza war: that's one in 10 reporters in the region. Losing their voices means losing frontline witnesses.
Since the war's start, we've demanded the protection of journalists and press freedom, alike. And we won't stop until journalists can report from Israel and Gaza without their lives on the line.
Democracy cannot survive without quality local news – and local news cannot survive without journalists at the fore.
But to get there, journalists need to feel safe to do their jobs.
In partnership with 16 media organizations worldwide, the IWMF's nine-month News Safety Cohort training equipped newsroom staff to prepare for and deal with online attacks.
We want to make sure we're prepared to combat online surveillance and targeted attacks on members of the media from both the government and online fascist communities. The risks are escalating for everyone, and we need a more holistic approach.
Brandon Quester, Founder, Executive Director/Editor, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
Philippine-based Rappler's in-depth reporting on political affairs and social issues goes where most newspapers in the country won't: Taking critical stances on the President's war on drugs and documenting human rights abuses. As Rappler staff share, in the Philippines, unearthing the truth is a dangerous job.
That's why the IWMF and global foundation Luminate trained 43 Rappler newsroom staff and freelance journalists to protect and prevent on- and offline attacks that attempt to silence their journalism. Rappler continues to investigate the country's political and social affairs - solidifying its place as a credible new source in today's digital age.
We're bringing the IWMF's groundbreaking journalism safety training to local newsrooms across U.S. swing states.
The program, launched ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, offers newsroom staff customized training on risk assessment, personal security, legal protection, mental health care, and more.
The scenarios you created were extremely realistic for journalism and smartly rendered. I feel like we covered a week's worth of in-depth training and it has stuck with me. I'd recommend your courses to anyone looking for a comprehensive training program for their newsroom.”
News Safety Across America Participant
Since 2014, the IWMF has organized
50+ HEFATs
(Hostile Environment and First Aid Trainings)
reaching 890 journalists.
learn more about the IWMF’s singular, groundbreaking safety training for journalists worldwide
In 2023:
The IWMF partnered with the Dart Center to support the Journalist Trauma Support Network:
27 journalists across 7 states engaged in 20 free therapy sessions each.
100% of participants stayed with their therapists, from intake to their final session.
I absolutely would not have been able to afford six months of weekly therapy without JTSN. I was able to deal with immediate work stress and learn strategies that will help me in the future.
Participant
Translated our mental health guide into Farsi to support journalists in Iran.
Released the Coalition Against Online Violence (CAOV) Mapping Report, detailing the and offering future recommendations for digital safety strategies used by CAOV’s 85 (and growing) member organizations.
With the CAOV, funded several key initiatives to combat online abuse, with the support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
These initiatives include:
These projects reflect our commitment to addressing and mitigating the impact of online violence through strategic support and partnerships.
We're increasing our footprint - showing up where, when, and how journalists and newsrooms need us the most.
And, in 2023, we increased our disbursed grants to
$810.7k
up from $637K+ in 2022.
Our organization's voice is also being noticed:
4.6K+ News Mentions
25+ live engagements
Major outlets covered the IWMF's 2023 Courage in Journalism Award, including:
Other milestones that have, and continue, to make an impact:
Change won't happen in echo chambers.
That's why we invest in local, diverse journalists so they can take the time to develop comprehensive investigations that hold power to account.
Alongside The New York Times Magazine, and through the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, we invested $40,000 to bring award-winning international correspondent, freelancer, and NYC-based IWMF alum Sarah Topol's stories of “the human cost of empire” to life.
In South Africa, and with the IWMF's support, Zimbabwean journalist Kimberly Mutandiro investigated healthcare clinics denying immigrant women prenatal and maternal healthcare. Her reporting first ran in GroundUp News, with major African-based outlets, including AllAfrica, News24, and the DailyMaverick republishing the piece.
The story landed on the desk of the South Africa Department of Health (DOH); in the time since, the DOH has adapted policies to ensure no country clinics turn any woman away from their maternity centers.
In Bolivia, agro-extractivist projects threaten Indigenous people's livelihoods, their lands, and their natural reserves. Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bolivia-based magazine Verdad con Tinta Mercedes Bluske Moscoso set out to unearth the story.
Through the IWMF's support, Mercedes developed three stories to expose harmful land practices, while centering the needs and priorities of Indigenous peoples across three Bolivian contexts - Santa Cruz, home to the Chiquitania tribe; La Paz, in the Uchupiamonas town; and Tarija, home to nature reserves that oil companies seek to explore, all with the government's blessing.
Mercedes' reporting moved grassroots advocates to magnify the findings within the public domain, with activists issuing statements against government sanctioning of deforestation.
IWMF has helped me to conduct more in-depth research; IWMF's support backs me up to other organizations so that they also trust my work.”
Mercedes Buske Moscoso, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Verdad con Tinta
From El Salvador to Sri Lanka, IWMF-funded stories center the diversity of experiences beyond the mainstream narrative. We're proud of the recognition our journalists continue to receive.
IWMF fellow Paula Heredia captures the story of Imelda Cortez and a citizen movement defending women who are persecuted by the total ban on abortion in El Salvador.
Fellow: Paula Heredia
Outlet: Unitel Pictures
Winner: Audience Award at Florida Film Festival, Best Short Documentary Award at Cine las Americas, Silver Remi Award at 45th Annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival Sozialak Award at Cine Invisible Festival Internacional.
Imelda Is Not Alone shows the triumph of the passions of many feminist organizations and their relentless dedication to women's rights.”
I loved my job but didn't want to work under the military regime.”
IWMF fellows Makepeace Sitlhou and Ninglun Hanghal report on the plight of Myanmar refugees in Mizoram, India, following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. Refugees face a healthcare system overwhelmed by the influx from Myanmar, where thousands have fled military violence. The medical needs of the refugee population in Mizoram, particularly in border areas like Zokhawthar, are dire. The report underscores the critical role of community support and makeshift clinics in attempting to fill the vast healthcare gap.
Fellows: Makepeace Sitlhou and Ninglun Hanghal
Outlet: The New Humanitarian
Winner: Mumbai Press Club Red Ink Awards
IWMF Grantee Bhavya Dore's investigative reporting follows the journeys of Europeans adopted from Sri Lanka as children who return to seek their birth mothers. Dore delves into personal stories of reunion and the often harrowing paths to finding one's roots, set against a backdrop of broader systemic issues and historical context of adoption practices in Sri Lanka.
Fellow: Bhavya Dore
Outlet: Fifty Two
Finalist: SOPA (Society of Publishers in Asia) Awards
He often wondered what his life would have been like had he stayed in Sri Lanka. In his teens, the questions gnawed at him further: who was he, and where had he come from?”
Something just broke inside of me.”
In Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko seemed to be losing his grip on power. And for the first time since Lukashenko's 1994 election, people in Belarus “dared to believe that change was possible.” But as IWMF fellows Olga Loginova and Ottavia Spaggiari report, that hope was violently crushed the day Lukashenko won reelection.
Fellows: Olga Loginova and Ottavia Spaggiari
Outlet: Al Jazeera
Shortlisted: Fetisov Journalism Award (Contribution to Civil Rights)
In 2023, the IWMF's Global Health Reporting Initiative (GHRI) expanded in scope; alongside public health experts, GHRI journalists debunked disinformation around vaccines and immunizations, beyond COVID-19. Because we know: If local news is the seed of democracy, then health reporting is the foundation of a healthier society.
By the numbers:
The IWMF grant allowed me to write a story that probably would have never been written and gave dialysis patients an opportunity for their voices to be heard. It allowed me to delve into health reporting, something I've never done before but would love to do again.”
Natalee Legore, Freelance Journalist, Trinidad and Tobago
The IWMF equips journalists worldwide to stay the course: Holding governments accountable and keeping citizens informed in the fight for reproductive rights.
We supported:
"Imelda is Not Alone," a film by Emmy Award-winning director Paula Heredia, documenting the battle for reproductive justice in El Salvador.
Three Texas Tribune reporters - Eleanor Klibanoff, Pooja Salhotra, and Sneha Dey - to publish three pieces elevating stories of rural Texans affected by the state's abortion ban, limits on contraceptive products and information, and maternity care deserts. The stories garnered 168K+ total views on The Texas Tribune as well as third-party outlets that circulated the features.
Last week, I read a story about the local county hospital joining the 60% of rural Texas hospitals that no longer deliver babies. Mothers in rural areas now face hour-long drives for basic services. We should not leave this session without a firm commitment to reversing this trend.
Speaker of the Texas House, Rep. Dade Phelan
Violence and threats on- and offline disproportionately target women journalists. These efforts have one goal: Drive women out of the public space.
We've got one response: Not on our watch.
In partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), we convened women in politics and women in news media to combat violence through safety planning, training, and coalition building. In 2023 (the program's third year), the IWMF and NDI:
We, as journalists, downplay [the threats and risks] a lot. Misinformation and disinformation is very prevalent, especially around elections.”
NDI Liberia Participant
In 2023, we presented at 11 global convenings:
For this year's Courage Award winners… their existence as truth tellers amid a sea of disinformation and public, state-sanctioned efforts to silence their voices is a true act of bravery. The IWMF is honored to recognize these women working tirelessly, and collaboratively, to reveal truths otherwise untold.”
Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director, IWMF
Mexican Investigative Journalist
The Washington Post was the first American news organization to establish a Ukraine bureau – with women journalists reporting at the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war:
Iranian Photojournalist
Ukraine Bureau Chief
Contributor
Contributor
Former Cairo Bureau Chief
Video Journalist
Video Journalist
Contributing Photojournalist
Baghdad Bureau Chief
National Security Reporter
Bogotá Bureau Chief
Berlin Bureau Chief
Contributing Photographer
Political Video Reporter
International Reporter
Founding Member, NPR reporter and best-selling author
Over her 20+ years at NPR, Karen Gigsby Bates reported on race and identity, amplifying stories of Black women and marginalized communities. Prior to NPR, Bates worked as People Magazine's West Coast bureau - covering stories from the Columbine, CO massacre to 9/11's West Coast victims - and served as a correspondent for TIME Magazine and a contributing columnist to the Los Angeles Times. Bates co-authored “Basic Black: Home Training for Modern Times,” a best-selling etiquette book focused through an African American lens.
My advice to young women of color in today's journalism industry? Don't leave a single stone unturned.”
Karen Grigsby Bates
Storytelling editor Kari Howard believed that narrative journalism combined the poetry of fiction with journalism's strongest power: Speaking truth to power. The Fund's inaugural grantees reflect the spirit of Howard's work.
Through her writing, independent journalist Romita Saluja explores themes of gender, development, health, labor, and human rights. Saluja's work has run in The Washington Post, BBC, The Guardian, and Foreign Policy, among other global news outlets. She is based in New Delhi, India.
Author and freelance journalist Jess McHugh writes about culture, history, and identity. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Paris Review Daily, TIME, and The Guardian, among others. McHugh is based in Paris, France.
Brazil-based Gabriela Sá Pessoa a freelance journalist, reporting on stories about human rights violations and environmental crimes in and around the Amazon. As part of the Elizabeth Neuffer fellowship, Sá Pessoa reported on Ukraine for The New York Times.
Women and nonbinary journalists out there: apply for the fellowship. I wish you the same opportunity to learn in revolutionary ways.”
The IWMF announced the 2023 Kim Wall Memorial Fund grantees on what would have been Swedish journalist Kim Wall's 36th birthday.
Freelance reporter and editorial consultant Mahima A. Jain reports on inequality and social injustice, elevating narratives of underrepresented groups. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, BBC, Foreign Policy, The Caravan, among other international and Indian publications. Jain is based in Bengaluru, India.
Freelance journalist and editor Erin O'Brien documents the impact of violence and conflict. She writes for a range of publications including Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, War on the Rocks, and The New York Times. O'Brien is based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Korean American freelance photojournalist, documentary photographer, and visual artist Arin Yoon centers her reporting on the U.S. military, families and women, and representation and identity. Her work has appeared in publications including the National Geographic, Reuters, ProPublica, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the 19th News.
NPR political reporter Deepa Shivaram covers domestic and international breaking news, and has reported on stories about climate change, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation, the Afghan refugee crisis, the Tokyo Olympic games, and Asian American representation on screen.
Inés Rénique is a freelance audio journalist, with focus areas in immigration and gender issues. Previously she was a producer at VICE, producing El hilo, a weekly Spanish-language podcast covering global news with a focus on Latin America.
Lillian E. Agosto Maldonado is an award-winning independent journalist, digital strategist, and university professor. She is the founder and editor of Mundos Paralelos, a digital magazine that portrays Puerto Rican identity in the world.
During the 1980s, Liliane Pierre-Paul earned a reputation as one of the most outspoken critics of the Duvalier regime through her work as a reporter for Radio Haiti International. Pierre-Paul was the first IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner from Haiti.
Leda Hartman was an award-winning journalist who edited for IWMF's Round Earth Media (REM) program and documentary specials for NPR, one of which received a Peabody Award.
Lisa Shepard was an award-winning media critic, journalist and former NPR ombudsman. Her career also included time at the San Jose Mercury News, the BBC, The American Journalism Review, and The Newseum, as well as authoring a book on the Watergate Scandal. Lisa supported the IWMF as a staff consultant in 2019.
Joachim Wall was a Swedish photojournalist and father of journalist Kim Wall, who was killed in 2017 while reporting in Copenhagen, Denmark. Wall and his wife Ingrid, in addition to other family members, set up the Kim Wall Memorial Fund to support brave women journalists worldwide.
Stephen Douglas was an award-winning Canadian journalist and author. His career began photographing South African apartheid and the Rwandan genocide. In 2009, Douglas moved to Sierra Leone to ensure free and fair press. He dedicated himself to coaching reporters and students and volunteering at local newsrooms. As an IWMF Grantee Stephen participated in the Global Health Reporting Initiative in Sierra Leone.
Co-Chair
Malveaux Global Media, LLC
Co-Chair
Co-Vice Chair
World 50, INC.
Co-Vice Chair
Bank of America
Treasurer
Future
Legal Counsel
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
NBC News/MSNBC
The Meteor
Craig Newmark Philanthropies
The Washington Post
CBS News
Knight Foundation
ABC News
Invariant
Capital B
Bloomberg News
CBS
Skift
United Talent Agency
Melanoma Research Alliance
Award-Winning Journalist, Author and Humanitarian
Teen Vogue
Knight Foundation
Award-Winning Journalist, Author and Humanitarian
