[Imc-alternatives] Major events -- First blogger wins Knight International Fellowship, and Burma journalist too

[Dwight Hines]

These are wonderful awards because they parallel the recent decisions by CIA
and NSA to recognize bloggers as journalists.  That means free copies of
documents requested via FOIA, and added protection when you travel outside
the U.S. for all the folks who participate on the list.  I don't think
lurking and reading will qualify you.

Dwight Hines
St. Augustine, Florida


*
*
*
*
*IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Egyptian Blogger, Burmese Reporter Win Internation Award
*   Inbox
 Dawn Arteaga <darteaga at icfj.org> to me
 More options  10:47 am (2 hours ago)

Dwight,

I am so pleased to send you this special announcement.

Best,
Dawn

*Dawn Arteaga* – Communications Manager
*International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)*
------------------------------







[image: International Center for Journalists]
1616 H Street NW, Third Floor
Washington, DC 20006, USAT +1.202.737.3700 F +1.202.737.0530
editor at icfj.org,
www.icfj.org<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556219>Advancing
Quality Journalism Worldwide

[image: International Center for Journalists]

*For immediate release:* August 24, 2007
Contact: Dawn Arteaga, Communications Manager
Telephone 202.349.7624, E-mail darteaga at icfj.org

* *

*Egyptian Blogger, Burmese Reporter Named
2007<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556220>
*
* Knight International Journalism Award
Winners*<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556221>
**

*Along with Tom Brokaw, they will be honored at the*
* International Center for Journalists Awards Dinner on Nov. 13*

*Washington DC – *The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has named
Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas and Burmese investigative reporter May Thingyan
Hein as the 2007 Knight International Journalism Award winners.

They will be honored along with Founders Award recipient Tom Brokaw at the 10th
annual ICFJ Awards Dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International
Trade Center in Washington, DC, on November
13<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556222>.
The dinner also will feature Keynote Speaker Bob Woodruff and Master of
Ceremonies George Stephanopoulos.

Abbas is the first blogger to win the award. His blog, Misr
Digital<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556223>
(Egyptian
Awareness,) regularly breaks stories on subjects generally avoided by local
media, such as protests, corruption, and police brutality. His vivid
first-hand reports, videos and photographs have attracted thousands of
readers and the attention of mainstream news outlets, which have begun to
pick up his hard-hitting stories.

Abbas, 32, has been arrested, interrogated, and beaten, but remains
undaunted. "The bloggers in Egypt are the last independent voice," he
recently wrote. "If we are silenced, no protests will be heard in Egypt…And
so the choice to blog is not only serious, but necessary."

Burma's May Thingyan Hein, 33, stands out for her coverage of controversial
topics such as corruption, HIV/AIDS and poverty. A freelance journalist for
several publications, she specializes in investigative stories in a country
where journalists must submit their reports in advance to officials. Her
breaking coverage of the spread of the bird flu into Burma, for example,
forced officials to acknowledge the epidemic.

"Wael Abbas and May Thingyan Hein are blazing the path in their countries
with extremely bold coverage," says ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan. "We want
to honor them for exposing issues no one else will cover and encourage
others to follow their example."

The award, given by the Knight International Journalism Fellowships
Program<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556224>,
recognizes individuals who have raised the standards of media excellence in
their countries. Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
Knight International Fellows lead high-impact projects that help news media
make societies more accountable to their citizens.

Knight International Journalism Fellows, past and present, and other experts
in the field nominated candidates for the award. A five-member jury then
made the final selection. The jury included two former Knight Fellows--Roger
Atwood of the Washington Office on Latin America and John Pancake of
the *Washington
Post*-- as well as Patricia Weems Gaston of the *Washington Post*, Owen
Ullmann of *USA Today*, and ICFJ President Barnathan.

*The International Center for Journalists*, a non-profit, professional
organization, promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that
independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition.
Since 1984, ICFJ has worked directly with more than 40,000 journalists from
176 countries. Aiming to raise the standards of journalism, ICFJ offers
hands-on training workshops, seminars, fellowships and international
exchanges to reporters and media managers around the globe. For more
information, visit www.icfj.org.
<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556225>
 For
more information on the Knight International Journalism Fellowships Program,
visit www.knight-international.org<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556226>
.

*The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation* promotes journalism excellence
worldwide and invests in the vitality of the communities where the Knight
brothers owned newspapers. For more information, visit
www.knightfdn.org<http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=158718026&u=1556227>
.
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