Washington DC — Mpumalanga journalists Justin Arenstein and Sharon Hammond received the prestigious Knight International Press Fellowship Award this week for their contributions to international journalism.
The International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) honoured the two, from African Eye News Service (South Africa) (AENS) in Nelspruit, and Russian journalist Andre Babitsky for their commitment to upholding the highest professional standards and a strong independent press.
The three received the awards at the ICFJ's third Annual Excellence in International Journalism Awards dinner in Washington.
Board director James F Hoge said AENS provided a remarkable South African news service, where "courage is part of the activity and quality" of their work.
Arenstein and Hammond founded the financially independent AENS in 1995 after being fired from an Mpumalanga newspaper for advocating equal pay rates for black and white freelance reporters.
They launched the agency in Nelspruit with one computer. Today the agency supplies publications in eight Southern African countries and in the United Kingdom with news and features.
Hoge emphasised their professionalism, determination and accountability to their readership despite intimidation, death threats and legal actions.
The ICFJ honoured AENS for its continuous efforts to expose corruption, fraud and injustice.
"On a continent where press freedom is often non-existent and the media is frequently characterised by sensationalism, the AENS journalists continue to be a beacon for fledgling media outlets in the region and set the standard for accurate, community-based journalism in Africa," said Hoge.
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The agency has employed journalists without formal training from rural, disadvantaged areas.
"AENS is proof that the small, independent media can make a difference without formal education," Arenstein said during his acceptance speech. Arenstein warned against the race card that is often used to discredit investigative journalism in South Africa.
In-depth coverage that provides context, as opposed to "hit-and-run reports", would monitor politicians and help prevent corruption among leaders, he said.
Arenstein emphasised the need to de-centralise the South African media, which is currently centred on urban priorities.
Babitsky's award was received by a fellow Russian journalist on his behalf, because he is not allowed to leave Moscow.
Babitsky, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter, was detained by the Russian military in an effort to silence his independent reporting on the war in Chechnya.
He was praised for dedicated, objective coverage of the conflict without regard for his personal safety.
