Seven distinguished journalists named recipients of the 2025 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero award

Seven extraordinary journalists from Georgia, the United States, Gaza, Peru, Hong Kong, Ukraine and Ethiopia have been named the 2025 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Heroes for their exceptional courage and resilience in the fight for free media.

Many have faced imprisonment, repression and relentless efforts to silence their work, yet they have continued to report with remarkable resilience and commitment to journalism. Two of the honourees – both women – were killed while bringing the world news from the heart of war zones. This award honours their legacies and underlines calls for stronger protections for journalists reporting on conflict. A further two honourees are currently behind bars amid crackdowns on the press and free expression. 

The World Press Freedom Hero Award, presented annually by the International Press Institute (IPI) in partnership with IMS (International Media Support), recognises journalists who have shown an unwavering commitment to press freedom.

Now marking its 75th year, IPI continues to celebrate those who embody the spirit of fearless journalism and the enduring fight for free expression. This year, we honour seven journalists from around the globe. 

The 2025 awardees, chosen by the IPI-IMS international selection committee, are:

Mzia Amaglobeli, Georgia

Martin Baron, United States

Mariam Abu Dagga, Palestine (posthumous) 

Gustavo Gorriti, Peru

Jimmy Lai,Hong Kong

Victoria Roshchyna, Ukraine (posthumous) 

Tesfalem Waldyes, Ethiopia

Mzia Amaglobeli isthe co-founder and CEO of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, two of Georgia’s most prominent independent media outlets. Her prosecution and ongoing imprisonment have come to symbolise the power of media resistance to rising authoritarianism. Amaglobeli’s decades-long work developing Georgia’s independent media landscape has inspired generations of Georgian journalists – who now refuse to be silenced, despite extreme government pressure. This award honours Amaglobeli’s fortitude and resilience – and with it we renew the demand for her immediate release. 

“To be among the recipients of the prestigious World Press Freedom Hero award is both an honour and a responsibility,” Amaglobeli said, in a communication from prison. “This award is not just about me; it recognizes the struggle of many journalists in Georgia who bravely stand for the truth despite immense pressure…This award is a reminder that our sacrifices are not invisible and that the international community supports us. Most importantly, it serves as encouragement for all of us to continue defending press freedom, for in doing so, we are also defending democracy itself.”

Martin Baron, a legend in the US media, is the former editor of the Washington Post and Boston Globe. Baron’s commitment to tough, objective public service journalism that holds the powerful to account has earned newsrooms under his leadership 18 Pulitzer Prizes. In recognising Baron with this award, IPI and IMS acknowledge his significant contributions to journalism and how to safeguard it, which carry even greater relevance at a time when press freedom is increasingly under threat around the globe, and now, even in the United States.

“Receiving this recognition at a time when journalists are under escalating attack is deeply gratifying,” Baron said. “Never in my lifetime has there been greater need for an independent press, one that reports vigorously on society’s most powerful and that also holds itself to high standards. I am inspired every day by courageous journalists who endure pressures far beyond what I myself have faced. Their work is a gift to all who cherish human freedom.”

Mariam Abu Daqqa was a freelance Palestinian photojournalist killed on 25 August 2025 in an Israeli military double strike on a hospital in southern Gaza. She contributed regularly to the Associated Press and Independent Arabia. Daqqa put her life on the line over and over again to show the world through her photographs the ongoing atrocities in Gaza. Her killing – for which no one has been held accountable – also exemplifies the increasingly dangerous conditions for Gaza’s journalists, who face targeted attacks, displacement and starvation. With this award, which last year was collectively given to Palestinian journalists in Gaza, IPI and IMS honour Daqqa’s courage in documenting for the world the reality of war, for which she paid the ultimate price, and renew calls to hold those who commit crimes against journalists accountable.

“AP’s team of journalists in Gaza continue to provide the world with crucial eyewitness reporting despite incredibly difficult and dire circumstances,” AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said. “This is exactly what Mariam Daqqa, a visual journalist who worked for the Associated Press as well as other news outlets in the region, was doing when she was killed in a strike on a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, earlier this year. Mariam produced searing photos and video that captured the lives of Palestinians facing extraordinary challenges, including families displaced from homes and doctors treating wounded and malnourished children. We remain devastated by her death and continue to seek answers to ensure journalists are protected as they cover this war.”

Gustavo Gorriti is the founder and editor-in-chief of Peruvian investigative outlet IDL-Reporteros. One of Latin America’s most renowned journalists, Gorriti has built a career out of holding the powerful to account. He has led investigations that have reshaped power dynamics across the region while also facing repeated harassment on numerous occasions over many decades. Even now, he faces imprisonment, as the very subjects of his past investigations seek to punish him for his anti-corruption reporting. In recognition of his groundbreaking work, which has always come at a high cost, IPI and IMS are proud to name him a World Press Freedom Hero. 

“These are not normal times regarding press freedom and democracy around the world and we journalists, especially investigative journalists, face strong headwinds and an overall deteriorating situation in all too many places at the same time,” Gorriti said. “These crises challenge us through both known and new perils as they demand from us not to get into a defensive crouch but to intensify our efforts to reveal, to expose and to confront massive disinformation with potent truths. So much is at stake before and beyond us that we should give nothing less than our best to help navigate this difficult period to better times of strengthened freedoms and democracies.” 

Jimmy Lai is a legendary Hong Kong publisher and the founder of pro-democracy outlet Apple Daily, which closed in 2021 amid the vast crackdown on press freedom, free expression and civil liberties in Hong Kong. He has been unjustly imprisoned for nearly five years on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. Lai faces a possible life sentence behind bars as he awaits the verdict of a trial that has come to symbolise the fight for free expression in Hong Kong. In honouring Lai with this award, IPI and IMS recognise Lai’s brave defense of press freedom, free speech and democracy, despite the immense personal toll.

“My father, Jimmy Lai, is showing extraordinary courage in standing up for the values of press freedom and democracy in the face of unspeakable abuses of his human rights,” Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, said. “He is making an enormous sacrifice to defend principles that are vital for all of us, all over the world. The World Press Freedom Hero award is an important recognition of my father’s bravery and an act of solidarity that should inspire others to stand with him and do all they can to secure his immediate and unconditional release, before it is too late.”

Victoria Roshchyna was a freelance Ukrainian journalist known for her courageous investigative reporting on the realities of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. She was detained in the summer of 2023 by Russian authorities while investigating – at great risk to herself – suspected Russian war crimes within Ukraine’s occupied territories. Roshchyna’s death in Russian captivity on 19 September 2024 exposed the brutal treatment suffered by the dozens of Ukrainian journalists unjustly held by Russian authorities, and brought new urgency to the need to protect the press and secure accountability for attacks on journalists. In naming Roshchyna a World Press Freedom Hero, IPI and IMS recognise her immense personal sacrifice in the pursuit of information and stories that must be told.

“In Ukraine, we remember Victoria as a very talented and brave journalist, who tried to obtain and bring information to people despite the danger,” Anna Babinets, director and editor of Slidstvo.Info, said. “Victoria as a reporter was at protests, courts, and the war’s frontline. She truly believed that she was the one who should cover Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. She wanted to tell the world the tragic stories of people murdered and tortured by Russians. Unfortunately, her brave work ended in tragedy. And now we have to tell Victoria’s story to the world.” 

Tesfalem Waldyes is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Ethiopia Insider. With this award, IPI and IMS honour Tesfalem’s unwavering commitment to independent journalism, which has led to direct retaliation at the hands of authorities and put his life in danger multiple times. Despite numerous arbitrary arrests and detentions – one of which lasted more than a year in connection with the “Zone 9 bloggers” case – and being forced to work in exile, Tesfalem has returned to Ethiopia, dedicated to preserving a space for public interest journalism in an increasingly difficult environment for free media. 

“This honour is not only for me but also for the fellow brave journalists in Ethiopia and in exile,” Tesfalem said. “The award is a testament to the courage and integrity of Ethiopian journalists, who are faced with arbitrary arrest, detention, intimidation, harassment, threats, persecution and violence on an almost daily basis. Their unwavering determination and resilience are embodied in this award. I wholeheartedly hope that this award will bring greater attention to the important work being done by Ethiopian journalists and the challenges they have encountered. It has also inspired me to continue working toward high standards and excellence in journalism.”  

The IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero award is given annually, honouring journalists who have displayed tremendous courage and resilience in fighting for media freedom and the free flow of news. This year’s awards will be presented during a special ceremony on October 24 at the University of Vienna during the IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival. 

“As IPI marks its 75th year of defending press freedom, we are honoured to recognise seven journalists from around the globe who have made enormous contributions to advancing press freedom and defending our right to information at great personal cost, with some even making the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of their work,” IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said. “This year’s awardees are exemplary of the current threats facing journalists worldwide as authoritarianism gains ground, impunity prevails and new challenges to freedom of expression emerge. With this award, we honour their courage, commitment and legacy – while renewing our urgent call to protect and defend media freedom as a pillar of free society.”  

“Each of the recipients of this year’s World Press Freedom Hero award have faced acute dangers and threats merely for doing their job,” IMS Executive Director Jesper Højberg said. “Two of them – Victoria Roshchyna and Mariam Abu Daqqa – paid with their lives. With immense courage and persistence, the awardees have uncovered corruption, war crimes, persecution of vulnerable groups and multiple other transgressions. We all owe them our deep gratitude for their fearless commitment to exposing what those in power seek to hide.”

More than 75 Press Freedom Heroes have been recognised with this award. Since 2015, IPI has been proud to present the award in partnership with IMS. Last year IPI and IMS awarded this recognition to Palestinian journalists covering Gaza. See all past World Press Freedom Hero Award recipients.