ICFJ AWARDS DINNER

Dear Mamadou Edrisa Njie,

 

This week, ICFJ celebrated 27 years of advancing quality journalism worldwide at an Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were emcees for the 600-person gala.

 

Some highlights:

• Honoree Christiane Amanpour of ABC News said no country can be strong without the "amazing profession" of journalism.  Watch the video.
• New Yorker columnist Ken Auletta urged journalists to be optimistic in the digital era, but also cautioned them to become better multimedia story tellers.  Watch the video.
• Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised ICFJ for the "vital role" it plays in supporting journalists around the world. "You remind us that access to information is the cornerstone of empowering people and communities around the globe."  Watch the video.
• Cambodian reporter and filmmaker Thet Sambath said he is paying the price for his award-winning documentary, "Enemies of the People." There have been five attempts to harm him, but he intends to start work soon on a film about the killing fields. Watch the tribute video.
• Actor Robert Redford, in a written statement, called Sambath's documentary a "brave and profoundly important work" about an "unspeakably terrible time." Read his remarks.
• Mexican investigative reporters Rocío Idalia Gallegos Rodríguez and Sandra Rodríguez Nieto said they work in "the deadliest city in North America—and probably in the world." As local reporters they can "see how immigration, free trade, drugs, corruption and poverty" have combined to cause "extreme violence." Watch the tribute video.

Thanks to each and every one of you for supporting the International Center for Journalists. With your backing, we provide innovative, hands-on programs for professional and citizen journalists, who often risk their own safety to bring us the news.

 

With warmest wishes,

 

Joyce Barnathan