Carmen Aristegui named 2023 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero
The award presented by International Press Institute and IMS (International Media Support) honours Aristegui’s decades of fearless reporting on corruption in Mexico regardless of the government in power, and her unyielding commitment to critical journalism in the face of targeted efforts to silence her.
IPI Executive Director Frane Maroević said:
“Carmen Aristegui stands out for her courageous determination to speak truth to power, despite the risks that doing so carries in a country like Mexico, one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a journalist. Throughout her career, she has done what the best investigative journalists do: acted as a watchdog on the powerful and giving a voice to the powerless.
“For this work, she has faced repeated attacks, harassment, and violations of her human rights. Yet time and time again she has responded to this harassment by doubling down on her commitment to critical journalism, refusing to be silenced. We’re proud to award her this year’s IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero award.”
IMS Executive Director Jesper Højberg said:
“For over three decades, Carmen Aristegui has been on the forefront of bringing truthful information to the public in Mexico. Her dedication to journalism and persistence in her work serve as inspiration to journalists around the world, but in particular in Latin America, where freedom of the press and the safety of journalists is unfortunately under severe pressure. Throughout her work, information integrity has remained a central pillar. Not only does this lead to good journalism, it is also key to upholding democratic values. By exposing corruption and seeking accountability, Carmen Aristegui has courageously and relentlessly continued her reporting despite the threats she has faced, and it is difficult to overestimate the impact of her work. For that, Carmen Aristegui is a true Press Freedom Hero.”
The immense and brave work that Aristegui does is presented beautifully by Juliana Fanjul in her 2019 award-winning feature documentary RADIO SILENCE which premiered at the Documentary Competition of Zürich Film Festival and widely traveled – both on the festival circuit and through special screenings.
This year’s Hero award recipients were selected by an international jury comprised of IPI; IMS; Siddharth Varadarajan, editor-in-chief of India’s The Wire, which received the 2021 Free Media Pioneer Award; Iryna Vidanava, co-founder and CEO of CityDog.io, a leading independent online media in Belarus; and José Zamora, chief communications and impact officer, Exile Content, and the son of imprisoned IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero José Rubén Zamora.
The IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero award will be presented together with the IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer award during a special ceremony on May 25, 2023, in Vienna as part of IPI’s annual World Congress.