Valeriia Yehoshyna, an investigative journalist with the "Schemy" Project (Radio Svoboda), has won the prestigious Knight International Journalism Awards. The awards ceremony was held on November 14 in Washington, DC.
This was reported by International Center for Journalists.
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) recognized Valeria for her outstanding contribution to documenting the aftermath of Russia's war against Ukraine, investigating war crimes committed by the Russian army, and exposing corruption schemes in military contracting. The jury also praised Yegoshina's reporting from the de-occupied territories of Ukraine and her technical skills in analyzing mobile phone records and satellite images.
During the ceremony, the journalist mentioned that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 664 crimes against Ukrainian journalists, including murders, shelling, cyberattacks and legal pressure.
"In these times, journalism is a way to avoid fear. It is about being a participant in events, a driver of change and a real source of information, as well as the voice of war victims. We live by the news we produce. News about events on the front lines and in the so-called peaceful cities. We live by our interviews. With those who have lost hope and those who give it to others. We live by our reports. About people, about events, about cities that are being rebuilt and those that simply no longer exist. And we live by investigations in our team called Schemes. Investigations of war crimes, which nobody taught us how to do before. And investigations into corruption, because we are not only a country at war, but also a country that chose the path of democracy during the Revolution of Dignity. So while we are fighting here and now, we as journalists must also take care of building a decent future, even if not everyone can see it," said Valeriya Yegoshyna.
This is the second time that Ukrainian journalists have been awarded the prize. In 2022, it was awarded to Mstyslav Chernov, Yevhen Malolietka and Vasilisa Stepanenko for documenting the events in Mariupol during the siege.
The Knight International Journalism Awards are part of the annual ICFJ Tribute program, which since 1998 has honored journalists who have shown courage and innovation in their work despite difficult circumstances.
In addition to the Ukrainian journalist, the award was given to reporter John-Allan Namu of Kenya and editor Rana Sabbagh of Jordan.
Author: Danylo Pievchev