ABC News' David Muir, others celebrate press freedom at awards show

"It's been a trying year for press freedom around the world," David Muir said.

By
ABC NEWS
November 19, 2020, 8:00 PM ET
2 min read

The Committee to Protect Journalists honored four of its own Thursday at the annual International Press Freedom Awards.

The virtual event awarded journalists from Bangladesh, Iran, Nigeria and Russia who have "faced harassment, legal threats, and imprisonment in the pursuit of truth," according to CPJ.

The recipients were:

  • Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam, who was imprisoned while covering protests in 2018;
  • Iranian reporter Mohammad Mosaed, who was recently sentenced to more than four years in jail and banned from practicing journalism;
  • Dapo Olorunyomi, the co-founder of the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times; and
  • Svetlana Prokopyeva, a correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Russia who was convicted on charges of "justifying terrorism" for comments she made on a radio show

    • CPJ also honored human rights attorney Amal Clooney with its 2020 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award.

    ABC's "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir was among the journalists who introduced the honorees at the 30th annual award show.

    "It's been a trying year for press freedom around the world, and it's been tested right here at home," Muir said in an introduction of the awards ceremony available on ABC News. "Journalists have been called the enemy of the people, and while reporting on the pandemic, the virus has been called 'fake news.'"

    The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has verified more than 930 incidents against journalists covering the Black Lives Matter protests this year, including assaults, arrests and equipment seizures.

    "If we learned one thing this year, it's that we need accurate and timely information to keep our loved ones safe," Muir said.

    Watch the entire award show in the video at the top of this page.