International Women's Media Foundation Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) will celebrate the 25th anniversary of honoring women journalists at the 2014 Courage in Journalism Awards on October 22 at Cipriani 42nd Street. Cynthia McFadden and Norah O'Donnell will host the ceremony. Bank of America is the National Presenting Sponsor for the ninth consecutive year. Bloomberg is the East Coast Presenting Sponsor.

At this year's luncheon, the IWMF will announce the launch of the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award and pay tribute to the courage and dedication of AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this year. Created with a $1 million endowment from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF), the Courage in Photojournalism Award will be given annually to a woman photojournalist whose work follows in the footsteps of Anja Niedringhaus and who has set herself apart by her extraordinary bravery. Niedringhaus won an IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2005. Howard G. Buffett will be attending the ceremony on behalf of HGBF.

For the past 24 years, the IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards have honored women journalists who set themselves apart by their extraordinary bravery. Facing and surviving danger to uncover the truth, they raise the bar for reporting under duress. This year's honorees are Arwa Damon (senior international correspondent, CNN) who has reported on most of recent history in the Middle East, covering revolutions, popular demonstrations, war, and terrorist attacks. Solange Lusiku Nsimire (editor in chief, Le Souverain, Democratic Republic of the Congo) who is the target of ongoing threats and harassment; her family home has been attacked multiple times. And Brankica Stankovi?, (TV reporter, B92, Serbia) who has been forced to live under 24-hour police protection since 2009 for reporting on corruption and crime perpetrated by her country's political and economic elite. Alexandra Trower, Executive Vice President of Global Communications at The Est�e Lauder Companies Inc., and Vice-Chair of the IWMF Board of Directors, will receive the IWMF Leadership Award for her decades-long career in executive leadership at major international companies and her years of support for the IWMF's work.

The Courage in Journalism Awards attract the most notable of newsmakers each year. Cynthia McFadden (NBC News) and Norah O'Donnell (CBS) serve as this year's event co-hosts. Peter T. Grauer (Chairman, Bloomberg L.P.) serves as the 2014 Courage Event Chair. Deborah Lloyd (Chief Creative Officer, Kate Spade & Company) is the Awards Luncheon Committee Chair with support from the following members: Lawrence Aiken (Conde Nast), Ann Inc., Patricia W. Chadwick, Connie Chung, CNN, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Anne Finucane (Bank of America), Anne Fulenwider (Marie Claire), Richard Gilder and Lois Chiles, Mr. and Mrs. David A. Jones, Parisa Khosravi (CNN), Deborah Krulewitch (The Est�e Lauder Companies Inc.), Linda Mason, The New York Times Company, Norah O'Donnell (CBS News), Richard Plepler (HBO), Lynn Povich, Lawrence A. Rand (Kekst and Company), Wyndham Robertson, Debra Shriver (Hearst Corporation), Sally Susman (Pfizer), Alexandra Trower and Jonathan Lindsey, W. Peter Trower (The Secular Society), Deborah Turness (NBC News), Matthew Winkler (Bloomberg News) and Judy Woodruff (PBS NewsHour).

Founded in 1990 by a group of prominent U.S. women journalists, the International Women's Media Foundation is a Washington-based organization that is dedicated to strengthening the role of women journalists worldwide. The IWMF believes the news media are not truly free and representative without the equal voice of women. The IWMF celebrates the courage of women journalists who overcome threats and oppression to speak out on global issues. The IWMF's programs empower women journalists with the training, support and network to become leaders in the news industry.