(CJFE/IFEX) – The following is a CJFE media release: IFEX Wins Major Award Ottawa, May 2, 2003 – The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) has been awarded the World Press Freedom Award of the National Press Club of Canada for its “decade-long defence of journalists and of free expression around the world.” The award, […]
(CJFE/IFEX) – The following is a CJFE media release:
IFEX Wins Major Award
Ottawa, May 2, 2003 – The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) has been awarded the World Press Freedom Award of the National Press Club of Canada for its “decade-long defence of journalists and of free expression around the world.”
The award, consisting of $1,500 (Cdn) and a trophy, was presented in a ceremony today in Ottawa to Joel Ruimy, executive director of the IFEX Clearing House.
“We are proud to accept this award on behalf of the 57 members of the IFEX network,” Ruimy said. “We know it will inspire them all to redouble their efforts on behalf of the fundamental human right of free expression.
“It is all the more gratifying that this recognition comes on World Press Freedom Day, perhaps the most significant date on the free-expression calendar.”
IFEX was founded in 1992 when a dozen free-expression groups gathered in Montreal to plan co-ordinated action against attacks on journalists and on free expression. Since then, the organization has grown to include 57 organizations around the world.
The IFEX Clearing House, or secretariat, has since its inception been managed in Toronto by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), one of the 57 member groups.
In making the announcement today, the National Press Club of Canada cited IFEX’s “strong and growing voice against threats to free expression and support for journalists, broadcasters and writers who suffer abuses or restraints in the course of their work.”
The National Press Club of Canada Awards were established five years ago to “recognize and encourage press-freedom initiatives and to honour journalists and broadcasters who fall victim to personal injury or death as they perform their jobs.”
