Meet our 2023 #JournoHeroes

2023 has been one of the most difficult and deadly years in modern history for journalists and global press freedom. Journalists are working tirelessly amid war, polarization, censorship, and the decline of independent news.

These challenges remind us of the urgency of the IWMF’s mission: breaking barriers for women and nonbinary journalists. We must sustain diverse voices in news media?and protect journalists' safety so press freedom can live on and the world can bear witness to the most important issues of today.

We could not do this work without you, our incredible community of donors, allies, and — of course — journalists. We are so deeply grateful for your dedication to a more free, democratic, and equitable press.

Below, meet just a few of our grantees, fellows, and program participants whose work in 2023 brought truth to light and held power to account.

They are our #JournoHeroes.

For The World,?Fund for Women Journalists grantees Prue Clarke, Anthony Stephens, Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh and Carielle Doe?teamed up to explore how women in Liberia used social media to escape human trafficking.Their story ?unveiled the incredible courage of survivors and the horrifying realities of trafficked women.

2023 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow Gabriela Sá Pessoa spent the second half of her fellowship with The New York Times.

Through her reporting, she revealed the story of three Colombians working to build support for Ukraine in South America. Their efforts led them to Kyiv, where they were injured in the same Russian airstrike that killed Ukrainian war crimes investigator Victoria Amelina.

Paula Heredia, a Salvadoran documentary filmmaker, contributed to our 2023 Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice in the Americas initiative . Her documentary, "Imelda Is Not Alone," highlights the ordeal of a young girl entangled in El Salvador's complex legal system and the movement fighting for women targeted by the strict abortion prohibition. It's a must-watch!

More than 195,000 Cambodian refugees resettled in the U.S. between 1975 and 1999. However, a recent investigation found that more than 1,000 Cambodian-Americans have been deported after serving prison sentences, despite having lived much of their lives in the United States.

Supported by the Fund for Women Journalists, Vivian Ho shared the consequences of repatriation and uprooting ?in The Guardian.

Reporting from Haiti for New Lines Magazine, Round Earth Media grantees Valéry Félix and Fedya Ivoline Jean-Baptiste chronicled the development of a controversial irrigation canal . Valéry's story, complemented by Fedya's photography, showed that while Haitians see the canal as a hopeful sign of autonomy, Dominicans claim the canal will divert water away from their land, adding to growing tensions between the two countries.

Cerise Castle continued her work of holding the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) accountable through an in-depth analysis of LASD shootings since 1984 that showed disproportionate targeting of Black communities. The story, supported by the Fund for Women Journalists for?Knock LA, weaves together data and narrative to provide a full picture of historic injustices.

In the months following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, a team of Texas Tribune writers — Eleanor Klibanoff, Jinitzail Hernández, Pooja Salhotra and Sneha Dey — told the stories of Texans seeking reproductive and maternal care amid tightening restrictions. Supported by our Reproductive Rights Reporting Fund , their stories unveiled the lives of struggling mothers , a growing maternity care crisis , and lack of access to contraception or sex education for teens.

?Exprésate! grantee and Mexican journalist?Samantha Páez Guzmán's?latest investigation in La Dobe,?"Los (trans)feminicidios invisibles," focused on murders of transgender women in Puebla, Mexico. Her research finds that despite having characteristics of feminicides, these crimes are not investigated as such, nor as hate crimes. This leads to their invisibility and impunity. Samantha explores specific cases and the lack of official recognition, as well as efforts to properly classify these murders.

The?Fund for Indigenous Journalists : Reporting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and Transgender People is proud to announce support for the program's first yearlong project. Diné reporter Chelsea Curtis is working with Arizona Luminaria on an investigative, explanatory project on the injustices leading to disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous people – allowing Indigenous communities to share their stories on their own terms.

Mahima Jain, a 2023 Kim Wall Memorial Fund grantee, raised the profile of women-led startups in India combating historic misogyny and discrimination to see their companies succeed. As India ranks 57 out of 65 on the MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, Mahima’s story in Context placed a spotlight on the initiatives working to close the country’s wide gender funding gap.

Before war began in Gaza, Fund for Women Journalists grantee Marta Vidal chronicled how Palestinian refugees turned to bird-watching as a form of escapism, finding a pocket of joy amid poverty and conflict. Marta’s thoughtful piece for The Daily Beast explores the opposing dynamics of human restriction and the borderless freedom of flight.

Liliana Villatoro Gómez, a Guatemalan communications expert, and Simone Dalmasso, an Italian political scientist, are 2023 ?Exprésate! fellows. They co-authored a Plaza Pública article titled "We Didn't Come to Dance," focusing on the political and social activism of Garifuna women in Livingston, Guatemala. Their work has shed light on these women's challenges against stereotypes, prejudice, and gender issues, highlighting their active roles in empowerment and entrepreneurship within their community.

100 Days in Appalachia ’s Dana Coester invested in her team’s digital, physical and emotional wellbeing as a part of our News Safety Cohort , a group of 16 media organizations collaborating toward a culture of safety. Having a small team that faced significant threats because of their reporting, Dana felt: "We need... to make sure that we are equipped to do the necessary accountability reporting safely, ethically, and in a way that does no harm."

Fellows of our Global Health Reporting Initiative investigated vaccines and immunization in Africa and the Caribbean, including barriers to access.Adetola Bademosi’s investigation for Tribune Online revealed gaps in Nigeria’s cold chain , a challenge exacerbated by increased storage need amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before becoming a Gwen Ifill Mentorship Program mentee, Lillian E. Agosto-Maldonado had already begun an impressive career as the founder of Mundos Paralelos , a digital magazine that explores Puerto Rican identity in the world. In 2023, Lillian expanded her commitment to elevating Latine stories through an exhibit and fellowship with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino.

To continue this courageous work, journalists need support for their physical, mental and digital wellbeing.?Help us ensure the safety of women and nonbinary journalists worldwide in 2024 with a contribution to our Emergency Fund today.?Donate Now >>