IWMF: Good Group Grants Good Women Awards

The International Women’s Media Foundation has granted three women its yearly award for Courage in Journalism. Amongst them is Jill Carroll, the Christian Science Monitor reporter captured and held for 82 days in Iraq. Also awarded were May Chidiac of Lebanon and Gao Yu of China.

The organization gave a Lifetime Achievement award to Elena Poniatowska, Mexican journalist, writer and social icon. Poniatowska was born in Paris into Polish nobility (her full name at birth was Princess Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amelie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor), moving to Mexico during World War II with her family. Educated in the States, Poniatowska returned to Mexico and eschewed her privileged background. She has devoted her life to social justice issues.

For most of her journalistic career, Poniatowska has written for Mexico City’s prominent daily, La Jornada.

Perhaps of greatest import has been her book, La Noche de Tlatelolco (Massacre in Mexico), which recounts the indiscriminate gunning down of student protesters, their supporters and innocent onlookers and passersby, during a march in the Tlatelolco district of the Mexican capital. Estimates of civilians killed during the army massacre of the afternoon and night of Oct. 2, 1968 range anywhere from 300 to several thousand.

The International Women’s Media Foundation is a super group of women journalists supporting women’s efforts for full participation in media. They provide training and seminars to enhance women’s skills and opportunities; liaise with and support women in perilous assignments worldwide; and do research, issuing reports on the role of women in the media.

The IWMF was especially helpful to me, providing invaluable contacts while I worked on my article, Women on War, for the Women’s Village.

So, “Hats (or whatever) off” to all the worthy women of the group and their awardees.