In the PR World we have a ‘difficult to define’ relationship with journalists – we hate it when they don’t publish our puff pieces and love them to bits when they do.
In any event journalism as an industry is under threat and it is behove upon us as PR Professionals to support and promote the journalism industry upon which we rely more than we will admit.
So, MYPR does a weekly feature on journalists along with giving journalists the OPTION to promote their work via a FREE FEATURED JOURNALIST SUBMISSION on MyPR of their latest article – we are not asking the journalist to just post a few sentences or paragraphs but also to give a personal narrative about their article and why they wrote it.
That submission form is at the bottom of this article or can be found HERE.
In addition to the above MyPR also has a dedicated section where journalists can request the help of an expert.
These articles about journalists popped up this past week:
Journalism Awards:
2025 African Fact-Checking Awards now open for entries: Entries for the 2025 African Fact-Checking Awards are now open to journalists, journalism students and professional fact-checkers. This is the longest-running awards programme celebrating fact-checking journalism in the African media. In 2024, we received 241 entries from 29 African countries. We expect even more in 2025.
Ananias Ndlovu scoops Influential Man of the Year award : The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) in the North West on Wednesday congratulated its Provincial Interim Committee member, Ananias Ndlovu who was awarded the Influential Man of the Year Award by Big M Productions over the past weekend. Ndlovu was awarded the prestigious award at the Big M Production’s 2025 Annual edition in recognition of the work he does for community media at the awards held on Sunday at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.
National Press Club honours eNCA’s Crime Watch team: The National Press Club has named Crime Watch host Yusuf Abramjee Journalist of the Year 2024.
He won the award in in the TV News category at the prestigious Newsmaker of the Year awards on Friday night.
Abramjee called the accolade not just a personal honour, but a tribute to the Crime Watch and eNCA team, now in its seventh year.
2025 Poynter Journalism Prize winners and finalists announced: The Poynter Institute is pleased to announce the distinguished winners and finalists of the 2025 Poynter Journalism Prizes, which spotlight a wide range of outstanding reporting and writing from U.S. news organizations during 2024.
The 10 winners and 19 finalists represent digital news sites, nonprofit news organizations, newspapers, podcasts, broadcasts and a TikTok video.
Al Jazeera wins two Peabody Awards: Al Jazeera Media Network has been honoured with two prestigious Peabody Awards, one of the most esteemed accolades in broadcast storytelling.
The awards recognise the Al Jazeera English Fault Lines documentary The Night Won’t End in the News & Documentary category, and the Al Jazeera English Digital film One Day in Gaza from the series Close Up, in the Interactive & Immersive category.
Freedom of Speech Award goes to Tamar Kintsurashvili: When Georgia declared its independence in 1991, Tamar Kintsurashvili knew that from then on, she wanted to play an active role in shaping democracy. “In the Soviet system you had no voice, no rights. You were part of a totalitarian system,” she told DW.
“In a democracy, you are responsible for controlling your own government, and you have the responsibility to be an active citizen,” she continued. “And the media plays a crucial role here, by balancing different branches of power.”
Kintsurashvili used to work as a journalist. Now she is the executive director of an independent foundation for media development in Georgia’s capital that advocates for civic freedoms and human rights. There she offers workshops on fact-checking and countering hate speech. But her work is getting harder, as Georgia becomes increasingly repressive.
Tough Times Ahead:
Fear for the press and democracy: The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been marked by a flurry of executive actions that have created a chilling effect and have the potential to curtail media freedoms. These measures threaten the availability of independent, fact-based news for vast swaths of America’s population.
CPJ has noted a significant increase in the number of newsrooms seeking safety advice, concerned that the changing national political environment could threaten their ability to report without fear of retribution from authorities.
This report provides a snapshot of the Trump administration’s policies that directly affect press freedom. The fate of American democracy and journalists’ ability to work without fear are intertwined. The blitz of policy changes from the White House and its appointees set a concerning tone for local governments domestically, and authoritarian-minded rulers globally, and has deepend a climate of hostility toward journalists.
CPJ is calling on the public, the media, civil society, and all branches, levels, and institutions of government – from municipalities to the U.S. Supreme Court – to safeguard press freedom to help secure the future of American democracy.
Maybe it is time to become a jockey?: Now may be a tough time for journalism — unless you’re a horse, Journalism is your name and you’re favored to win the Kentucky Derby. And Michael McCarthy, Journalism’s trainer, has been in the game long enough to know horses like this don’t come along very often. He says Journalism is his best shot so far at winning a derby on his own.
Report on the war, and survive it: After 18 months of war, photojournalist Abdul Raouf Shaath thought he had seen everything.
Mr. Shaath was taking a nap in a tent encampment near Khan Yunis’ Nasser Hospital April 6 after a long day documenting missile strikes, when an Israeli airstrike shook the ground and sent shrapnel flying.
He rushed outside to find a local news outlet’s tent in flames…
NUJ FCT Salutes Workers, Demands Press Freedom: As Nigerians join the rest of the world to mark International Workers’ Day, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Comrade Grace Ike, has praised the hard work and dedication of workers, while also calling for greater press freedom and better working conditions for journalists.
Liberals loathe ‘MAGA media’: The New York Times recently published a hissy fit about the White House allowing reporters into the Briefing Room who didn’t vote for Kamala Harris. Here was the amazing protest sentence: “Longtime White House reporters say the result has been an erosion of their independence.”
The presence of a reporter who didn’t vote Democrat doesn’t “erode” the anti-Trump animus (“independence”) of liberal activist journalists. It might balance it, suggesting journalism and liberalism are not exactly the same thing.
This spurred a trend. Politico’s Ian Ward profiled these invaders under the headline “Meet the 8 MAGA Outlets Disrupting the White House Briefing Room.” It carried the usual labeling about “the divide between the MAGA-friendly media and their more mainstream counterparts.” The extreme hatred of Trump is “more mainstream.”
Journalists Under Threat:
I Could Never ba as Brave as Anna Politkovskaya: Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya – a woman with immense courage and integrity who, despite numerous threats to her life, continued to be a blazing beacon of truth in a time and place where speaking truth was extremely dangerous.
Workers Assault Journalist: A senior journalist was attacked by BJP workers in India-occupied Kashmir after asking about security lapses following the deadly Pahalgam attack.
It is safe for me to write this article – and for you to read it, but…: Once labelled as a ‘foreign agent’ in Georgia, a journalist or newsroom would have to register with the justice ministry, submit regular reports on their activities, finances and interactions, facing fines and prison sentences if they so much as miss a deadline.
Stand With Local Journalism: May 3 marked World Press Freedom Day, a moment to reflect on the essential role of a free and independent press in a healthy democracy—and the mounting challenges journalists face in fulfilling that role.
Accolades for Journalists:
Accolades for Eamonn McCann: President Michael D Higgins has recalled his days as a university debating rival of Eamonn McCann as he paid tribute to the Derry journalist on receiving a prestigious award. The comments came as Mr McCann was heralded a “fearless journalist” and “tireless campaigner” as he picked up the Member of Honour award, the highest accolade given by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Saturday.
Accolade for Desa: TV3 journalist Mas Zharif Aziz Desa, 32, received the accolade for his exclusive report titled “Majikan dan Pekerja Perlu Seiring Elak Suasana Toksik di Pejabat”. He took home RM10,000 in cash. Reflecting on his win, Mas Zharif expressed heartfelt gratitude for the recognition, describing it as one of the most significant milestones in his eight-year career in journalism.
Claybourn notches top sports writing accolade: Longtime Herald-Banner sports editor David Claybourn was named the Class A Star Sports Writer of the Year during a Saturday awards ceremony held as part of the annual Texas Managing Editors convention in San Antonio.
Accolade for BBC Newsnight legend Kirsty Wark: Newsnight icon Kirsty Wark has reflected on her long-spanning career ahead of receiving her BAFTA accolade. The 70-year-old presenter and journalist will be awarded the BAFTA Fellowship at this year’s Television Awards next month.
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