Press Freedom Medal 2018 media release
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| MEDIA RELEASE | 3 May 2018 |
| Press Council awards 2018 Press Freedom Medals |
| The Australian Press Council has awarded Press Freedom Medals to two outstanding individuals for their major contributions to furthering the causes of free speech and freedom of the press. |
Peter GresteOne of Australia’s most respected and experienced foreign correspondents, a vocal proponent of press freedom and now Professor of Journalism and Communications at University of Queensland. |
Gerard RyleDirector of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a network of more than 200 journalists and 100 media organisations in 70 countries who collaborate on major investigative stories. |
| The awards were made at a World Press Freedom Day event hosted at Twitter’s Sydney offices. |
| “We received a substantial number of extremely strong nominations again this year, all of them outstanding individuals and well worthy of congratulations,” said Press Council Chair Neville Stevens. “However, the selection committee agreed unanimously that Peter Greste and Gerard Ryle demonstrated all of the qualities these medals are meant to celebrate.”
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| “Peter’s work as a courageous foreign correspondent is well known, but his more recent work as a vocal press freedom advocate and communications scholar is less known, though no less laudable. Gerard, after a long and distinguished career as a journalist here and in Ireland, now runs an organisation that is fundamentally changing the way investigative journalism can be done in a time of dwindling revenues and staff in media companies.”
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| In receiving his award, Ryle said: “Never have we seen such calculated campaigns of misinformation from positions of authority. It has never been so easy for powerful people to undermine the work of journalists. It is more important than ever for journalists to stand together to protect each other and to protect the integrity of our profession.”
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| Greste said: “This award is a great personal honour of course, but more importantly, it recognises the importance of the continued fight to defend media freedom and the safety of journalists at a time when both are under enormous pressure.”
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| Journalists, communications academics, members of the legal profession and others were in the audience for the ceremony and a panel discussion afterwards organised by Twitter. The panelists: Kate McClymont (Fairfax Media), Michael Cameron (News Corp Australia), Peter Greste, as well as Behrouz Boochani (an Iranian journalist and refugee on Manus Island) via audio link and Gerard Ryle via video link.
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| Read the award citations here. Photos of the two medal winners can be found here: Peter Greste | Gerard Ryle. |
| The Press Council has awarded the Press Freedom Medal intermittently since 1999, but the honour was reserved initially for people affiliated with the organisation. The Council decided in 2016 to revitalise the award and open it up to people who, through their work as journalists, legal practitioners, community activists or advocates help ensure the preservation of free speech, press freedom and open government.
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| Past winners of the Press Freedom Medal: 2016 – Kate McClymont of Fairfax Media and Paul Maley of News Corp Australia. 2017 – Peter Timmins of the Australian Open Government Partnership Network and Michael Cameron, National Editorial Counsel for News Corp Australia. |
| For more information about the Press Freedom Medal or to arrange an interview with Council’s Chair or the 2018 recipients, contact Michael Rose, the Press Council’s Director of Research and Communications, on 0451 978 276 or by email: michael.rose@presscouncil.org.au. |
