New York – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has announced plans to honor journalists from Colombia, Eritrea, El Salvador, Hungary, Lebanon, and Myanmar at the 36th annual International Press Freedom Awards in New York.
The event is set for Thursday, November 19, 2026, and will be chaired by Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group.
The master of ceremonies will be Lulu Garcia-Navarro, a journalist for The New York Times, co-host of “The Interview” podcast, and contributor to CNN.
“This year’s honorees exemplify the resilience and courage of journalists worldwide,” expressed CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
“They have endured targeting, imprisonment, exile, and surveillance solely for their efforts to report the news. It is a privilege to recognize their commitment to revealing the truth.”
Carlos Dada, a Salvadoran journalist and co-founder of El Faro, Central America’s first digital newspaper launched in 1998, will be awarded the 2026 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award.
This prestigious award is presented annually by the CPJ board of directors to acknowledge an individual’s steadfast commitment to press freedom.
“For decades, Carlos Dada’s innovation and perseverance have ensured that El Faro’s journalism holds power accountable in El Salvador and throughout Latin America,” noted CPJ Board Chair Jacob Weisberg.
“Currently, Carlos leads a newsroom in exile from Costa Rica. Under his leadership, El Faro continues to deliver incisive reporting even as press freedom declines under President Bukele’s administration.”
CPJ’s 2026 awardees include:
Christina Assi, Lebanon
Since 2018, Lebanese journalist Christina Assi has worked as a photojournalist and photo editor for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Cyprus. On October 13, 2023, she and six fellow journalists were targeted by Israel in a double-tap attack while covering events from Alma Al-Shaab on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Issam Abdallah, Assi’s close friend and a Reuters correspondent, was killed in the first strike, leaving her with severe injuries that resulted in the amputation of her right leg.
Numerous independent investigations have established that Israel executed a deliberate strike against a group of clearly identifiable journalists, which is viewed as a war crime under international law.
Despite it being the most thoroughly documented incident of attacks on journalists by Israel, nearly three years later, no accountability has been established.
The CPJ has reported a consistent pattern of journalist killings by Israel, coupled with a systemic failure to achieve justice.
Following the attack, Assi has actively been advocating for justice in Abdallah’s murder, highlighting journalist safety, and supporting rehabilitation programs for individuals with similar life-altering injuries.
The Eritrea 16, Eritrea
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the crackdown on independent media in Eritrea and the imprisonment of some of the world’s longest-incarcerated journalists.
On September 18, 2001, known as “Black Tuesday,” the Eritrean government shut down privately owned newspapers.
Most of the Eritrea 16 were arrested in the subsequent weeks following this crackdown.
The group includes Amanuel Asrat, Dawit Habtemichael, Dawit Isaak, Ghebrehiwet Keleta, Hamid Mohamed Said, Idris Said, Jimi’ie Kimeil, Mattewos Habteab, Medhanie Haile, Said Abdelkader, Saleh Aljazeeri, Sahle Tsegazeab, Seyoum Tsehaye, Temesgen Ghebreyesus, Tesfay Ghebreab, and Yusuf Mohamed Ali.
The imprisoned journalists have never faced charges or been put on trial. They remain held without communication, without access to family or legal counsel. There’s no independent information about their health, conditions of detention, or even their survival status.
Eritrea’s media landscape has yet to recover from the 2001 crackdown, leaving a generation of Eritreans who have only known state-controlled media.
Szabolcs Panyi, Hungary
Szabolcs Panyi is recognized as one of Europe’s leading investigative journalists. His reporting, which sheds light on the actions of the former Orbán regime, has significantly influenced Hungary and broader European policy discussions.
With insights from national security sources and high-ranking government officials, Panyi’s journalism has made him a target of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, especially as Hungary approaches the high-stakes 2026 election.
This year, his investigations into Russian influence led to direct confrontations with Hungarian authorities, who retaliated with espionage charges against him for revealing the foreign minister’s questionable ties to the Kremlin.
Panyi’s investigative work on national security, foreign interference, corruption, and political atmospheres has been crucial in illuminating Russian influence networks in Hungary and shaping public discourse ahead of the election that ultimately led to the fall of the Orbán government.
Estefany Rodríguez, Colombia
Estefany Rodríguez is a Spanish-language reporter for the local Nashville news outlet, Nashville Noticias.
On March 4, 2026, she was apprehended by federal agents and held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Alabama and Louisiana, despite her legal standing in the United States.
Rodríguez was arrested while in a vehicle marked with “Nashville Noticias” alongside her husband, a U.S. citizen.
Before her detention, Rodríguez had reported on immigration enforcement activities in Nashville.
Having arrived in the U.S. in 2021 from Colombia following death threats related to her reporting, she initially entered on a tourist visa and later sought asylum.
Rodríguez’s case highlights the increasing use of immigration authorities to suppress critical voices regarding the Trump administration and its policies.
Sai Zaw Thaike, Myanmar
Sai Zaw Thaike, a photojournalist with the independent outlet Myanmar Now, was detained on May 23, 2023, while covering the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in Sittwe, where many Rohingya tragically lost their lives in the storm.
In September 2023, a military tribunal sentenced him to 20 years of hard labor in Yangon’s Insein Prison.
This sentence is among the longest given for journalism-related offenses in Myanmar since the military coup that disrupted democracy in 2021.
While imprisoned, Sai Zaw Thaike has endured physical abuse, retaliatory torture, and denial of necessary medical treatment for serious health conditions.
Myanmar ranks as the world’s second-worst enforcer of journalist imprisonment, with 30 cases documented in CPJ’s 2025 prison census.
Sai Zaw Thaike’s experience highlights the Myanmar junta’s grim record of suppressing journalists to eliminate critical media coverage and dismantle the nation’s once-thriving free press.
