The winners of 2025 ICFJ Knight Awards. Photo by ICFJ
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has named the winners of its 2025 Knight International Journalism Awards: two exceptional journalists who have shown extraordinary courage and resilience in uncovering the truth amid dangerous and repressive conditions.
The honorees are:
- César Batiz, investigative journalist in exile and co-founder/director of the pioneering Venezuelan news outlet El Pitazo; and
- Philip Obaji Jr., Nigerian journalist and The Daily Beast correspondent, is renowned for exposing Russian atrocities in Central and West Africa.
The awardees will be recognized on November 13, 2025, at the ICFJ Awards Dinner in Washington, DC.
The event will also honor NBC News’ Lester Holt with the ICFJ Founders Award for Excellence in Journalism, as previously announced in April.
“This year’s winners have shown a remarkable ability to surface the truth despite powerful entities working to suppress it,” said ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi.
“César and his team at El Pitazo reach Venezuelans with independent news, circumventing censorship through innovative means. Half a world away, Philip is documenting Russia’s often brutal activities in Africa as it taps the continent’s natural resources to help fund its war against Ukraine.”
The ICFJ Knight Awards are supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished judges, including past award recipients, leading news executives, and other respected figures in global journalism.
“It’s imperative that we recognize the work of journalists who advance the public’s understanding of critical issues around the world, especially when that work is carried out in challenging environments,” said Marisa Kwiatkowski, Director for Journalism at Knight Foundation.
“Safeguarding journalists is essential to upholding press freedom.”
Courage in the Face of Censorship and Violence
César Batiz, director of El Pitazo, leads a trailblazing news outlet that uses creative strategies to reach Venezuelans amid extreme media restrictions.
His team leverages theatre performances, WhatsApp innovations, and a citizen reporting network of 1,400 people to keep the public informed. Read more.
“Through determination and innovation, César Batiz has helped ensure that Venezuelans can access independent accountability journalism despite their country’s tight restrictions on the press,” said Julie Pace, ICFJ Knight Award judge and Executive Editor of the Associated Press.
“That César is leading this effort from outside of Venezuela, having been forced to flee the country himself, makes his work all the more remarkable.”
Philip Obaji Jr., a correspondent for The Daily Beast, is one of the foremost journalists covering the brutal actions of Russian paramilitary groups, primarily in the Central African Republic and Mali.
Obaji’s investigative reporting has detailed massacres, rape, torture, and other human rights abuses. He has been abducted, beaten, and continually threatened in the course of his work. Read more
“Philip Obaji is a reporter of global significance, driven by his commitment to the local world,” said Carlos Eduardo Huertas, ICFJ Knight Award judge and Director of investigative reporting hub CONNECTAS.
“His talent, courage, and commitment to the truth have led him to delve into extremely dangerous areas, following the trail of the perpetrators of the most atrocious attacks, especially against the women of his region.”
Supporting Global Journalism and Democracy
The ICFJ Awards Dinner is Washington’s premier international media event. Proceeds from sponsorships support ICFJ’s mission to empower journalists and strengthen information ecosystems around the world.
In collaboration with Code for Africa, ICFJ has also launched ICFJ+, a global initiative connecting journalists, technologists, civil society actors, and others to produce and distribute vital public interest information that enables people to make informed decisions and take meaningful action.
About the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) empowers a global network of journalists to produce trustworthy news that upholds free and strong societies.
Through programs that reach tens of thousands of journalists worldwide, ICFJ helps reporters cover today’s most pressing issues, innovate to connect deeply with their communities, and build resilient, thriving news organizations.
Learn more at icfj.org.
About the Knight Foundation
The Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to fostering a more effective democracy.
It supports free expression and quality journalism, invests in the arts and culture that bind communities, and advances research at the intersection of media and democracy.
Learn more at kf.org.
