News for Journalists – Jesus, Ethics, Amputee

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:

Carte Blanche Awards: Since 1988, Carte Blanche has enabled South Africans to see it all by telling stories that matter. Whether we honed in on various political figures, held individuals and organisations accountable, brought inspiring stories of resilience to the fore, or shone a light on pressing issues such as climate change and health matters, the Carte Blanche team has delivered stories that not only won awards but – in many instances – brought about real change.

‘Jesus Take the Dial’ Rolling Stone article earns Bart Richards Award: A Rolling Stone article focusing on the growth of Christian rock, more specifically the nonprofit organization that has become the fastest-growing radio chain in the United States, earned the Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism. Journalist Katie Thornton earned the award for work published in 2024 with “Jesus Take the Dial,” a 6,000-word piece published in February 2024.

The Post wins inaugural Peter F. Collier Award for Ethics in Journalism: The six-part series, which published between March and December last year, was the culmination of a two-year investigation by Jessica Contrera, Jenn Abelson and John D. Harden that found at least 1,800 police officers have been charged with crimes involving child sexual abuse from 2005 to 2022. In all, The Post published almost 20 stories as part of the investigation.

Devastating Photo of Gaza Child Amputee Wins Top Global Award: Palestinian journalist Samar Abu Elouf earned the World Press Photo of the Year award for his image of nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost both arms in an Israeli attack.

President Samia to Award 79 Journalists in Dodoma: The awards are meant to recognize and motivate reporters engaged in various sectors of development countywide. These awards have been organized in collaboration between the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA). Presenting information about the competition, TAMWA Director Dr. Rose Reuben said the 79 winners from various regions across the country have been selected, and their works have been approved by a panel of judges before being voted on by the public.

KBTX takes home multiple Texas Association of Broadcasters awards: KBTX was presented several awards by the Texas Association of Broadcasters in Austin over the weekend.

Tough Times Ahead:

Trump Loses Cool After Reporter Asks If Putin Playing Games With Him: Trump has fired a bold warning amid Ukraine peace talks—telling both Kyiv and Moscow: “Don’t be fools.” Asked if Putin is stalling or trying to “play” him, Trump replied, “I hope not,” leaving the press stunned. Standing with Marco Rubio, Trump said the U.S. might “take a pass” if the talks drag. With no deadline and rising pressure, is Russia testing Trump’s patience—or setting a trap?

Journalists Under Threat:

A new threat to democracy and information integrity
: A worrying trend is the abuse of emerging technologies to pollute the information environment. This can be done by distorting what we see or read, manipulating how information is delivered, or impersonating the messenger. That is, mimicking journalists, who traditionally have been considered a credible source for fact-based information.

Guatemalan journalist Nelton Rivera targeted by smear, threat campaign: Guatemalan authorities must investigate and stop the coordinated online smear campaign against journalist Nelton Rivera and ensure that he and his colleagues at Prensa Comunitaria and Ruda can report freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since February, social media accounts known in Guatemala as “net centers” have targeted Rivera, co-director of the news agency Km. 169, which publishes the independent news websites Prensa Comunitaria and Ruda. The accounts flooded social media platform X with false and defamatory posts accusing the journalist of accepting foreign funding, collaborating with organized crime, and serving as a mouthpiece for the government.

Journalist safety and what can be done to improve it: Is your news organisation doing enough to protect journalist safety? With journalist imprisonment at a record high and online violence on the increase, especially towards women, it’s vital to consider protections in the media. At the Society of Editors Conference, a panel consisting of Carole Cadwalladr, writer at The Guardian and The Observer; Dr Rebecca Whittington, online safety editor at Reach plc; Catalina Cortes, acting emergencies director at the Committee to Protect Journalists; and Jerome Starkey, defence editor at The Sun, discussed the current landscape and what steps need to be taken to improve the situation.

Costa Rica Press Freedom Under Threat: Journalism in Costa Rica and across Central America faces an increasingly hostile environment, driven by polarizing rhetoric and systematic attacks from government authorities, according to a new report released by the Freedom of Expression and Right to Information Program at the University of Costa Rica (PROLEDI UCR) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Accolades for Journalists:

Zee 24 TAAS honoured by TV Journalist Association for Editorial Brilliance: In a proud and powerful moment for Indian journalism, Zee 24 TAAS was honoured with multiple prestigious awards by the Television Journalist Association, Maharashtra, in recognition of the channel’s relentless pursuit of truth, fearless reporting, and commitment to public interest journalism.

DDoS Cyber Attacks on Media Outlets: The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Journalist Safety Committee (KKJ) strongly condemn the cyber attack in the form of distributed denial of service (DDoS) that struck media outlets, including Suara.com, last Tuesday, April 15, 2025. This attack rendered the Suara.com site inaccessible for some time. The Editor-in-Chief of Suara.com, Suwarjono, described the DDoS attack as lasting for one and a half hours and being massive. “Almost 285 million DDoS attacks occurred in 1.5 hours,” Suwarjono said in his statement last Tuesday.

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