Pakistani journalist Kamal Siddiqi was honoured with the prestigious Journalists of Courage Impact Award at the East-West Center (EWC) International Media Conference in Manila, as announced on the organization’s website on Monday.
Siddiqi, the former news director at Aaj TV, is the first Pakistani to receive this biennial award, which recognizes journalists who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to quality reporting and press freedom, often in challenging conditions.
The other six recipients of the award include:
- Sincha Dimara, news editor at Inside PNG
- Tom Grundy, editor-in-chief and founder of Hong Kong Free Press
- Alan Miller, founder of the News Literacy Project in Washington DC
- Soe Myint, editor-in-chief and managing director at Mizzima Media Group in Yangon, Myanmar
- John Nery, columnist and editorial consultant at Rappler in Manila
- Ana Marie Pamintuan, editor-in-chief at The Philippine Star
When the award was first announced in February, Siddiqi expressed his gratitude in a statement on X, saying he was “humbled” to receive the honor.
Siddiqi currently serves as a senior program officer at the Media Development Investment Fund, focusing on South Asia. He was previously the director of the Center for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration, editor of The Express Tribune, and president of the EWC’s alumni association in Karachi. Additionally, he is a fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Democratic Development and Rule of Law and a senior non-resident fellow with the Atlantic Council, according to the EWC.
