Multiple award-winning Freelance Investigative Journalist, Tobore Ovuorie has emerged as the seventh laureate of the Deutsche Welle (DW) Freedom of Speech Award 2021.
The award according to the organisers honours journalists’ outstanding commitment to human rights and particularly, freedom of expression in the media.
Among other investigative reports, Ovuorie is well known for her undercover report and advocacy on sex trafficking which has won her various awards.
According to DW Director General Peter Limbourg, Ovuorie in her research moves far beyond the journalistic comfort zone and also has to deal with people who are dangerous. I think it’s very remarkable when journalists do that to shed light on wrongdoing.
“Our prize is meant to underline how important investigative journalism is. We want to award Tobore Ovuorie for her important investigative work and also to strengthen journalism in Africa. It’s very important to recognize the authoritative role of women in journalism.”
Responding after receiving the award, Tobore said: “I am so honoured that my work has been recognized in this way by DW. It means so much to me that the work I am so committed to giving a voice to women without a voice and speaks to others as well.”
“I hope that this recognition of my work can serve as an inspiration for girls and women to be more, especially to follow the path of research in journalism.”
Past winners of the annual Freedom of Speech Award since 2015 are the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who is still imprisoned today, Sedat Ergin, former editor-in-chief of the Turkish daily Hürriyet, 2016 and in 2017, the award went to the US-based White House Correspondents’ Association.
In 2018 it was won by Iranian political scientist Sadegh Zibakalam, Mexican investigative journalist Anabel Hernández was honoured in 2019, and in 2020 the prize was awarded to 17 journalists from 14 countries, representing media professionals worldwide who have disappeared, been arrested or threatened as a result of their reporting on the Corona crisis.
DW is a German public state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 30 languages. DW’s satellite television service consists of channels in English, German, Urdu, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic.
