DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Detained community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio is this year’s recipient of the Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award given by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) that recognizes women journalists repressed for their journalistic work.
The Wallis Annenberg Award is a specific award from the IWMF given to detained women journalists, with the aim to sustain attention on their cases.
Cumpio, editor of the alternative outlet Eastern Vista and a radio broadcaster, has been detained since 2020, and was recently convicted for terrorism financing from a case filed by the military. The decision drew criticisms from media and human rights groups in the country and worldwide as they point to weak evidence on the charges.
Aside from Cumpio, the IMWF honored four women journalists with the Courage in Journalism Awards.
Sisters Elaheh and Elnaz Mohammadi from Iran are recognized for their reporting on state repression and women’s rights in their country, and have faced arrests, imprisonment and censorship.
Independent broadcast journalist Georgia Fort from Minneapolis, United States faces federal charges for her coverage of the anti-ICE protests in Minnesota.
Digital journalist Nay Min Ni from Myanmar is forced into hiding following her reportage of human rights abuses and civil war that criminalizes journalism.
“The criminalization of truth-telling is what makes courage the future of journalism,” said IWMF President Elisa Lees Muñoz in a statement.
“For the women who dare to report, journalism itself is being reframed as a punishable act. We no longer live in a world of reactive suppression but preemptive deterrence, where reporting itself is a liability. The IWMF is proud to honor Elaheh, Elnaz, Frenchie, Georgia, and Nay – women who are living with the very risk they document – with Courage Awards this year.”
https://www.iwmf.org/2026/05/iwmf-announces-winners-of-the-2026-courage-in-journalism-awards
It was the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines who nominated Cumpio to the IWMF.
In a statement the group said Cumpio “deserves to be recognized as a community journalist unjustly detained for her brave truth-telling” and that the award affirms the significance of community journalism, which Cumpio described as “amplifying the voices of the marginalized and oppressed sectors.”
Media and human rights groups noted Cumpio’s arrest and court case stemmed from her reporting on human rights, rural inequality, land issues, and militarization in the region.
NUJP reiterated its call for the release of Cumpio and her co-accused, church worker Marielle Domequil, and human rights defender Alexander Abinguna, as they hoped the higher court would overturn the decision.(davaotoday.com)
