Press Institute Founder wins Bravery in Journalism Award; Named one of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 3, 2008
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Press Institute Founder wins Bravery in Journalism Award; Named one of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century

The international news service Women's eNews announced yesterday that The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World's founder, Cristi Hegranes, has been named one of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century for 2008. In addition to her inclusion on this prestigious list, Hegranes was also awarded the annual Ida B. Wells prize for Bravery in Journalism.

Prior to founding The Press Institute in March of 2006, Hegranes, 27, was a foreign correspondent and feature writer covering women's issues, AIDS and immigration for some of the world's premier magazines and weekly newspapers. But in working for mainstream media Hegranes says her journalistic dreams were not being fulfilled. "I had the job I thought I always wanted," she says. "But I could never escape the knowledge that news, especially news coming in from abroad, was so often skewed, filtered, and in many ways did a disservice to both local communities and international readerships."

Hegranes says she dreamed of one day becoming the publisher of a large newspaper chain and "changing the standards and ethics of main stream reporting." But a fierce passion for the written word and the principles of journalism overtook Hegranes and her long-term career plan. "After I came back from working as a foreign correspondent in Nepal I realized how limiting the current model of foreign correspondence could be. I wanted to create a new model where the people with the greatest linguistic, political, social, and historical knowledge and access were the ones reporting the news from their communities to an international audience."

So Hegranes set to work creating a model where news was reported from the inside out. Today her dream takes the form of The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World, the organization she founded to train women in developing countries to be strong, ethical, investigative local reporters covering six specific topics - AIDS, poverty, reproductive health, violence against women, political oppression and community development. Using an original curriculum written and designed by Hegranes, The Institute trains women in the principles and practice of journalism. "There is a great emphasis on eliminating bias and understanding objectivity," says Bridget Huber, a former program director of The Institute's inaugural Global Training Site in Chiapas, Mexico. After six-months of extensive coaching and training the reporters are hired as Senior Correspondents by The Press Institute's international newswire. Content produced by the reporters is published on the newswire and sold and disseminated to local and mainstream news outlets around the globe in seven different languages.

On her decision to train only women, Hegranes says a "woman-centered program" allows for the greatest source access on under-reported issues and helps to empower and educate whole communities.

The Press Institute is a 501(c)3 international nonprofit organization. The Institute is funded by foundations and individuals worldwide, but Hegranes and her 12 member board of directors have refused corporate and government dollars. Hegranes says she intends to stay true to her initial goal of creating a 100 percent independent news service.

Recently, Hegranes told Women's eNews, "This is an idea whose time has come. Globally, people are hungry for information that comes with no strings attached."

Press Institute reporters have already earned international recognition for their work, which is well read worldwide. On average the news wire receives 40,000 hits per month from approximately 50 countries. Hegranes says she is proud of the work her reporters have produced - coverage has ranged from women trafficking and civil war to land use issues and health care fraud. "People ask me all the time if I still do my own reporting. I don't have time these days, but I always say journalism is about the greater good. And in the last 18 months the 10 reporters who have been trained by The Institute have covered more stories and covered them better than I ever could have," Hegranes exclaimed.

In addition to the phenomenal, ethical journalism that its reporters have produced, Hegranes says 'the best part' of The Press Institute is to see the way that journalism and a greater access to information have empowered and uplifted the new reporters and the communities they cover. "The unemployed, the street workers, the domestic laborers that we hire, they live in societies where they are utterly disrespected," Hegranes says. "I am blown away every day to see these women choose journalism and use it to elevate themselves."

All media inquires and interview requests should be directed to pr@piwdw.org, or directly to Cristi Hegranes, 415-516-3012, Cristi@piwdw.org. Information about the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century can be found at www.womensenews.org.

"Through brave reporting and an unending quest for truth, we believe ours will be a significant step in the great goal of human understanding."

-- Cristi Hegranes, The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World