She’s carrying on the legacy of impeccable journalism!
White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and political contributor for NBC News and MSNBC, Yamiche Alcindor, has been named the recipient of the 4th annual International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) Gwen Ifill Award.
In a press release provided to The Root, Elisa Lees Muñoz, executive director of the IWMF, said that Alcindor has remained focused on the truth despite constant attacks by the administration and its associates.
“She mirrors Gwen Ifill’s tenacity and talent,” Muñoz continued. “At such a critical moment for press freedom, it is an honor to celebrate Yamiche and the barriers she has broken for young journalists of color following in her footsteps.”
Alcindor has made a name for herself in journalism for her hard work and dedication to the news since she graduated from Georgetown University in 2009. A few years later, while working at USA Today, she was named the Emerging Journalist of the Year at the 2013 National Association of Black Journalists conference.
The press release from IWMF praised Alcindor for her perseverance.
“Now in its fourth year, the IWMF’s Gwen Ifill Award honors a remarkable woman journalist of color whose work embodies Ifill’s legacy of supporting and uplifting women of color in news media. Ifill, who passed away in November 2016, was a friend of the IWMF and trailblazer in the news media industry…” the press release said. “Alcindor is a force in the White House Press Corps, building a reputation as a reporter who will always ask her question despite the Trump administration’s hostility toward the media. Dedicated to shedding light on injustice and inequity, Alcindor frequently covers police brutality and systemic racism in the United States.”
Gwen Ifill served as moderator and managing editor of Washington Week and co-anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour until her death at 61 in 2016. She was a pioneering Afro-Latina journalist who opened the doors for many journalists of color to come behind her.
“Gwen spotted Yamiche as a young journalist of great promise, and it’s thrilling to watch her grow in stature as she covers some of the most consequential stories of our time,” Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour and a co-founder of the IWMF said in a statement. “The NewsHour is strengthened in its journalism, and Americans are better informed as a result of her unflinching dedication to reporting the facts as she finds them every day.”
Alcindor said it’s an honor to receive this award during such a critical and historic year.
“Gwen Ifill was a journalism icon who exemplified all the virtues of the craft that we need now—fairness, bravery and truth-telling at all costs,” Alcindor said. “Gwen, her dear friend Athelia Knight, and a number of other women and men in my life have helped me navigate my career and embrace my passion for civil rights journalism on many beats and in all forms. I am forever grateful for their support as I accept this award.”
The IWMF will host a virtual Courage in Journalism Awards on Dec. 1, where Alcindor will receive further recognition. Gwen Ifill’s legacy doesn’t stop with the award. IWMF provides a mentorship program in her name as well, which is currently in its second year.
According to IWMF, “the program pairs young women journalists from underrepresented backgrounds with senior media professionals to address the lack of diversity and women in leadership positions in U.S. newsrooms. Together, these efforts reflect Ifill’s impact, recognizing and uplifting the next generation of women journalists of color.”
Congratulations, Yamiche. Thank you for carrying on the tradition of truth and service.
Photo Credit: PBS NewsHour