Cadwalladr Scoops Prize At RSF Press Freedom Awards

The Observer’s Carole Cadwalladr is among the journalists to have been honoured at Reporters Without Borders’ annual Press Freedom Awards, winning the L’Esprit de RSF prize for her reporting on the role of data analytics in recent electoral campaigns.

Carole’s exclusive stories showed how personal data was used in online political campaigning for elections including the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union and the most recent United States presidential election and the electoral power of digital platforms.

The L’esprit de RSF is a new prize created by press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders to honour a UK journalist, media organisation, or NGO, that has demonstrated exceptional courage, achieved tremendous impact, or shown independence in the face of significant pressure.

Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of Guardian News & Media, said “Carole’s reporting has been brilliant and brave. It shows the importance of journalism which holds the powerful to account – whether in Westminster, Washington or in Silicon Valley. On behalf of Carole’s colleagues at the Guardian and Observer, we are delighted to see her receive this award.”

Journalists from across the globe were honoured at the awards three international awards for Courage, Impact, and Independence which were held in London last week. The ceremony highlighted the importance of press freedom and safety of journalists, especially in the wake of the killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.