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Kyiv Independent war reporter honoured

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By Edward Steen, Vienna October 4, 2023

The Kyiv Independent, already prizewinning in numerous categories, has another: its 22-year-old war reporter Asami Terajima has won the 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize, for “excellent investigative and courageous research activities”, part of the prestigious Axel Springer Prize.

Asami Terajima, 22, with camera on the battlefield

The 2023 Weidenfeld Prize is a recognition of Terajima’s coverage of Russia’s brutal all-out war against Ukraine. Working for the Kyiv Independent, she has written many heart-wrenching pieces on the outcomes of the Russian war, including a story of medics saving lives near Bakhmut or personal stories of Mariupol theatre bombing survivors.

“Asami Terajima is a young reporter who got into war coverage at the age of 22 during the attack on Ukraine. During her assignments, she has focussed on documenting the impact of the conflict on civilians and life in the contested areas,” reads the award’s website.

“The war changed Terajima’s life completely. From one day to the next, she stood in front of the city that had become her home, which had been destroyed in many places, and reported on how mass graves in Bucha (where she played tennis as a child) were opened to document the war crimes of the Russians.”  

Named after the late Austrian-born publisher, journalist, and philanthropist George Weidenfeld, the prize is also endowed with 5,000 euros.

Earlier in April, the paper was shortlisted for the Emerging Europe Awards 2023 in the Media Freedom and Responsible Reporting Initiative of the Year category.

This year’s edition of the awards, created “to showcase and recognize outstanding growth initiatives in the region,” is titled “Grasping the chance to lead.”

The Kyiv Independent‘s investigation into the foreign legion was also shortlisted for the 2023 European Press Prize

 

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