28 March 2024, Thursday, 18:51
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Belarusian web-magazine to receive IPI's 2012 Free Media Pioneer Award  

Belarusian web-magazine to receive IPI's 2012 Free Media Pioneer Award  

The International Press Institute today named independent belarusian magazine 34mag.net the winner of IPI's 2012 Free Media Pioneer Award.

Since 1996, the honour has recognised the work of one media organization each year for having improved press freedom and media independence in its home country or region.

Founded and published by Belarusian journalist Iryna Vidanava, 34 Multimedia Magazine is a revived multimedia version of Studentskaya Dumka (Students' Thought), a banned, Belarusian-language youth magazine. When the government in 2005 revoked the magazine's registration - a bureaucratic requirement for any Belarusian organisation - the publication's editors skirted legal restrictions by going digital. The publication now takes advantage of modern technology to create an entirely new generation of samizdat, not just in a multimedia CD format, but also through the publication's website and on Facebook.

IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: "We are very pleased to name 34 Multimedia Magazine as the recipient of this year's IPI Free Media Pioneer Award. We have long been inspired by its staff's fortitude and commitment to quality journalism in the face of trying circumstances. They provide a shining example that independent journalism can survive and flourish using diverse media."

An independent jury of five members of IPI's Executive Board selected 34 Multimedia Magazine to receive the honour. IPI will present the award during a special ceremony at its Annual World Congress, which will take place from June 23 to 26 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

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