The International Women's Media Foundation will sponsor a $1 million scholarship in honor of Anja Niedringhaus, the German AP photographer killed this past April while on assignment in Afghanistan, the organization announced Wednesday at its annual Courage in Journalism Awards.
In addition to the scholarship program, a $4 million fund for outstanding women journalists has also been set up by Howard Buffett, the son of billionaire Warren Buffett, who supported Niedringhaus during her Nieman Fellowship at Harvard.
"Women reporters are often looked down on, as many of you know," said Buffet at the award ceremony. "You're the last one to get the best equipment, you're the first one to be told, 'It's a man job, it's too dangerous for you' -- and that's why this organization is so critical to the world."
Women have traditionally been undervalued and discriminated against both in the newsroom and in the field. Last December, a study done by the International News Safety Institute and the IWMF showed that over 64 percent of women journalists endured instances of abuse at the workplace. The Women's Media Center reports that in 2013 almost two-thirds of all bylines in major publications belong to men, as well as the bulk of network television appearances. The response has been a call for more women on staff at news organization around the world, and fairer treatment once they arrive.
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