The 2023 Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award was awarded to Yalda Moaiery, a photojournalist imprisoned for covering state protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran. The award is part of the Courage in Journalism Award, honoring female journalists and photojournalists who are detained, jailed, or imprisoned.
This year, the International Women’s Media Foundation hosted the event at the home of Willow Bay, Dean at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The Annenberg Foundation’s Executive Director Cinny Kennard, a former award-winning foreign and domestic CBS News correspondent, was asked to speak and present the award to Moaiery.
In 2022, Moaiery was arrested by the morality police in Iran while covering protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini. She and her family traveled to Los Angeles to accept the award.
Moaiery is a member of the Iranian Photojournalists Association (IPJA), and her photojournalism has appeared in Time, Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many other international news outlets. She is well known for documenting conflict, war, and natural disasters in the Middle East for the past twenty years, including a renowned photo essay on women serving in the Iranian military.
Moaiery is currently out of jail and is still awaiting sentencing.
See more of Moaiery’s story in her Washington Post piece, and her appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
