DW Freedom of Speech Award 2023 goes to Oscar Martinez

DW's Freedom of Speech Award 2023 will go to Oscar Martinez, one of Latin America's most renowned investigative journalists, Germany's international public broadcaster revealed on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old El Salvador-born journalist is the editor-in-chief of the Salvadoran online magazine El Faro (The Lighthouse), which started in 1998 as a no-budget project and became one of the leading investigative media in Latin America.

The announcement of this year's Freedom of Speech Award recipient comes on May 3, the day of DW's 70th anniversary.

Fighting for press freedom

"Oscar Martinez is a brave journalist, who fights for freedom of the press and freedom of opinion," said DW Director General Peter Limbourg.

"And with his magazine and his media outlet, he is really an example of someone who fights for the interests of his viewers and users, and is brave and courageous," Limbourg added.

Constitutional rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of assembly have been suspended in El Salvador since the government imposed a state of emergency in March of last year.

"Journalism must continue to shine into the dark corners that the powerful would prefer to keep in the dark," Martinez said. I believe that journalism must continue to tell the stories that are kept quiet by the powerful."

What is the DW Freedom of Speech Award?

Since 2015, the DW Freedom of Speech Award (FoSA) has honored a media person or initiative that has shown outstanding promotion of freedom rights, especially freedom of expression and press freedom.

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was the first recipient of the DW Freedom of Speech Award. Last year saw AP journalist and novelist Mstyslav Chernov and freelance photojournalist Evgeniy Maloletka honored for their work covering Russia's war in Ukraine.

Every year the Freedom of Speech Award ceremony is one of the highlights of DW's Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany.

"I think we have a huge task to protect free and unbiased journalism and to help where we can. And this is why were giving out this award," Limbourg said.