June 16th, 2026 — Patricia Evangelista has been named a 2026 World Press Freedom Hero by the International Press Institute (IPI). The award honors journalists who have made significant contributions to independent journalism, particularly in the face of great personal risk. IPI writes, “This year’s awardees demonstrate remarkable courage, ingenuity, and resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges to freedom and independent journalism around the world.”
The awards will be presented at a special event at this year’s Gabo Festival (July 24-26, Bogotá, Colombia), the leading event for journalists in Ibero-America.
“This year’s group of awardees are a testament to the resilience of independent media amid turbulent times,” IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said. “As the global environment grows increasingly hostile to press freedom, [the award winners] have demonstrated remarkable bravery and commitment to standing up to rising authoritarianism by shining a light on corruption and human rights abuses in their own countries and regions. We stand in solidarity with them, and join them in their fight for free media and free societies.”
About Patricia
Patricia is a Manila-based freelance journalist covering human rights, conflict, and disaster. She was a former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler. Her courageous reporting on the human impact of violence shed light on widespread human rights abuses and the struggles of marginalized communities in the Philippines during the country’s drug war, for which former president Rodrigo Duterte will stand trial at the International Criminal Court.
Evangelista’s debut book, Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country an account of the Philippine drug war, was hailed as “a journalistic masterpiece” by The New Yorker.
“I am honoured to be recognised for this award, but journalism is not a solitary act,” said Patricia. “The freedoms I have enjoyed I owe to an extraordinary tribe of Filipino reporters, photographers, and filmmakers. Many of them have risked far more than I, and have been jailed, sometimes killed, for doing the job. I accept this award in their name, and of all those who continue the work of keeping a record.”
Learn more at ipi.media.