WASHINGTON, October 22, 1998 — Three members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists were honored recently for their work and lifelong commitment to press freedom.

Gustavo Gorriti, a Peruvian investigative reporter now working in Panama, and Goenawan Mohamad, one of Indonesia’s leading journalists, were awarded the 1998 International Press Freedom Award by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

The CPJ awards, now in their eighth year, are to honor journalists who have provided news coverage and comment in the face of arrest, imprisonment, violence against them and their families, and threats of death.

Gene Roberts, chairman of CPJ’s board of directors, said in a news release announcing this year’s award recipients that Gorriti, Mohamad, and the other three honorees “put their freedom and their lives on the line to report the news. It is our firm belief that by drawing attention to their courageous acts we can help thwart the enemies of a free press who would silence their voices.”

Gorriti was among ICIJ’s first members, and Mohamad serves as the Consortium’s Advisory Committee representative for Asia. They will receive their awards at a Nov. 24 ceremony in New York. Three other ICIJ members have also won CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award: Iqbal Athas, Ying Chan, and Gwen Lister.

Rui Araujo, ICIJ’s member in Portugal, was awarded the Clube Portugues de Imprensa (Portuguese Press Club) prize for best national television report of 1998. Araujo, who works for RTP TV in Lisbon, produced a documentary with historian Antonio Louça on Portugal’s involvement in the Nazi gold scandal, based on reporting in five countries, covering thousands of documents over a six-month period. They are currently working on another production delving even deeper into that subject.