Fund Gives Russian Editor First 'Courage' Prize

20 October 2005 -- A Russian editor has been announced as the first recipient of a "courage in journalism" prize awarded by the fund named in honor of American journalist Paul Klebnikov, who was murdered in Russia.

The Paul Klebnikov Fund said Diana Kachalova, editor-in-chief of the weekly "Moi Rayon" in Saint Petersburg, had been chosen to receive the award.

The fund described the "Moi Rayon" publication as "unusual" in Russia, saying it is grassroots, independent and privately owned.

The fund said that a time when Russian media are increasingly controlled and manipulated, thousands of people have come to rely on "Moi Rayon" for bold and objective reporting.

Klebnikov, the editor of the Russian edition of "Forbes" magazine, was gunned down at the age of 41 in Moscow of July 2004.

(AFP)