The 2017 Daniel Pearl Award for courage and integrity in Journalism was awarded to Souad Mekhennet, the Washington Post's international reporter, who became the first Muslim woman to receive this prestigious prize, the Chicago Journalists Association (CJA). Souad Mekhennet will receive the award on November the 10th, during the 78th annual dinner of the CJA. Born in Germany to a Moroccan father and a Turkish mother, the journalist was recommended by the parents of Daniel Pearl, the American Wall Street journalist who was murdered in Pakistan by Al Qaeda. In their recommendation message, the Daniel Pearl Foundation says that it is proud to join the CJA in «in her one-woman effort to penetrate the secrecy wall surrounding ISIS operatives. Souad best exemplifies Daniel's spirit of courage and integrity, as well as his uncompromising commitment to the pursuit of truth». CJA President Allen Rafalson said he was honored to award every year journalists like Souad Mekhennet who «are committed to the high standards of journalism that Daniel Pearl defended during his lifetime». In addition to her work for the Washington Post, she has already collaborated with the New York Times and Der Spiegel, as well as other media outlets. She is a graduate of the Harvard's Weatherhead Center for International Policy, the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Geneva Center for Security Policy.
