She works in a country where reporters have been harassed, deported, jailed, even tortured. She's subject to all these risks herself — but Peta Thornycroft surrendered her British citizenship and became a Zimbabwean so she could remain in the country and continue to report on the challenges it faces. She's one of the few independent journalists still working in Zimbabwe.
Thornycroft grew up in the country, then a British colony called Rhodesia, and married a Zimbabwean. In a 30-year career, she has reported from Angola, South Africa and the Congo.
Thornycroft helped to establish the Media Monitoring Project, an independent trust that works to promote responsible journalism in Zimbabwe. The International Women's Media Foundation this year named her the winner of its Courage in Journalism Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to "a woman journalist who has a pioneering spirit and whose determination has paved the way for future generations of women in the media."
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