Kabul Bureau, 2009 winner
In 2008, Radio Free Afghanistan reporters in Kabul and throughout Afghanistan received numerous threats not only to their lives but to the lives of their families as well. Radio Free Afghanistan’s female reporters have been subjected to repeated threats by the Taliban, warlords, and other extremist groups. Simply by continuing to deliver the news to their fellow citizens, RFE/RL’s Afghan Service reporters demonstrate enormous courage every day. They routinely report from the scenes of suicide bombings, and they conduct investigative reporting on issues such as narcotics, warlords and corruption. They have made Radio Free Afghanistan the number one international broadcaster in Afghanistan at a time when, for security reasons, the BBC has completely stopped reporting from outside Kabul.