United States Agency for Global Media

Tseten Dolkar, 2009 winner

Tseten Dolkar demonstrated outstanding reporting, dedication, and professionalism by building relationships in Tibet for over 12 years and reaching out to an extensive network of reliable sources when the uprising began.  She helped cover the earliest stories of Tibetan unrest and brought critical information to RFA’s Tibetan audiences. Even as the Chinese crackdowns began, sources became afraid to talk on the phone, and Chinese authorities banned reporters from entering Tibet, she still found ways to get the truth out.  Because of her work and those of other reporters in the RFA, people learned that Tibetan protests were peaceful, unlike how the Chinese government portrayed them.