The award De Gouden Klinker was presented to the newly elected 'Involved Journalist of the Year 2024' on 31 May. The award is for the 'Involved Journalist of the Year', with the jury looking at both journalistic oeuvre and relevant journalistic stories in the year leading up to the presentation.
From the jury report
The jury, led by head writer Johan Snel, praised journalist Habtom Yohannes' dignified and involved performance around February's 'Eritrean riots':
On various journalistic platforms, he grew to become the voice of the Eritrean community in the Netherlands, mastering the art of speaking "justice and truth" despite the long arm of the Eritrean regime, which has also threatened him. He does so by constantly searching for what does justice to the Eritrean community. Not only did he manage to reach a large audience through journalistic media like NRC, de Volkskrant and ND, he also did not shy away from a dignified confrontation with broadcaster ON, which, in its TV column 'Ongehoord Nieuws', tried to portray the Eritrean community in a one-sided bad light through its chairman.
Equally important is his fight for law and justice, such as that for tracelessly disappeared journalists in Eritrea itself. Whereas Yohannes was once forced to flee his homeland as a teenager, he has now been dedicating himself to refugee Eritreans for decades. The Eritrean diaspora could not wish for a more ardent champion of human rights and of its human dignity. Above all, Yohannes profiles himself as a journalist: the truth is dear to him above all else, even where it displeases those in power - or others. As a journalist, Yohannes is distinguished by a critical and independent spirit, which is also sceptical of any form of 'engagement' that violates the truth.