Nagaland journalist Manno Wangnao from Tizit in Mon district has won the prestigious Fetisov Journalism Award (FJA-2021) in ‘Contribution to Civil Rights category’.

Wangnao was part of cross border investigative journalism ‘Migrants from Another World’ where she collaborated with journalists from around 14 countries to investigate the illegal immigration networks thriving across the globe.

The collaboration won the First Prize in the Contribution to Civil Rights category for a series of investigative reports that were published last year. Wangnao is the first journalist from Nagaland to win the Award which was virtually presented recently.

She said that ‘Winning the award was a bittersweet moment. I have put in a lot of effort and passion. So, I am happy for myself but sad at the same time as I am surrounded by people who do not understand the work I do. I come from a place where people are not aware about journalism’.

According to her, the Naga society is not ready for journalism, and that most people have the mentality that no government job is as good as being unemployed.

Despite having worked for broadcast and print media, she said that her parents are confused about the work she does. But she do it for passion and for the love of it and she hoping that more Nagas will explore journalism.

Wangnao is currently working as a freelance journalist. Based in Tizit, she is also actively helping farmers from Mon district practice organic tea farming. She said 14 farmers were trained in organic tea farming last year in Jorhat and 180 machines were distributed to farmers with the help of the Assam Tea Board.