In its existence since 2015, Difference Day has presented several Honorary Titles and Doctores Honoris Causa Awards to people, institutions and organisations that have stood up for freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
Difference Day Honorary Title 2025
Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI)
The Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI) is Italy's pioneering nonprofit center for investigative journalism, founded in 2012 as a collective of freelance reporters dedicated to exposing organized crime, political and corporate corruption, and misuse of public funds. Operating independently through grants and donations, IRPI emphasizes cross-border stories that reveal transnational abuses, such as greenwashing by asset management firms, Mediterranean drug trafficking networks, and Russian oligarchs evading EU sanctions via subsidies. In 2020, it launched IrpiMedia, its online publication amplifying fact-based reporting amid Italy's challenging media landscape, where investigative work often faces threats and censorship. IRPI's collaborative approach has earned international acclaim, influencing policy and public discourse while training journalists in data-driven methods. Despite risks, including legal harassment and physical dangers, the group persists in holding power accountable. In 2025, IRPI received the Difference Day Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression from VUB and ULB universities in Brussels, under UNESCO patronage, for its unwavering defense of press freedom in high-risk environments and innovative cross-border exposés that combat disinformation and abuse of power. The award, presented on May 2 at BOZAR, underscores IRPI's role in fostering respectful dialogue on global issues.
Laudatio for the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI) by Fatimetou Sow Deyna and Lailuma Sadid
Samuel Baker Byansi
Samuel Baker Byansi is a renowned Rwandan investigative journalist, author, and human rights defender with over a decade of experience reporting from the Great Lakes region and Central Africa. Born in Rwanda, Byansi's passion for uncovering abuses of power led him to focus on human rights, political repression, corruption, and conflict, amplifying the voices of ordinary people silenced by extraordinary forces. In his career, he co-founded M28 Investigates, a nonprofit newsroom training over 200 journalists in data journalism and digital safety, and launched OSINT Analytica, an open-source intelligence platform for investigators. His work has influenced policy reforms through landmark litigation at the Rwanda Supreme Court and East African Court of Justice, securing better protections for journalists and whistleblowers. Byansi contributed to global exposés like "Rwanda Classified" with Forbidden Stories and authored "From Watchdogs to Traitors: The Less You Know, the More You Believe," chronicling press repression in Rwanda. Facing severe threats, Byansi fled Rwanda in exile to Europe due to his criticism of the government. There, he continues his advocacy, speaking at international forums. In 2025, he received the Difference Day Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression from VUB and ULB in Brussels, honoring his courageous commitment to press freedom amid repression and disinformation.
Laudatio for Samuel Baker Byansi by Alicja Gescinska, curator of PACT
Difference Day Honorary Title 2024
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland (1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She gained international recognition with her 1991 film Europa Europa, which tells the story of a Jewish teenager who joined the Hitler Youth to escape imprisonment. The story perfectly illustrates what makes all her films so powerful: the portrayal of human beings as they truly are, with profound flaws and failings as well as fundamental and fantastic abilities to do good. Her latest film, Green Border (2023) is another example of this. It tells the story of Poles living on the border with Belarus, who come to the aid of African migrants trying to enter Europe from the country. The film faced backlash from the Polish government, but millions of Poles bought a movie ticket as fulfillment of one’s civic duty. Holland’s dedication to freedom, humanity, and artistic expression makes her a beacon of hope in challenging times, which is why she is awarded the 2024 Difference Day Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression.
Laudatio for Agnieszka Holland by Alicja Gescinska, curator of PACT
+972 Magazine
+972 Magazine is an independent, non-profit online publication run by a group of Palestinian and Israeli journalists. Founded in 2010, the magazine provides in-depth reporting, analysis, and commentary on the Israel-Palestine conflict, offering a perspective often missing from English-language media. Named after the telephone code for Israel and Palestine, +972 Magazine advocates for a political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Despite facing numerous threats due to its opposition to the occupation and its promotion of peace, the magazine remains committed to its mission. Several of its journalists have tragically lost their lives while covering the conflict that started after the attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023 and the following bombings of Gaza by Israel. The organisers of Difference Day are honoured to award the 2024 Difference Day Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression to Ghousoon Bisharat, acting as Chief Editor and representative of all the journalists at +972 Magazine.
Laudatio for Ghousoon Bisharat of +972 Magazine by Florence le Cam en Alexandre Nugyenko
Difference Day Honorary Title 2023
Ravish Kumar
Ravish Kumar (1972) is an Indian journalist and media personality. He was the face of the independent news channel NDTV until he stepped down last year, when NDTV became one of the last independent media outlets to be taken over by a government-friendly tycoon. Independent, serious journalism is under pressure as fake news, noisy debates and polarisation take over. By awarding the Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression to Ravish Kumar, the Brussels universities and their partners want to denounce this evolution in India, with its 1.4 billion inhabitants, while fully supporting critical and independent journalists.
LAUDATIO BY DAVID DOMINGO, PROFESSOR JOURNALISM OF THE UNIVERSITÉ LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
Jennifer Clement
Jennifer Clement (1960) is an American-Mexican author of award-winning novels (including Prayers for the Stolen) as well as non-fiction titles,who has always fought fiercely for women’s rights, oppressed groups and freedom of expression. She lives and works in Mexico City. In 2015, she became the first female president of PEN International, a role she continued until 2021. Authors’ association PEN was founded in London more than a century ago, in 1921. It stands up for free speech and opposes any form of censorship, and today is active in more than 100 countries. VUB Fellow Alicja Gescinska is the chair of PEN Flanders. The Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression honours both the personal commitment of Jennifer Clement and PEN International’s unwavering commitment to freedom of expression and to threatened authors.
LAUDATIO BY Alicja gescinska, curator of the caroline pauwels academy of free thinking (pact)
Laureates 2022
In 2022, the Difference Day Honorary Title was awarded to the Belarusian Association of Journalists and The Fix.
Laureates 2018
In 2018, VUB and ULB awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa to Sihem Bensedrine and Pierre Claver Mbonimpa and a Honorary Title to Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family.
Laureates 2021
In 2021, the VUB and ULB awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) to Svetlana Aleksijevich and a honorary title to Zhang Zhan.
Laureates 2017
In 2017, VUB and ULB award a Difference Day Honorary Title to the Global Investigative Journalism Netwerk.
Laureates 2020
In 2019, the Difference Day Honorary Title was awarded to Elif Shafak and Ahmet Altan.
Laureates 2016
In 2016, VUB & ULB awarded Zineb El Rhazoui and Djemila Benhabib a Difference Day Honorary Title.