As a reporter for the independent Radio Haiti International in the 1980s, Liliane Pierre-Paul earned a reputation as one of the most outspoken critics of the Duvalier regime.
Because of her reporting, Pierre-Paul's movement in Haiti was curtailed, she was prohibited from entering certain government buildings, and was imprisoned for her views on government, but she refused to be silenced.
However, her relentless efforts to expose social problems and injustice forced her into a six-year exile in Venezuela and Curacao. During that time, two of her brothers were arrested, and she herself faced numerous death threats. Even after eventually returning to her native Haiti, Pierre-Paul was again forced into hiding because she was on a hit list.
She said that she and her radio station, Radio Inter, were engaged in a battle for democracy against fascism.
After receiving her award, Pierre-Paul co-founded a new radio station, Radio Kiskeya, because the manager of Radio Haiti International "did not appreciate the award." She served as vice-president and programming director of Radio Kiskeya and focused her reporting on women's issues.
"Although Haiti has gone through extraordinary changes over the past few years, there are still problems for newspaper journalists. But the trend is toward a new democracy, and with that there is hope." she said.