Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams and the late Virginia Giuffre have jointly won the Freedom to Publish prize at this year's British Book Awards, marking the first time the award has been shared.
Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, was recognised for her bestselling memoir Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism, which alleges misconduct at Meta. Giuffre received the award posthumously for Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, recounting abuse she said she suffered from Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Speaking at the ceremony, Wynn-Williams warned of 'networks of powerful elites' using wealth to silence dissent. She faces legal restrictions from Meta, which secured a court order preventing her from discussing aspects of her book. Giuffre's co-writer Amy Wallace accepted on her behalf, noting Giuffre's wish to help other survivors.
The award, supported by Index on Censorship, was established in 2022 to highlight threats to writers and publishers.
