Courage in Journalism Awards Cohost Olivia Wilde Says Baby Otis Is a "Very Sweet Person"

Olivia Wilde cohosted a night honoring some of the world's bravest — and most embattled — female reporters and editors on Tuesday at the International Women's Media Foundation's annual Courage in Journalism Awards in Beverly Hills, CA. She was joined by presenters Kate Hudson and Rashida Jones and guests including journalist Lisa Ling and New Girl actress Hannah Simone. Olivia has a very personal connection to the organization's cause: her mother, Leslie Cockburn, is an investigative journalist. "She taught me the importance of speaking truth to power, of being unintimidated by people telling you to give up, and to stop chasing the impossible," Olivia told us. "I've been so inspired by her example of blasting through the glass ceiling."

Olivia welcomed her first son, Otis, in April and reflected on how becoming a mother herself has changed her approach to life and work. "The amazing thing about becoming a parent is that you will never again be your own first priority," she said. "The gift of motherhood is the selflessness it introduces you to, and I think that's really freeing . . . I guess I just take my place in the world a little bit more seriously being a mother. I hope I can tell stories to benefit the world that Otis will grow up in." In the meantime, though, she and partner Jason Sudeikis have some less lofty goals; they're still working on that whole sleeping through the night thing. "We're getting there," she said. "[Otis] is amazing in every way and he's a very sweet person."

The International Women's Media Foundation, launched in 1990, aims to improve the role of female journalists around the globe. This year, its Courage in Journalism honorees hailed from Africa, Europe, and the United States. Despite their vastly different backgrounds and work, all three of the awardees have risked their lives in pursuit of the truth. Kate Hudson took the stage to introduce Solange Lusiku Nsimire, editor in chief of Congolese newspaper Le Souverain, who has been subject to threats and real violence; her husband and children were once tied up as intruders ransacked her home. Awardee and Serbian TV reporter Brankica Stankovic has for years exposed the political elite's shady relationships with organized crime and now lives under the 24-hour protection of bodyguards. In fact, police once discovered a hit man hired to kill her had been living in the apartment just above hers. And CNN war correspondent and IWMF honoree Arwa Damon has dodged sniper fire and shelling reporting from war zones in Syria and Iraq in her attempt to bridge Eastern and Western cultures to forge a better future.

For even more on each of these women's incredible stories, visit the International Women's Media Foundation's website.