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If there was any doubt remaining that bloggers can be considered journalists, consider that lack of faith obliterated. An Egyptian and a Burmese blogger are the first of the blogger-kind to receive the Knight International Journalism Award.

Both received their award Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

The Knight Award, given annually by the International Center for Journalists, recognizes journalists who have raised excellence standards in their respective countries.

Egypt's Wael Abbas is one of the two bloggers to receive such accolades this year. In a country where the mainstream press is reluctant to report on government abuses for fear of retaliation, Abbas's blog Misr Digital serves as a source where 30,000 daily visitors find stories of protest, corruption and police brutality.

The Egyptian government's recent crackdowns on bloggers have not swayed Abbas's pursuits, even as other bloggers are jailed for their free expression of ideas. The popularity and influence of Misr Digital has forced the Egyptian mainstream press to follow up on Abbas's reports.

Burmese blogger May Thingyan Hein also received the Knight Award for providing information on avian flue and AIDS, poverty and corruption despite media censors.