Story Killers is a global exposé by Forbidden Stories revealing the shadowy world of disinformation mercenaries. What sets the project apart is its focus on the experiences of journalists who risk their safety to report on this perilous industry.
The jury commended the team for painting a profound picture of the landscape of disinformation, surveillance and press freedom.
Forbidden Stories is an international network of journalists operating under the motto: “Killing the journalist won’t kill the story.” For this project, Forbidden Stories brought together more than 100 journalists from 30 media outlets for a unique collaboration.
One of the journalists whose work Forbidden Stories continued was Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated in Bangalore in 2017, days before she planned to publish an article about disinformation.
“By continuing Gauri Lankesh’s important work, not only did Story Killers uncover the global disinformation complex that threatens free expression and democracy in every country across the globe beyond India alone, they shone a light on Gauri’s tragic death,” jury member Williams said.
“Through that, they also honoured her courageous life.”