Author: andreas.lamm

Jury Chair

Attila Mong is a Hungarian freelance journalist based in Berlin. He works as the Europe representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Mong is also an innovation consultant for the DW Akademie and a board member for Hungarian investigative journalism outlet, Átlátszó. He was John S. Knight Journalism fellow (2013) and Hoover Institution research fellow (2011) at Stanford University. He is the author of several books and recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Memorial Prize for Best Investigative Journalism and the 2003 Soma Investigative Journalism Prize.
@attilamong

---

Members

Silvia Chocarro is the Head of Protection at ARTICLE 19, a global organisation promoting freedom of expression worldwide. She sits on the IFEX Council and is a member of the Centre for Freedom of Media, University of Sheffield. In her 20-year career, she has worked for media development groups and intergovernmental organisations as well as a journalist for media outlets. She holds a PhD in Journalism from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain; her dissertation focused on the role of the UN in journalists’ safety. She is the author of several reports on the safety of journalists and gender and media.
@silviachocarro

---

Boryana Dzhambazova is a freelance journalist, based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has been reporting on a wide range of topics — from economic and political developments to social affairs and human rights issues. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Economist, and Politico Europe, among others.
@BoryanaDz

---

Can Dündar has been working as a journalist for the last 42 years, for several newspapers and magazines. He produced many TV documentaries focusing particularly on modern Turkish history and cultural anthropology. He worked as an anchorman for several news channels. He stepped down from his post as the editor in chief of the daily Cumhuriyet in August 2016, after he was imprisoned due to his story on the Turkish Intelligence Service’s involvement in the Syrian war. He was sentenced in absentia to 27 years in jail in December 2020. He found #ÖZGÜRÜZRadio (WeAreFree) in Berlin in 2016. He has been a columnist for Die Zeit since August 2016. He has made documentaries for ARTE, ZDF, DW, and written more than 40 books, some of which were published German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Albanian, and Chinese.
@candundaradasi

---

Julia Vernersson is Managing Director of Hostwriter, an award-winning global network that helps journalists collaborate across borders. She has a background in international organisations working with media, freedom of speech, and activism and founded the organisation Kulturlabor Trial & Error. In 2021 Hostwriter launched the feminist cross-border newsroom UnbiastheNews.org, to support journalists experiencing structural barriers in the field, working towards a more equitable and inclusive world of journalism.
@_headquarters

Day Moderators: Lutz Kinkel (ECPMF) and Neus Vidal (ECPMF)

MARCH, 31 | 13:00-18:30

12:30 – 13:00 Registration

---

13:00 – 13:20 Opening Ceremony | Conference Hall

---

13:20
Keynote Speech

---

13:50 – 14:40
Looking East: Investigating the EU’s “Near Abroad” | Conference Hall

Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, investigative journalists had countries on the EU’s eastern flank in their sights. IJ4EU grantees discuss cross-border projects linked to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. 

---

13:50 – 14:50
Workshop: New Tools for Fact Checking | Press Room

Interactive workshop with the Lie Detectors and WeVerify: A short presentation about the work of Lie Detectors, followed by a series of practical fact-checking exercises, and a demonstration on how teams of cross-border investigative journalist can use WeVerify’s toolkit to collaborate and provide evidence to back up their stories.

---

14:40 – 15:10 Coffee Break

---

15:10 – 16:00
Countering SLAPPs: How to Protect Journalists? | Conference Hall

In this panel, the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to target and restrict journalists and media workers across Europe will be discussed in line with the latest developments in the legislative process to protect media freedom.  

---

15:10-16:00
IJ4EU Showcase: Into the Shadows | Press Room

From dark corners of the web to unlawful mass surveillance, IJ4EU grantees discuss cross-border crime.

---

16:10-17:00
New Donor Strategies: How to Fund Your Investigation? | Conference Hall

The world is changing and so are the ways of funding investigative cross-border journalism. ​This panel discusses the new trends and challenges in supporting journalism, including the use of both public and philanthropic money. 

---

16:10-17:00
IJ4EU Showcase: Chasing Environmental Issues | Press Room

Environmental issues do not stop at borders; IJ4EU grantees showcase their investigations. 

---

17:00-17:30 Break: Can We Tempt You to a Glass of Prosecco? 

---

17:30-18:30
IJ4EU Award Ceremony | Conference Hall

The winners of this year’s Impact award will be announced. Ten cross-border investigations have been shortlisted for the second IJ4EU Impact Award. An independent jury chaired by Attila Mong has chosen three winners. Each will receive €5,000 for further investigations. 

---

APRIL, 1 | 09:45-13:15

09:15-09:30
Registration

---

09:30- 09:40
Opening Remarks

Věra Jourová – Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency will talk about how the European Media Freedom Act is a pillar of freedom and protection for investigative journalism. 

---

09:45 – 10:40
Dangerous Journeys: The Dark Side of EU Migration Policy | Conference Hall

Underage migrants convicted of human trafficking. Families unable to identify loved ones who perished en route to Europe. Cross-border tragedies fuelled by private and public funds. IJ4EU grantees look at failures of EU migration and asylum policy.

---

09:45 – 10:40
Workshop: Under Pressure but Resilient | Press Room

This workshop focuses on ways to take care of your and your colleagues’ mental health while working on your investigations; helping you differentiate between different types of trauma, understand strategies for resilience, and recognise the impact of trauma for you and your team.

---

10:50 – 11:40
Surveillance: Is Pegasus the Tip of the Iceberg? | Conference Hall

Who is targeting journalists with surveillance and what does it mean for investigative journalism?  

---

10:50 – 11:40
IJ4EU Showcase: Following the COVID Data  | Press Room

Three IJ4EU cross-border investigative teams present projects unlocking hidden stories behind the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and beyond.

---

11:40 – 12:10 Coffee Break

---

12:10 – 13:00
Duty of care: Who’s Responsible for Protecting Freelancers? | Conference Hall

Freelance journalists are the least protected group in the field of media workers. This panel discusses obstacles encountered especially by freelancers in Europe and potential solutions to their problems.

13:00 – 13:15
Concluding Remarks

Ten cross-border investigations have been shortlisted for the second IJ4EU Impact Award, celebrating excellence in collaborative journalism in Europe.

An independent jury chaired by Attila Mong, a Hungarian freelance journalist based in Berlin, will choose three winners, which will be announced on 31 March 2022. Each will receive €5,000.

The winners will take centre stage at the award ceremony during IJ4EU UNCOVERED, a conference organised by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), a partner in the IJ4EU fund.

Register here to attend the conference.

Below are the 10 shortlisted entries, in alphabetical order and selected from a pool of nominations by independent evaluators assembled by ECPMF.

⚡️ 10 cross-border investigations have been shortlisted for the 2022 #IJ4EU Impact Award.

An independent jury, chaired by @attilamong, will choose 3 winners who will be announced on 31 March 2022. Each will receive €5,000.

Let's meet the nominees! pic.twitter.com/dMvRmq04sd

— European Centre for Press & Media Freedom (@ECPMF) March 3, 2022

---

The Abortion Pill Reversal Project

Doctors worldwide offer treatment to ‘reverse’ abortions: This investigation revealed how doctors on 4 continents – with support from US Christian activists – are providing women with “dangerous” and unproven treatments that claim to reverse medical abortions.

---

Cities for Rent

Cities for Rent is a cross-border collaborative investigation into corporate landlords: companies that own and make money by renting out tens of thousands of homes across European cities.

---

Frontex Files

The Frontex Files reveals the influence of private companies on the EU’s militarised borders, exposing the ties between Frontex and the defence and security industry. 

---

Frontex Complicit in Pushbacks

An investigation by Lighthouse Reports, Bellingcat, Der Spiegel, ARD, and Asahi TV revealed the full extent of the role of Frontex – the EU Coastal and Border agency – in maritime pushbacks as part of a concerted operation to reduce the number of land and sea arrivals of asylum seekers.

---

Hunting Lukashenko’s Wallets

An investigation uncovering schemes through which Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko allows his tycoons to collect supernormal profits at the expense of the state, also revealing offshore companies that these tycoons used to syphon money out of the country.

---

The Logbook of Moria

In Europe’s most notorious refugee camp, a logbook was found. Written by workers there to protect unaccompanied minors, its pages reveal the horrific reality that the most vulnerable group of asylum seekers in Europe was left to endure.

---

Money to Burn

An investigation to map the international trade in woody biomass as a renewable fuel, revealing how Europe’s renewable energy policies are accelerating clear-cutting in protected natural areas.

---

The Passport Papers

An investigation into the sale of citizenship as a legalised transaction, who is buying Maltese passports, and how a points-scoring system is used to circumvent the need for physical residency.

---

The Pegasus Project

A collaborative investigation into the global misuse of the Pegasus spyware against civil society around the world. The Forbidden Stories consortium and Amnesty International had access to records of more than 50,000 phone numbers selected by NSO clients.

---

Radicals with Reach

The cross-border investigation revealed a growing network of connections and money transfers between ultra-conservative organisations in Central Europe, which expanded their political and public influence in the region.

We are delighted to announce Attila Mong as jury chair of the 2022 IJ4EU Impact Award.

Attila is a Hungarian freelance journalist based in Berlin. Working as the Europe representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Mong is also an innovation consultant for the DW Akademie and a board member for Hungarian investigative journalism outlet, Átlátszó. He was John S. Knight Journalism fellow (2013) and Hoover Institution research fellow (2011) at Stanford University. He is the author of several books and recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Memorial Prize for Best Investigative Journalism and the 2003 Soma Investigative Journalism Prize.

The 2022 IJ4EU Impact Award will take place on 31 March 2022, the first day of the UNCOVERED Conference 2022, and celebrate the best investigative journalism carried out by three cross-border teams in the EU.