We are excited to announce that the latest instalment of the IJ4EU UNCOVERED Conference will take place this year from 12-13 October 2023! For two days, Europe’s finest investigative journalists will descend on Brussels, Belgium, alongside funders, policymakers, and civil society members, to network, participate in discussions, and join interactive workshops. We’ll keep you updated with all the latest details in the coming weeks, but for now, here’s what you need to know:
Where?
This year, UNCOVERED is moving to Brussels. You’ll find us at the home of the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Full address: Rue Montoyer 47, 1000, Brussels, Belgium.
When?
12 and 13 October 2023. Registration will open on 15 August 2023. We’ll publish a full schedule and agenda shortly so keep your eyes peeled.
What?
UNCOVERED is the annual conference of the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme. It’s an opportunity to showcase the best investigative journalism Europe has to offer and to discuss the challenges faced by those working to shine a light on cross-border crime and corruption. The conference is organised by ECPMF, together with the International Press Institute (IPI) and European Journalism Centre (EJC), and funded by the European Commission.
Keep an eye on the UNCOVERED website and ECPMF’s Twitter account for all the latest updates. You can also get up-to-date conference news and registration information straight to your inbox by subscribing to the UNCOVERED Newsletter. Make sure to sign up and you’ll be the first to know when registration opens on 15 August.
We look forward to seeing you in Brussels! In the meantime, don’t forget to save the date!
Investigations on topics as diverse as corruption in sports, illegal “pushbacks” of refugees and the mass internment of Uyghurs in China have won equal honours at the IJ4EU Impact Award, the annual prize of the Investigative Journalism for Europe fund.
Three teams of journalists shared the limelight on Friday at a special ceremony for Europe’s only award devoted exclusively to cross-border investigative journalism. In no particular order, the investigations selected by an independent jury were:
Another investigation, Peat Pressure, received an honourable mention.
Ahead of the award ceremony on 31 March, the ECPMF team spoke to the winners about their projects, the work that went into each investigation, and the challenges they overcame along the way. Follow the links below to hear from this year’s winners.
The first prize of the evening went to a team of freelancers — Andy Brown, Philippe Auclair, Steve Menary and Jack Kerr — for their undercover investigation, The Devil Is in the Data, which reveals how live data fed to the sports betting industry can create a fertile ground for match-fixing.
Next to be honoured were the journalists behind The Xinjiang Police Files. Carried out by a team of independent outlets brought together by German news site Der Spiegel, the investigation provides an unprecedented look behind China’s veil of secrecy by attaching names and faces to a brutal system that has locked away a million Uyghurs in internment camps.
Unmasking Europe’s Shadow Armies was led by Lighthouse Reports, a Dutch non-profit that works with newsrooms across Europe. It gives the most detailed picture yet of a previously deniable campaign of illegal, violent “pushbacks” in Croatia, Greece and Romania by exposing the mysterious men in masks who beat asylum seekers at Europe’s borders.
Read the interview with reporters behind the project here.
Honourable mention went to “Peat Pressure, an investigation by Irish investigative organisation Noteworthy that exposes a system of unregulated peat extraction and how two multi-million-euro horticultural peat companies have extracted it without consent and in breach of EU environmental law.
Read the interview with journalist Juris Jurāns here.
You can watch a full recording of the 2023 IJ4EU Impact Award Ceremony below.
Winners of Europe’s leading prize for cross-border investigative journalism will be announced on March 31.
Ten investigations have been shortlisted for the third annual IJ4EU Impact Award, celebrating excellence in cross-border watchdog journalism in Europe.
Three winning teams will each get €5,000 in recognition of their work collaborating on stories that transcend national frontiers. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony in Leipzig, Germany, on March 31.
Here are the 10 shortlisted entries, in alphabetical order and selected from a pool of nominations by independent evaluators assembled by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), a partner in the IJ4EU consortium.
Despite harsh EU sanctions, Belarusian oil exports to Estonia reached record levels in 2021. Journalists from investigative centres and news outlets in four countries — Re:Baltica in Latvia, Delfi in Estonia, Siena in Lithuania and the Belarusian Investigative Center — reveal how the trade, initiated by the oligarch dubbed the “energy wallet of Lukashenko”, has been set up.
As Europe focused on the mass of people fleeing Ukraine following Russia’s invasion last year, Dutch investigative non-profit LightHouse Reports identified an underreported aspect of the exodus: discrimination of non-Western residents as they tried to escape. Twenty-one journalists from eight countries set out to explore and illuminate the disturbingly unequal treatment of certain refugees that was otherwise going largely unnoticed.
Over the past decade, Greek, Spanish and Italian border guards have increasingly targeted the drivers of migrant boats arriving on their countries’ shores, in their quest for someone to blame for “illegal” migration. Thousands of people, usually migrants themselves, have been arrested. Some may have been paid to drive the boat, others forced at gunpoint. Among them are unaccompanied minors, reveals this investigation by Lost in Europe.
Sixty-five journalists, coordinated by Forbidden Stories, came together to pursue the work of colleagues threatened for investigating environmental scandals in Guatemala. Drawing on hundreds of thousands of leaked documents, the team revealed how journalists who reported on a powerful mining conglomerate were systematically profiled, surveilled and even followed by drones.
Led by the Organized Crime and Reporting Project and German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Suisse Secrets brought together more than 160 journalists from 48 outlets on five continents to investigate leaked records containing 18,000 Credit Suisse accounts, the largest leak ever from a major Swiss bank.
Are European scientists contributing to China’s quest to become a military superpower? This project led by Dutch investigative platform Follow the Money involved 30 journalists from seven countries who analysed more than 350,000 scientific papers involving collaborations between China and Europe. They found that nearly 3,000 were by researchers affiliated with European universities and their counterparts at military-linked institutions in China.
This undercover investigation by a group of freelancers in four countries reveals how live data fed to the sports betting industry can create a fertile ground for match-fixing. The journalists involved were Andy Brown, Philippe Auclair, Steve Menary and Jack Kerr.
Based on a leaked internal compliance report, this investigation reveals that the Swedish-based multinational sought permission from Islamic State extremists to work in an ISIS-controlled city in Iraq and paid to smuggle equipment into ISIS areas on a route known as the “Speedway”. Led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the project involved 31 media partners in 22 countries.
In recent years, the Chinese state has allegedly locked away a million Uyghurs in internment camps. This project attaches names and faces to this brutal system, providing an unprecedented look behind the veil of secrecy. Involving journalists based in eight countries, the investigation was carried out by a team of independent outlets brought together by German news site Der Spiegel.
This investigation led by LightHouse Reports, a Dutch-based non-profit that works with newsrooms across Europe, exposes the mysterious men in masks who beat refugees at Europe’s borders. It gives the most detailed picture yet of a previously deniable campaign of illegal, violent “pushbacks” in Croatia, Greece and Romania by masked men whose uniforms have been stripped of any identifying details.
Recognising resilience
The IJ4EU Impact Award ceremony will act as a finale to the MFRR Summit 2023, the annual gathering of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) mechanism, which supports and protects journalists in EU member states and candidate countries.
By hosting the awards at the summit, the IJ4EU fund seeks to underline the bravery and resilience of investigative journalists in the face of growing assaults on media freedom and pluralism.
Both the MFRR Summit and the IJ4EU Impact Award are run by ECPMF. The International Press Institute, which leads the IJ4EU consortium, is also a member of the MFRR mechanism.
Due to the nature of their work exposing wrongdoing and holding power to account, investigative journalists are vulnerable to attack: smears, intimidation, legal perils and outright violence.
Such threats multiply in countries where media freedom is under assault. In war zones, the dangers increase exponentially.
Yet the work continues — despite bombs, death threats, harassment and countless other ways to silence independent media. And increasingly, investigative journalists working in difficult environments find it pays to collaborate across borders.
This may mean publishing in other countries or teaming up with colleagues elsewhere. In extreme cases, it may mean relocating entire newsrooms to safer havens.
In this special edition of the IJ4EU Podcast to mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2022, host Timothy Large speaks with journalists from Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania, all of whom have fostered resilience through cross-border collaboration.
These are tales of adaptation, ingenuity and survival.
Europe’s best cross-border investigative journalists got together in Berlin, Germany on 31 March and 1 April 2022 for IJ4EU`s annual UNCOVERED Conference. You can find the key moments of the event bellow.
Event Recap
Solidarity with Ukraine. This is the first and last sentence of this conference.”
Against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and the incalculable damage it is inflicting on the country’s journalists and media workers, ECPMF’s Managing Director, Dr. Lutz Kinkel, opened the 2022 IJ4EU UNCOVERED Conference with a message of solidarity. This was echoed by opening statements from Jörg Wojahn, Head of Representation at the European Commission; Scott Griffen, Deputy Director at IPI; and Lars Boering, Director at EJC.
Keynote Address – Anna Babinets, Ukrainian investigative journalist and editor at OCCRP
“We are professional investigative reporters but for a month we were preparing for the war.”
Anna Babinets, Ukrainian investigative journalist and editor at OCCRP (photo: ECPMF Andreas Lamm)
The opening remarks were followed by a keynote address from Anna Babinets, Ukrainian investigative journalist and editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Ukrainian journalist @Anna_Babinets – @OCCRP & @Slidstvo_info – is presenting her keynote about the resilience of investigative journalists, especially under the conditions under which she & her team have found themselves with the invasion of #Ukraine.https://t.co/mD618nwDoD
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) March 31, 2022
The keynote mused on the resilience of investigative journalists – in particular during times of conflict and hardship – as Anna reflected on the challenges of continuing her work during the war while also looking after her young family. As the role of Ukrainian investigative journalism began to blur with war journalism, Anna spoke about how her team would continue their in-depth investigative work regardless of the circumstances:
“We do everything to make our dreams true. I want to be an investigative journalist. I hope one day my daughter will see her dad, her grandparents, and her classmates. Glory to Ukraine.”
Day 1 – Investigating Europe’s “near abroad”, countering SLAPPs, and funding investigative journalism
The first of the conference’s panels,Looking East: Investigating the EU’s “Near Abroad” provided a deep-dive into several IJ4EU grantees’ cross-border investigations linked to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. During the session, moderated by Timothy Large, IJ4EU Programme Manager, International Press Institute, audience members heard from Roman Dobrokhotov, Editor-in-Chief at The Insider, and Sanita Jemberga, Executive Director at The Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism.
Sanita Jemberga, Timothy Large and Roman Dobrokhotov (left to right – photo: ECPMF Andreas Lamm)
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) March 31, 2022
After hearing about IJ4EU grantees’ investigations, UNCOVERED moved onto a discussion on SLAPPs and how best to protect journalists from them. The panel, moderated by Greenpeace’s Charlie Holt, featured ARTICLE 19’s Sarah Clarke, ECPMF’s Flutura Kusari, investigative journalists Saranda Ramaj, and Pia Lindholm, Deputy Head of Unit for Civil Justice, Directorate-General Justice and Consumers of the European Commission. Although the panel struck a bleak note, highlighting the severity of SLAPPs’ impact on the work of investigative journalists, Flutura Kusari brought her intervention to a close with an uplifting and defiant promise:
Sarah Clarke, Flutura Kusari, Pia Lindholm, Saranda Ramaj and Charlie Holt (left to right – photo: ECPMF Andreas Lamm)
“We make sure that we name and shame every bad lawyer that enables powerful people to go after journalists. We can’t do much but we’ll make sure that in every event and every publication, we will name them. Let me promise publicly: We will continue to name and shame.”
In 20 minutes, the use of #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 #MediaFreedom.
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) March 31, 2022
The final panel discussion of the day,New Donor Strategies: How to Fund Your Investigation?, was moderated by ECPMF’s managing director, Dr. Lutz Kinkel. The session also featured input from Ebru Akgün, Ekaterina Mandova of Civitates, and Nikolaus von Peter, Political Advisor to the EU Commission Representation in Germany. During the discussion, audience members heard about existing and upcoming EU Commission funding opportunities for journalism, the identity crisis facing modern media, and how sustainability-oriented funding can help independent media weather the ongoing storm. Specifically, Ekaterina Mandova outlined Civitates’ solution:
“Journalism is going through an identity crisis. When we talk about sustainability, we shouldn’t just think about the money. At Civitates, we want to provide our partners with breathing space by providing core support and by creating reliable networks.”
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) March 31, 2022
IJ4EU Impact Award
The first day of UNCOVERED 2022 ended on a high, with the IJ4EU Impact Award Ceremony. During the ceremony, three investigative teams were awarded €5,000 for excellence in cross-border investigative journalism. Selected by an independent jury, the winning investigations were:
The Pegasus Project
Frontex Complicit in Pushbacks
The Logbook of Moria
The IMPACT award winners 2022 (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
First prize went to The Pegasus Project, a collaborative investigation into the global misuse of the Pegasus spyware against civil society around the world led by The Forbidden Stories consortium and Amnesty International. Speaking on behalf of the team, investigative journalist Frederik Obermaier said:
“This was one of the most challenging investigations – and one really close to my heart”.
The jury also gave an honourable mention to a fourth investigation, Cities for Rent.
In 30 minutes, #IJ4EU Impact Award Ceremony is starting in Berlin!
10 investigations were shortlisted for this year's #IJ4EU Award. An independent jury has chosen 3 winners, each will receive a €5,000 prize for further investigations ?
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) March 31, 2022
Day 2 – EU migration policy, digital surveillance, and protecting freelancers
The second and final day of UNCOVERED 2022 opened with introductory remarks from Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency. Vice President Jourová spoke about the value of cross-border investigation and how the European Media Freedom Act could serve as a pillar to protect it. This was summed up in one particular quote:
“By working together across borders, media are stronger. We have seen the incredible results of cross-border investigations. I also believe that such networks and solidarity make it more difficult for states to interfere. The EU is committed to supporting investigative journalism because this is what democracies should do.”
Vice President of the European Commission @VeraJourova started Day 2 of the UNCOVERED Conference by offering her congratulations to the winners of the 2022 #IJ4EU Award! Follow Day 2 below ⬇️https://t.co/Qsxx2Xllry
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) April 1, 2022
The first panel of the day,Dangerous Journeys: The Dark Side of EU Migration Policy, explored the harrowing tales of migrants in Europe, as uncovered by teams of investigative journalists. The session was moderated by Lars Boering, Director at EJC, and featured input from investigative journalists Geesje van Haren and Annie Hylton, as well as writer and documentary producer Judith Chetrit.
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: https://t.co/altBSUty82pic.twitter.com/MxrjkgLL4l
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) April 1, 2022
UNCOVERED then continued withSurveillance: Is Pegasus the Tip of the Iceberg?, a panel moderated by Jamie Wiseman, Advocacy Officer at the International Press Institute. During the discussion, Frederik Obermaier, Investigative journalist with Süddeutsche Zeitung and Lisa Dittmer, Advocacy Officer for Internet Freedom at RSF Germany discussed their experiences with Pegasus spyware, its impact on investigative journalism, and what journalists can do to protect themselves. Central to the discussion was the notion that Pegasus, and spyware more generally, poses a serious threat to investigative journalism, as encapsulated in the following quote from Frederik Obermaier:
“I myself started – even in encrypted communications – to use codewords with colleagues and not to put their names in there… That tells you a lot about the state of the surveillance industry and the global threat. Pegasus is a weapon to silence journalists.”
— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) April 1, 2022
The final panel of UNCOVERED 2022 shone a light on one of the most pressing issues facing journalism today – the safety and wellbeing of freelancers. Moderated by Scott Griffen, Deputy Director of IPI,Duty of Care: Who’s Responsible for Protecting Freelancers?, outlined the key challenges facing the most vulnerable group in news media and what can be done to support them. The discussion took on a particularly pertinent tone, given the high number of young, often inexperienced freelancers, travelling to Ukraine to cover the ongoing conflict. The panel, made up of Gürkan Özturan, Media Freedom Rapid Response Project Coordinator at ECMPF; Renate Schroeder, Director at the European Federation of Journalists; and Anastasia Kirilenko, Russian freelance journalist, reflected on the dire state of freelance journalism today. Unfortunately, several interventions from panellists revealed that many freelancers accepted their hardships as par for the course, as illustrated in a quote from Gürkan Özturan:
“Sadly we have been hearing that “it comes with the job” – when you get beaten at a protest, when your newsroom says you must give up your gear, when you get traumatised or harassed online. No, this does not “come with the job”.
Freelance journalists are the least protected group in the field of media. In 20 miutes, @scott_f_griffen, @obefintlig, @renatemargot & @anastasiaki will cover obstacles encountered by freelance investigative journalists in Europe.
The IMPACT award winners 2022 (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
Three teams win €5,000 each at Europe’s only award devoted to cross-border investigative journalism.
The Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund announced on Thursday three winners of its annual IJ4EU Impact Award celebrating excellence in cross-border investigative reporting.
Selected by an independent jury, the winning investigations were:
The team behind each investigation receives €5,000. The jury singled out a fourth investigation — Cities for Rent — for special commendation.
First prize went to a team led by Forbidden Stories, a network of journalists whose mission is to protect, pursue and publish the work of other journalists facing threats, prison or murder.
IMPACT award winners 2022 – The Pegasus Project – Frederik Obermaier received the award for the investigative team in Berlin (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
“The Pegasus Project is a successful and massive journalistic undertaking that revealed how governments all over the world spy on journalists, politicians and activists using the so-called Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli technology organisation NSO Group,” said jury chair Attila Mong, a Hungarian freelance journalist who serves as the Europe representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“The jury valued that the project is a prime example of cross-border investigative journalism at its best. Building on a powerful leak of 50,000 phone numbers, a great team of reporters from all over the world came together, and with an elaborate methodology, produced a high-quality investigation on a global topic, creating global impact. The result of their work is also vital for the future of journalism.”
‘Showcase systemic problems’
Julia Vernersson announcing the IMPACT award winner during UNCOVERED conference (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
Julia Vernersson and Can Dündar announced the winners during a ceremony on March 31 at UNCOVERED, the annual conference of the IJ4EU programme.
The IJ4EU Impact Award recognises the best investigative journalism carried out by teams collaborating across frontiers in EU member states.
IMPACT award winners 2022 – Frontex Complicit in Pushbacks – the investigative team behind the story at UNCOVERED conference in Berlin (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
“Frontex Complicit in Pushbacks picked a highly relevant topic for our common European future, managed to coordinate a large cross-border team of journalists, and revealed a systemic European problem: how the European Coastal and Border Guard Agency, Frontex, is complicit in the illegal pushback campaigns by the Greek authorities at the Greek/Turkish borders,” Mong said.
“The investigation showed that Frontex’s involvement is not only illegal, but it also violates international and European law. The jury found it exemplary how the team applied a human rights perspective to the issue, and prioritised human stories to showcase systemic problems.”
‘Journalistic scoop’
Solomon, an Athens-based journalistic non-profit, snatched third prize with an investigation into Europe’s most notorious refugee camp.
IMPACT award winners 2022 – The Logbook of Moria – Nico Schmidt received the award for the investigative team in Berlin (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
“The Logbook of Moria started very locally when in 2020 a reporter — in what was then Europe’s largest refugee camp outside the village of Moria on the Greek island of Lesvos — saved the personnel’s logbook from the ashes of the fire which destroyed the camp,” Mong said.
“This journalistic scoop, the discovery of the logbook documenting the tragic daily realities of the unaccompanied minors living there, however, became the foundation of a European cross-border investigation. The jury appreciated how the team elevated these dramatic daily local testimonies into a documentation of the continent’s handling of refugees. The Logbook of Moria is the draft for one of the saddest chapters of Europe’s history.”
The jury gave an honorary mention to an investigation into corporate landlords coordinated by Arena for Journalism in Europe, a Dutch-based foundation dedicated to cross-border collaborative and investigative journalism.
IMPACT award honorable mention 2022 – Cities for Rent – Jose Miguel Calatayud received the award for the investigative team in Berlin (photo: ECPMF / Andreas Lamm)
“The team behind the Cities for Rent project investigated how following the financial crisis in 2008, housing in Europe became an attractive investment for many international and local corporate landlords, and how this investment boom and the resulting higher rents affected average people, who very often could not afford to stay in their homes,” Mong said.
“Using a large set of data, lots of different sources and analysis, the team demonstrated how international cross-border investigations can connect the dots and show the big picture behind individual stories and come up with conclusions that can directly feed into policymaking.”
Journalism in the public interest
In addition to Mong, the jury members were Silvia Chocarro, head of protection at ARTICLE 19; Boryana Dzhambazova, a Bulgarian freelance journalist; veteran Turkish reporter Can Dündar; and Julia Vernersson, managing director of Hostwriter.
Now in its third year, IJ4EU provides grants and other forms of support to teams of journalists or news outlets in Europe investigating topics of public interest across borders.
To date, the IJ4EU fund has disbursed more than €2.5 million in grants to high-impact, cross-border projects.
To be eligible for the IJ4EU Impact Award, teams need not have received support from the fund, but two of the top four — Frontex Complicit in Pushbacks and Cities for Rent — were grantees during the second edition of the programme.
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
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
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
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
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 – 13:00Registration
13:00 – 13:20Opening 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 – 15:10Coffee 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.
Environmental issues do not stop at borders; IJ4EU grantees showcase their investigations.
17:00-17:30Break: 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 – 12:10Coffee 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.
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.
IJ4EU Impact award nominee – 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 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.
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.
IJ4EU Impact award nominee – 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.
IJ4EU Impact award nominee – 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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