Investigate Europe’s Post

The Global Investigative Journalism Network takes a stand In the conflict between #Mediapart, its publishing partners, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. #GIJN underlines the mortal risks faced by journalists every day, and affirms the transparency of #OCCRP. We are at an historic moment for the #investigativejournalism movement. Here is the full statement: GIJN Statement in Support of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project by GIJN Board of Directors Questions were recently raised by a group of journalists about the amount and influence of US government funding for the nonprofit investigative newsroom, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. GIJN continues to support the independent and transparent investigative work that OCCRP has produced since its founding in 2007 and notes that OCCRP and its associated newsrooms are GIJN members in good standing. (We also note that GIJN Board members who are associated with OCCRP recused themselves from the writing of this statement.) OCCRP has done groundbreaking work that has revealed government and corporate corruption around the world and in the US. Its cross-border, award-winning investigations have tracked money laundering and other misdeeds by oligarchs, autocrats, banks, and corporations, sparking multiple regulatory reforms. OCCRP has been an active collaborator with other GIJN members. OCCRP has consistently disclosed its sources of funds, which has included numerous foundations, individual donors, and US government money. It has remained an independent voice in investigative journalism. GIJN sees no evidence of influence or pressure from its funders on OCCRP’s work nor evidence that its editorial content has been guided or changed in any way. We also note many nonprofit newsrooms throughout the world receive a combination of funding from government and private sources. GIJN members are expected to disclose their major funders. While discussions and debate on funding can be enlightening and provocative, the key guidelines for investigative newsrooms, both for profit and nonprofit, are transparency and diversity of revenue and maintaining a firewall between the newsroom and funders, advertisers and investors. Those practices ensure editorial independence, accuracy, fairness, and context upon which newsrooms are ultimately judged. At this time, GIJN calls for investigative journalists worldwide to unify and cooperate. Press freedom and journalists are increasingly under vicious attack for their truth-telling and threatened daily through regulation and legislation, prosecution, imprisonment, and physical violence. During this critical moment, investigative journalists need to stand together and renew their efforts on behalf of citizens and democracy. Only through unassailable journalism and deep cooperation with one another they will be able to resist government and corporate forces that seek to destroy them and their work. #yannphilippin

The Global Investigative Journalist Network (GIJN) and the Italian Investigative outlet IrpiMedia, take a stand in the conflict that has recently opposed Mediapart and other media outlets and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Projetc (OCCRP). A report recently published by Mediapart, DropSite News, Il Fatto Quotidiano, and Reporters United accuses OCCRP of operating under US government influence, with US public funds contributing to nearly 50% of its budget, and claims that the US government holds veto power over OCCRP personnel decisions. As both organisations note, OCCRP has consistently disclosed its sources of funds and has remained an independent voice in investigative journalism. While scrutinising the media is crucial, Mediapart & Co story doesn't reveal anything that OCCRP did not already publish on its website. And it certainly does not do any favour to the many investigative journalists, part of the OCCRP network, who work in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. The suggestion that OCCRP may be working under the influence of the US government has prompted harsh reactions against journalists in India, Slovakia, Serbia and other countries. Read the GIJN statement here - https://lnkd.in/esWK-Xfx Read IrpiMedia statement here - https://lnkd.in/eWjtqfSN Here is a FAQ on OCCRP's funding and editorial policies - https://lnkd.in/eHTMXGxs (And a little spoiler to finish off with: I've worked for OCCRP)

by Arnaud Bertrand This is a truly huge story by @ryangrim and a extraordinary deep-dive into how U.S.-state backed propaganda works concretely: https://lnkd.in/dYHCKzPg Remember stories like the Panama Papers or the Pandora Papers? Well, it turns out one of the key organizations involved in that reporting (the OCCRP, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) not only gets 52% of its funding from the U.S. government, but also needs U.S. State Department approval for its senior personnel, including editorial staff This organization, largely unknown to the public (I myself hadn't heard about it before reading this piece), is actually massive with over 200 staff in 60 countries and partnerships with "more than 50 of the globe’s most influential media outlets: the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The (London) Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and so on" The origin story of the OCCRP is interesting and deeply revealing. As per the article, it begins with a coup in the Philippines where "the non-profit outlet the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) exposed corruption by then-President Joseph Estrada, a nationalist with a standoffish relationship to the U.S. The exposé led to an impeachment inquiry, which fell short. But it also produced major street protests, leading to his ouster in a coup" State Department official Michael Henning, stationed in the Philippines, "was a major booster of PCIJ—which has been the beneficiary of grants from the National Endowment for Democracy", itself a major instrument of US interference abroad, "relayed its effectiveness to his colleagues". According to the piece, Henning connected Drew Sullivan, who went on to co-found and head of OCCRP, with PCIJ's leaders to learn from their experience In other words, the U.S. had learned with this coup in the Philippines that they could achieve regime change through investigative journalism rather than military coups. As the article puts it, "The journalist's pen was not just mightier than the sword, but less embarrassing to wield on a global stage in an era where overtly U.S.-backed military coups had gone out of fashion" In fact Sullivan, the head of the OCCRP, proudly boasts about this, he's quoted in the article as saying that "we've probably been responsible for about five or six countries changing over from one government to another government" (he identified four: Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, the Czech Republic, and Montenegro) And it even gets far more insane: OCCRP's role goes far beyond just publishing investigations - actively converts its journalism into policy action through the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC). Founded in 2016 as part of the OCCRP, GACC is designed to systematically direct "judicial investigations, sanction procedures and civil society mobilizations" based on OCCRP's articles, with the support of "NGO" Transparency International (tool of US soft power), in 65 countries

Global Investigative Journalism Network, "How a Group of Paris-Based Journalists Are Saving Investigations from Oblivion,” by Michele Barbero, 5/3/2024, https://lnkd.in/ekqFMg3W "Founded in 2017, the raison d’être of Forbidden Stories, a GIJN member, is to pick up investigations that have been shelved because of threats or violence against the press, publishing them alongside the accounts of how the journalists originally conducting them were silenced. "The goal is to “send a strong signal that killing the journalist won’t kill the story,” said founder and executive director Laurent Richard, who has 25 years of experience in investigative reporting. "On this World Press Freedom Day, that mission is of even more relevance, as numerous bad actors around the world continue to imperil accountability journalism and the public’s right to know. The need is pressing: Journalists in many parts of the world are intimidated, jailed, or killed because of their work. In many cases, particularly in the Global South, this happens with few people ever knowing, leaving some investigations abandoned forever. "Forbidden Stories is trying to change that by exposing human rights violations, environmental abuses, corruption, and organized crime from Mexico to Azerbaijan, from Morocco to the Philippines. "The various leads the team receive from around the world are subjected to pre-investigations to gauge their relevance and feasibility, as well as to confirm that the abuse suffered by the reporters on the ground was linked to their work. "Then, for each assignment, the group joins forces with other news outlets, putting together and coordinating a task force that can include several dozen journalists. Over the years, Forbidden Stories has worked with 90 partners, including both small, local newsrooms familiar with the territory and large international organizations like Reuters and The New York Times... "Environmental crimes feature as one of the most frequently recurring themes of the group’s work... "According to Richard, the environment is the focus of a large share of the aborted investigations Forbidden Stories comes across because probing the way corporations and politicians exploit natural resources in countries with high levels of corruption and impunity is extremely dangerous. According to one study by the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 13 journalists, and possibly as many as 29, were killed between 2009 and 2019 while working in this field, making it one of the deadliest beats after war reporting. "But the group’s commitment to covering these stories is also the result of a deliberate editorial choice. “I believe we need to do more and more stories about environmental crimes,” said Richard. “It’s a time in which as citizens we need to make huge decisions about protecting the planet, but how can we make those decisions if we don’t have the necessary information?”

Really great investigation published by mediapart.fr and authored by Yann Philippin and Stefan Candea tells it all about "ethics" of many European journalists... 🙄 : 👇 **And the beauty of investigative reporters and truly independent journalists […] is that people will talk maybe more to a journalist than to a government official.** 👇 _____ "Asked why a law enforcement bureau would fund an investigative media, USAID’s Mike Henning answered: “Because the ability to uncover corrupt schemes, how the money's been laundered, is incredibly complicated. […] And the beauty of investigative reporters and truly independent journalists […] is that people will talk maybe more to a journalist than to a government official. […] So law enforcement is happy to have other external actors do that kind of work.” Questioned, Drew Sullivan said: “INL is not a law enforcement bureau. It has no policing powers, cannot detain anyone. […] We do not consider INL funding as problematic as long as their grants meet our standards of not interfering with editorial practices.” The NGO’s board added that the “OCCRP is not seeking to hide INL’s involvement”. However, the OCCRP has never publicly disclosed the role of the INL and David Hodgkinson in its financing. “I think Drew is just nervous about being linked to law enforcement, […] because sources may be [nervous], right?,” commented Mike Henning. “If people that are going to give you information, think, ‘Oh, you're just a cop’, maybe it's a problem, and [also for] other governments. Let’s say you're trying to get into a country and do something and the government says: ‘What are you, law enforcement or not?’ […] The independence, your reputation is incredibly important.” The OCCRP has omitted from its official history the role played by the US government in its creation, only mentioning the funding by the UN. Sullivan responds to that by underlining that the UN Democracy Fund payment was indeed the first that the NGO received. Meanwhile, he recognised that the creation of the OCCRP would not have been possible without the funding from Washington." The source: https://lnkd.in/dgUVaQJh

Kyiv Media School starts cooperation with the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative! We're excited to announce our new partnership with the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI)! This collaboration aims to train a new generation of investigative journalists who can make a positive impact in their regions and throughout Ukraine.e. The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) – the leading anti-corruption program in Ukraine funded by the EU, co-funded and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. EUACI plays a key role in ensuring the capacity development of anti-corruption institutions and the implementation of anti-corruption reform in Ukraine. “The development of independent journalism is crucial to build a democratic society. Ukraine has influential investigative journalists. Their articles and videos become a basis for criminal proceedings in corruption cases. We believe that training a new generation of regional investigative journalists will strengthen public oversight and ensure transparency, especially in the recovery and reconstruction processes in Ukraine," said Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EUACI. Cooperation with the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative will provide an opportunity to improve the quality of local journalistic investigations, ensure a transparent process of recovery and reconstruction, and form a new generation of local investigators. Here’s what we have planned: - an educational course that will equip participants with the tools to conduct in-depth investigations of corruption schemes and contribute to the transparent recovery of the state; - а series of specialized seminars featuring high-ranking officials; - private sessions on ethics and safety for journalists; - offline events, including a conference for regional investigative journalists. Through these steps, we aim to enhance the level of local independent journalism in Ukraine. “KMS's collaboration with the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative is a significant step toward enhancing educational opportunities in local investigative journalism across Ukraine,” said Artem Khalimovskyi, Senior Program Manager. We sincerely thank EUACI for supporting these vital educational initiatives that will help develop investigative journalism in Ukraine! #EUACIsupport

"Some investigations are more painful to complete than others," reads an op-ed by Fabrice Arfi, one of the senior journalists at French investigative journalist outlet Mediapart. "And that is particularly true of that published today by Mediapart, under the bylines of Yann Philippin and Stefan Candea. Why? Because our revelations shine a hard light on the hidden side of a monument of international journalism, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)." "In the field of international media, the OCCRP, an organisation scarcely known among the wider public, has about it an image of courage and excellence in face of corruption and criminality in autocratic countries like Russia and Venezuela. "While this investigation was painful, publishing its findings was absolutely necessary. That is because the OCCRP, the wealthiest and most influential of consortiums of investigative journalists, and which has for more than 15 years created prestigious partnerships with a number of principal media (including The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and The Guardian), is not the totally independent organisation it claims to be. In reality, it has placed itself in a situation of structural dependency upon the US government." The revelations here are not easy for many journalists to read, but necessary for a media environment that demands objectivity and a lack of bias from its own industry, and transparency from others https://lnkd.in/djpWaqZH

🔍 Lejla Bičakčić introduced us to the work of the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIN) and shared some of their impactful investigations. She highlighted the challenges of accessing information due to limited online data availability. Media plays a significant role in war, making sure the conflict is even worse than it is. Politicians play a big role in this process, they use the media, because it is easier to manipulate, since we are already divided by ethnic lines. We are witnessing a model of capturing a state, including media, defamation is now a part of the criminal code, and the prosecutors can procrastinate the case as much as they want, but in that process you can be prevented from working, you can't travel, the danger that anyone can face, anyone who opposes the state. The next law that is going to be in effect, the foreign agent act, Leila explained to us, is that if organizations are being funded by foreign actors, they will be labeled as foreign agents. Leila Bičakčić is one of the founding members of the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN), an award-winning organization, modeled after US nonprofit media agencies. Specializing in reporting on corruption, nexus between political elite and organized crime groups, monitoring of use of public funds, and politician assets. For its work, the Centre for Investigative Reporting won a number of national and international awards. 🏆

Lasantha Wickrematunge, a prominent Sri Lankan journalist and editor of The Sunday Leader, was assassinated in January 2009, a crime that shocked the nation and drew international attention. Wickrematunge was known for his fearless investigative journalism, particularly his criticisms of the then-government, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family. He wrote extensively on corruption, human rights abuses, and the conduct of the military during the final years of the Sri Lankan Civil War. While it’s essential to approach this sensitive issue with caution, allegations have persisted that figures associated with the Rajapaksa government may have been involved in, or at least indirectly responsible for, Wickrematunge’s murder. Key points surrounding these allegations include: 1. Intense Criticism of the Government: Wickrematunge was a vocal critic of the Rajapaksa administration, particularly with regard to alleged corruption, military spending, and human rights abuses. His reporting exposed various controversies surrounding the government, which many believed put him at risk. 2. Predictions of His Own Death: In an eerie and widely cited editorial published posthumously, Wickrematunge predicted his assassination and accused the government of targeting him for his work. He wrote that he expected to be silenced for his journalism, underscoring his belief that he was under threat for exposing uncomfortable truths. 3. Hostile Media Environment: During the Rajapaksa administration, Sri Lanka was known for having one of the most dangerous environments for journalists. Threats, assaults, disappearances, and even murders of journalists were reported, often with little accountability. Many believe this environment was cultivated to suppress dissent and critical reporting. 4. Military and Police Involvement: Investigations into Wickrematunge’s murder have been marked by allegations of interference, with evidence pointing to possible involvement of military and police officials. Several suspects were arrested and later released, while others claimed political pressure to suppress key findings. This pattern raised suspicions about a possible cover-up. 5. International Outcry and Lack of Justice: Wickrematunge’s assassination received widespread condemnation from international organizations and press freedom advocates. Despite several investigative attempts, justice has been elusive, with delays and procedural barriers preventing a clear resolution. This lack of accountability continues to fuel suspicions about high-level involvement. While there is no definitive proof that the Rajapaksas themselves directly ordered or executed the assassination, the circumstances of the murder and the lack of a transparent investigation have led many to believe that Wickrematunge’s death was a politically motivated act aimed at silencing a powerful critic.

Three years ago, Malta's Government received the report of the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination. Despite the State obligation to implement change swiftly and effectively to prevent future deaths, the report’s crucial recommendations have still not been implemented, leaving journalists at risk. In October 2023, following more than two years of substandard proposals, false claims and delays, Government promised to publish a White Paper on reforms and, in a submission to the 2024 EC rule of law report, committed to publish the White Paper last January, but didn't. IGovernment also promised to publish anti-SLAPP proposals “by the end of July”. No new proposed measures have been published yet. This is a matter of concern, as Government’s previously proposed legislation fell short of international standards. Anti-SLAPP measures need to meet the minimum standards set out in the Recommendation of the Council of Europe and the European Directive known as Daphne’s Law. The European Commission’s 2024 rule of law report, published last week, echoes concerns that were raised in the Public Inquiry report. It describes Malta’s failure to implement anti-corruption measures and safeguards for journalists and journalism. Among its other findings, the report states that: ❌ the anti-corruption recommendations issued following the public inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia have not been implemented; ❌ no legislative or other concrete measures have been adopted to improve the working environment of journalists and to reform the media landscape; ❌ there has been no progress on safeguards to improve access to official documents while journalists continue to face obstacles when requesting public information; ❌ there have been no developments to enhance the independence of public service media, to establish transparent criteria for the allocation of public funding for media outlets and to ensure fair allocation of state advertising; ❌ the monitoring of the implementation of the National Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy has faced delays; ❌ the Permanent Commission against Corruption’s resources have increased but it has not achieved tangible results; ❌ concerns remain regarding the extent of the integrity measures for persons of trust; ❌ concerns remain about the effectiveness of the existing whistleblowing mechanism (new tools are ‘under preparation’); ❌ public procurement procedures show high risks of corruption even though preventive measures exist; ❌ the ‘investor citizenship scheme’ (passport sales) continues to raise concerns. Malta urgently needs to effectively implement extensive reforms. Perpetuating the State failures that enabled Daphne’s assassination leaves others in danger. Unless those systemic failures are eliminated, it is only a matter of time before someone else is killed. #DaphneCaruanaGalizia #anticorruption https://lnkd.in/eMWmcviu