In the latest revelations in the ongoing scandal of spying on journalists, 22 staff members of El Salvador's leading online news site, GIJN member El Faro, were targeted by Pegasus spyware. That's according to a three-month analysis by cyber-sleuths at Canada's Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now. The analysis found that over the last two years, cell phones of two-thirds of El Faro's staff were hacked with Pegasus, including iPhones of its editorial board, reporters, and administrative team. This went on during El Faro's investigative reporting on into human rights, organized crime, and abuses of power. The extraordinary level of attack included 226 intrusions on journalists' phones. giving access to all messages, calls, and other content. El Faro called the level of hacking "unprecedented." Said Citizen Lab's Scott-Railton: "We all expressed shock and surprise at how dramatic this targeting was, how much it was happening, and how many people were targeted at the organization.”
Source: El Faro
The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a new report assessing the state of US press freedom one year after Donald Trump left the White House, pointing to a number of positive developments. Authored by former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie, Jr. the report calls out the much improved relationship President Joe Biden's administration has with the media and its willingness to grant reporters increased access to question public officials. This working climate is a marked contrast, Downie notes, from the previous US president's incendiary rhetorical attacks on the press and incessant attempts to delegitimize as "fake news" any unflattering investigative reports. "There is much more to do to mitigate some of the lasting and continuing damage done to the news media by Trump, his administration, and his followers in and out of politics and the media," CPJ's report concludes.
Source: CPJ
Two of The New York Times' most renowned reporters will discuss the investigative journalism process with students as part of a live panel later this month. Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who broke the bombshell sexual abuse story about powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein that spurred the global #MeToo movement, will participate in the free event at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time on January 27, 2022. The pair will also be talking about their recent book, "Chasing the Truth," which is aimed at educating young, budding journalists. Students can submit a video question for Twohey and Kantor — no longer than 30 seconds— up until January 20.
Source: New York Times
Venerable investigative reporter Andrew Jennings has passed away at the age of 78. The widely admired British journalist was best known for a series of groundbreaking exposés of the sports world, particularly of the International Olympic Committee and FIFA, the world football (soccer) federation. Wrote Jens Sejer Andersen of sports watchdog Play the Game, "If you had to put only one name to the revolution of the international sports debate over the past 30 years, if you could choose only one person to embody the growing public awareness about the economic and political abuse of sport, of athletes and of fans, that name and that person would be Andrew Jennings." Starting in the early 1990s, Jennings revealed a mountain of corruption, greed, and mismanagement within the international Olympic movement. Jennings co-authored the 1992 book Lords of the Rings, and followed that with New Lords of the Rings in 1996 and The Great Olympic Swindle in 2000. He then turned his attention to FIFA, where his reporting sparked official investigations around the world. Jennings was a frequent speaker at journalism training events, including GIJN conferences, where he helped mentor a new generation of investigative reporters.
Source: Play the Game
JournalismFund.eu is offering its latest round of grants for investigative journalists looking to report on Asian victims of human trafficking and forced labor in Europe. Entitled "Modern Slavery Unveiled," the program aims to fund cross-border collaboration on covering the illicit migration of peoples from such countries as India, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam into Western Europe. Candidates can also apply for mentorship and training. The program, supported by Porticus, is distributing a total of US$360,000 over four rounds. Next deadline to apply: March 17, 2022.
Source: JournalismFund.eu
In its latest, year-end report, the International Federation of Journalists revealed that 45 journalists or media staff were killed while working in 2021. The causes of these deaths including targeted killings, crossfire incidents, bomb attacks, and fatal accidents. These deaths were spread across 20 different countries, but nearly half of the fatalities — 20 — occurred in the Asia-Pacific region. Afghanistan led all nations with 9 journalists killed, followed by Mexico (8), India (4), and Pakistan (3). Notably, the 2021 total marks one of the lowest annual figures since IFJ began tracking journalist deaths. “These 45 colleagues we lost to violence this year remind us of the terrible sacrifice journalists across the world continue to pay for serving the public interest and we remain in the debt to them and thousands of others who paid the ultimate price," IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said in a statement.
Source: International Federation of Journalists
