Global Shining Light Finalist: The Azerbaijani Laundromat (Azerbaijan)
In the run-up to the 11th Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Hamburg this September 26 to 29, we’re featuring one Global Shining Light Award finalist per day. The winners, chosen from 12 outstanding investigative projects, will be announced at the conference.
The Shining Light Award, first given out at our 2007 Global Conference, uniquely honors investigative journalists in developing or transitioning countries whose work was done under threat, duress, or in the direst of conditions.
The finalists were selected by an international panel of judges from a record 291 projects. All the stories were published in 2017 or 2018. The award is sponsored by the Global Investigative Journalism Network, an association of 182 organizations in 77 countries.
This year, given the broad range of work submitted, we divided the submissions into two categories: large outlets (with ten or more staff) and smaller outlets (with fewer than 10 staff). We hope you’ll agree that this year’s finalists showcase extraordinary journalism by some extraordinary journalists.
Large Outlets Category: “The Azerbaijani Laundromat,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in collaboration with numerous international outlets (Azerbaijan).
Team: Ilgar Agha, Roman Anin, Anna Babinec, Sophie Balay, Attila Biro, Jan Bratanic, Anuška Delić, Ricardo Ginés, Pavla Holcová, Khadija Ismayilova, Elena Loginova, Miranda Patrucić, Madina Mammadova, Paul Radu, Atanas Tchobanov, Jonny Wrate, Carole Kerbage, Dragana Peco, Nadia Shiyyab, Friedrich Lindenberg, Amy Guy, Lion Summerbell, Ilya Lozovsky, Jody McPhillips, Drew Sullivan, Birgit Brauer, Lejla Čamdžić, Roxana Jipa, Ana Poenariu, undisclosed Azerbaijani journalists.
This collaborative, cross-border investigation uncovered how ruling elites in Azerbaijan benefited from a complex money-laundering operation and slush fund. Banking records revealed that some $2.9 billion passed through four shell companies registered in the United Kingdom over a two-year period.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
Republish this article
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Read Next
Data Journalism Top 10
Iron Dome’s Defense Network, Hong Kong’s Plastic Waste Ban, European ‘Brain Waste,’ and 100 Days to Paris Olympics
In this edition of our Top 10 in Data Journalism, we also highlight the export destinations of smuggled Peruvian gold, the worker shortage hampering the Russian defense industry, and the highly partisan — and evenly balanced — political divide in the US.
How They Did It
How ProPublica Exposed Ethics Scandals at the US Supreme Court
The Journalist’s Resource talked with ProPublica reporters about their blockbuster series, which revealed behind-the-scenes connections between billionaires and US Supreme Court justices and prompted historic reforms on the nation’s high court.
Data Journalism News & Analysis
Lessons Learned: 10 Common Mistakes in Data Journalism
GIJN asked speakers and attendees in the NICAR conference hallways for the data journalism gaps they see, and for under-covered topic areas and under-used skills that newsrooms can address.
Reporting Tools & Tips Teaching & Training
Best Practices for Election Coverage Using YouTube
At the recent International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ), one workshop offered suggestions on how journalists and media outlets can better use YouTube in their election coverage.