Being an investigative journalist in the Middle East and North Africa was immensely challenging in 2022, thanks to the dramatic decline in press freedom in places once considered safer for journalists such as North Africa, the lack of human and financial resources, and the inability to access data and public information in most Arab countries.
Organized crime is a global phenomenon. But Africa, with its deep-seated corruption and “resource curse,” is particularly hard hit.
Like spyware, forensic tools can access everything on a phone or computer, but unlike spyware, such tools are in widespread, open usage in democracies as well as more repressive regimes. Their use has accelerated threats to the press while protections and public awareness lag behind.
Some of the most notable stories in German-language journalism this year revealed that many good guys in public life were, as it turned out, not so good. The following stories examine public figures from sports, the media, and far-right networks, and also show how big players — such as sportswear behemoth Nike, the fintech company Wirecard, or multinational energy giant RWE — behave when they think nobody’s watching.
Geographical diversity, the stories’ impact and uniqueness, the risks taken, and the techniques used were some of our criteria for selecting the strongest French language investigations of the year, selected by GIJN French Editor Alcyone Wemaëre, GIJN Francophone Africa Editor Maxime Domegni, GIJN French Assistant Editor Moran Kerinec, and Africa Assistant Editor Aïssatou Fofana.
GIJN’s Africa editor, Benon Herbert Oluka, presents his Editor’s Picks for the best investigative reporting from sub-Saharan Africa in 2022, which demonstrated the curiosity, ingenuity, bravery, and technological know-how of Africa’s top investigative journalists and teams.
Because of growing threats to democracy, and a recent series of ever more extreme societal and planetary crises, funders now see more clearly the pivotal, central role that independent public interest media play in keeping our societies and economies open. And what’s even more encouraging is to see this positive talk backed up with concrete measures and actions.
A growing number of journalists and media organizations have established a presence on Mastodon. GIJN’s social media editor Holly Pate answers some common questions about the platform.
The largest-ever African Investigative Journalism Conference (#AIJC2022) drew 375 attendees from 51 countries to Africa’s premier muckraker gathering. The conference looked into how AI is driving a “third wave of journalism,” which new tools and resources are available to watchdog reporters, and showcased some of the world-class exposés being produced on the continent.
The Internet of Things can pose many threats to journalists — at home, in the office, and in the field. To help us understand them, a cybersecurity researcher examines these threats across several categories along with real-world examples.
