Featuring stories covering natural resources theft, forever pollution, corrupt business practices, and child sexual exploitation.
The vast majority of people who own properties are not engaged in any misconduct or possible criminal behavior. But land deals or real estate purchases made with inexplicable funding sources can be a telltale sign of corruption.
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.
Launched in 2008 with an innovative but untested business model, Mediapart has become a pillar of France’s media landscape and given a new lease of life to investigative journalism in the country. GIJN’s French editor Marthe Rubio explores how the site made a name for itself and how it managed to achieve economic independence.
The year 2021 was a “grand cru” for the French-speaking investigative world. To make our selection of the top 12 investigations published in French in the past 12 months, we examined the techniques used, the stories’ impact in society, the risks taken, and geographic diversity. For sure — from Algeria to Canada, from the Comoros to Belgium — the journalists working on these investigations have shown courage and perseverance.
For the latest installment of GIJN’s My Favorite Tools series, we spoke with French freelance reporter Théo Englebert, who drew acclaim last year for revealing that Rwandan colonel Aloys Ntiwiragabo, who is suspected of participating in that country’s 1994 genocide, had been living in France for at least 14 years.
Investigative podcasts are on a roll, and many of the most respected names in print and broadcasting are now dabbling in a format that offers a perfect platform for unraveling a complex investigative story. Here is a list curated by GIJN’s global team featuring 15 of the best investigative podcasts that have been broadcast around the world.
The French investigative journalism outlet Disclose made waves in 2019 by revealing the shocking extent of pedophilia in amateur sports and the widespread use of French-manufactured arms in the Yemen conflict. One of its founders tells GIJN why a reader-supported model is allowing it to exist “halfway between the media and an NGO.”
As part of our annual Editor’s Pick series, read on to discover the best investigations in French published this year and selected by GIJN French Editor Marthe Rubio and GIJN Francophone Africa Editor Maxime Domegni.
In a GIJN webinar three journalists who have experience reporting on the #MeToo movement and sexual abuse told reporters how to investigate an often-hidden crime. Among their tips are preparing interviewees for the process, investigating the story doggedly, and using alternative forms of evidence to verify your story. Read these and other tips for investigating sexual abuse allegations in GIJN’s latest tipsheet.
