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World Press Freedom Day marks 30th anniversary

It’s been 30 years since the UN General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as an international day for press freedom. In those 30 years, journalists have faced an increasing barrage of threats, says UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his message for World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2023. “Journalists and media workers are directly targeted on and Read more >

Freedom of expression underpins universal human rights 

Image: Flickr / Rachel Hinman With World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2023 upon us again, its custodian, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), names four fundamental freedoms which are outlined in the Preamble of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom from fear, and freedom from Read more >

African journalists are dying. They need the world’s help

By Anas Aremeyaw AnasFirst published in The Guardian A politician being investigated for corruption in Ghana has called for me to be hanged, but with my colleagues I am determined to take on the kleptocrats On Friday 14 April, a team of West Africa-based journalists will arrive in Cameroon, one of the most oppressive countries Read more >

Pressure on independent media reflects investigative journalism’s impact

First published on OCCRP In this article, written for the 2021 World Press Freedom Day, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project lauds all those investigative journalists across the world who have “given corrupt governments something to fear”. The increasing levels of harassment, intimidation, incarceration and censorship these journalists face is a sure sign that Read more >

Journalists pay dearly for reporting on corruption

First published on Transparency International Sunday 3 May was World Press Freedom Day, an important opportunity to highlight the critical role investigative journalists play in identifying and exposing corruption. It’s also a good moment to recognise the increasingly dangerous environment that journalists and independent media face across the globe, particularly when reporting about corruption linked Read more >

CW strongly supports investigative journalists

CW strongly supports investigative journalists’ role in exposing corruption in SA Responding to a statement by the State Security Agency (SSA) about investigative journalist Jacques Pauw’s book The President’s Keepers, and threats by both SSA and the South African Revenue Service (Sars) against Pauw and his publisher, NB Publishers, to recall the book, Corruption Watch Read more >

African leaders loot with same fervour as colonialists

Corruption is well-entrenched in Africa, and those few leaders who have decided to actively tackle it – beyond just talking about tackling it – have publicly admitted that the task is a lot harder than they expected. Last year’s Panama Papers breakthrough revealed the names of numerous African politicians and their friends and families, who Read more >

The power of investigative journalism

Corruption is a crime that goes unnoticed, and often it’s only through the efforts of investigative journalists that such crimes are exposed. Because it’s important for journalists to hone their skills and learn from their peers, Wits University last week hosted the latest edition of Power Reporting 2015 – the African Investigative Journalism Conference. Wits’ Read more >