2017 - 2020 IMPACT REPORT A word from the founder and director| In October 2017 as we were preparing to launch a collaborative " network of journalists dedicated to pursuing and publishing the work of other reporters facing threats, prison or murder, prominent Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was horrifically silenced with a car bomb. Her murder was a cruel and stark reminder of how tenuous the free flow of information can be when democratic systems falter. We added Daphne to the sad and long list of journalists whose work Forbidden Stories is committed to continuing. For five months, we coordinated a historic collaboration of 45 journalists from 18 news organizations, aimed at keeping Daphne Caruana Galizia’s stories alive. Her investigations, as a result of this, ended up on the front pages of the world’s most widely-read newspapers. Seventy-four million people heard about the Daphne Project worldwide. Although her killers had hoped to silence her stories, the stories ended up having an echo way further than Malta. LAURENT RICHARD Forbidden Stories' founder Three years later, the journalists of the Daphne Project continue and executive director. to publish new revelations about her murder and pursue the investigations she started. Their explosive role in taking down former Maltese high-ranking government officials confirms that collaboration is the best protection against impunity. 2 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report A word from the founder and director| That’s why other broad collaborative On a smaller scale, we have investigations followed. developed rapid response projects. We investigated the circumstances The Green Blood Project, in 2019, pursued behind the murders of Ecuadorian, the stories of reporters in danger for Mexican and Ghanaian journalists; investigating environmental scandals. looked into cases of reporters threatened for working on Covid-19; A year later, the Cartel Project pursued and followed the cyber-surveillance the work of slain Mexican journalist of Moroccan journalist Omar Radi. Regina Martínez and dived deeper into the global networks of Mexican drug cartels. Laurent Richard speaking at a meeting with Forbidden Stories' media partners, in Paris, in March 2020. 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report A word from the founder and director| By continuing and publishing the work of reporters who can no longer investigate, we I would like to express my deepest thanks to have sent a powerful message to enemies of the charitable foundations supporting our the free press: killing the journalist won’t kill nonprofit, as well as all of our media partners, the story. without whom none of this would have been possible. The need for such an organization is painfully apparent. The prestigious George Polk Special Award was recently attributed to the Cartel Project journalists. This award is a strong endorsement Our Paris-based team is growing in order to of our work and another push for pursuing our sustain our steady development. It now mission. includes nine full-time employees. A subsidiary company, Forbidden Films, was created to produce documentaries in order to LAURENT RICHARD further broaden the reach of our work. 4 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Our mission| Killing the journalist won’t kill the story. We are a collaborative journalism network whose mission is to protect, pursue and publish the work of other journalists facing threats, prison, or murder. Protecting Forbidden Stories ensures that journalists under Publishing threat can secure their information. Our goal is to make sure a maximum number of We provide them with the ability to drop their people have access to uncensored news on such sensitive information through one of our secure crucial topics as the environment, public health, communication channels. If something happens human rights, or corruption. to them, we will ensure the survival of their stories, beyond borders, beyond governments, By keeping their stories alive, we can send a powerful signal to enemies of the free press: beyond censorship. even if you succeed in stopping a single messenger, you will not stop the message. Pursuing What is the point of killing a journalist if 10, 20 or Forbidden Stories fosters collaboration among 30 others are waiting in the wings to carry on journalists to make visible and impactful the their work? Collaboration is the best protection. work of reporters who can no longer investigate. It is the only existing program with this mission. 5 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report A meeting between Forbidden Stories and its partners, in Paris, in January 2019. 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Our mission| The origin A non-profit, Forbidden Stories was founded by award-winning journalist and filmmaker Laurent Richard. In 2015, he arrived at work across from the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris to find his fellow journalists massacred by terrorists. That day, he decided to create Forbidden Stories., Our inspiration? convinced of the need for a journalistic response Forty-one years ago, reporter Don Bolles was to crimes committed against the press. killed in a car explosion in Phoenix, USA. His murder left his investigation on land fraud unfinished. Thirty-eight journalists from 28 newspapers and television stations from all over the United States decided to work together to complete the work of Don Bolles. This collaboration continues to inspire us today. 7 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Our mission| The consortium Forbidden Stories works as a consortium, gathering local and international media outlets 60 from around the world in order to investigate massively and to media partners give the stories worldwide coverage. + 100 journalist partners Since its creation, Forbidden Stories has coordinated the work of 60 news organizations based in the five continents, including some of the most 38 widely read newspapers in the world like The Washington countries Post, The Guardian, The New of publication York Times, El País, La Repubblica, Le Monde, Die Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung. 8 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Journalists whose work has been taken over by Forbidden Stories| R E G I N A M I R O S L A V A O M A R D A P H N E M A R T Í N E Z B R E A C H R A D I C A R U A N A G A L I Z I A M A L T A M E X I C O M O R O C C O G U A T E M A L A I N D I A G H A N A E C U A D O R T A N Z A N I A J A G E N D R A S I N G H C A R L O S C H O C J A V I E R A H M E D J A B I R O R T E G A R E Y E S H U S S E I N - S U A L E I D R I S S A 9 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Timeline| 2017 2018 OCTOBER APRIL JUNE JULY Foundation of Publication of the Funding from Grant from IJ4EU Forbidden Stories "Daphne Project" Luminate OCTOBER OCTOBER SEPTEMBER Publication of Publication of the Funding from "Deadly border" "Daphne Project," Open Society 1 year later Foundations 10 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Timeline| 2019 JANUARY FEBRUARY APRIL MAY Creation of Funding from Funding from European Press Prize Veronica Foundation Seattle Foundation special award, Forbidden Films for the Daphne Project OCTOBER OCTOBER SEPTEMBER AUGUST JUNE Hiring of Grant from Publication of the Grant from Publication of the an editor-in-chief Fritt Ord "Miroslava Project" Democracy "Green Blood Project" Foundation & Media Foundation 11 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Timeline| 2020 JANUARY JANUARY MARCH Publication about Hiring of a Broadcast of Ahmed Hussein-Suale development manager the Green Blood documentary on French TV OCTOBER SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER APRIL Publication of the Hiring of Grant from Publication about "Daphne Project," two junior journalists, Pulitzer Center censored stories 3 years later and an administrative on Covid-19 & financial manager 12 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Timeline| 2020 OCTOBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER Prix Europa, Funding from Grant from for the Green Blood Wellspring UNESCO documentary Philanthropic Fund 2021 FEBRUARY DECEMBER 2020 George Polk Award, Publication of the for the Cartel Project "Cartel Project" 13 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report Annual projects| Since its creation, Forbidden Stories has coordinated and published three major 3 collaborative investigations, continuing the work of : Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, after she was killed in a car bombing in 2017. Indian journalist Jagendra Singh, killed for investigating sand mafias, Guatemalan journalist Carlos Choc who was forced to live in hiding, and Tanzanian journalist Jabir Idriss whose newspapers were shut down. Mexican journalist Regina Martinez, murdered in 2012. 14 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report The Daphne Project They killed the journalist. But not the stories. K E E P S T O R I E S A L I V E 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report The Daphne Project| April 2018 Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017, by a car bomb, for her investigations into corruption by government officials and their associates in Malta. Our partners: Forbidden Stories successfully brought together 45 journalists from 15 different countries and 18 news organizations to work in secret to complete and publish her investigations, reveal what people who tried to silence her wanted to hide, and uncover the truth about the murder of the country’s most renowned corruption reporter. 16 2017-2020 Forbidden Stories Impact Report The Daphne Project: one year later| October 2018 Six month after its first publications, Famous for her investigations on corruption at the Daphne Project made the highest state level, Daphne revealed the new revelations.