The George Polk Award rewards the outstanding collaboration of 60 journalists from 25 news organizations* and 18 countries, who teamed up over the course of 10 months to pursue the stories of their assassinated Mexican colleagues.

This series of investigations, coordinated by Forbidden Stories and simultaneously published worldwide last December, uncovered Mexican cartels’ international connections. The project appeared on the front page of The Washington Post, The Guardian Weekly, Le Monde and Süddeutsche Zeitung, among others.

“The Polk Award strengthens our belief that collaboration is the best protection against impunity,” Forbidden Stories’ director Laurent Richard said.

“The Cartel Project succeeded in bringing together the diverse backgrounds and work cultures of our partners — the driving force in this series of impactful investigations,” Forbidden Stories’ editor-in-chief Sandrine Rigaud added.

Long Island University has given out the prestigious George Polk Awards annually for the past 73 years, focusing on “the intrepid, bold, and influential work of the reporters themselves, placing a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful, and thought-provoking.” These awards memorialize George Polk, a CBS correspondent who was killed while covering the Greek civil war in 1948.

Polk Special Award: Presented to murdered journalist Regina Martinez of Proceso magazine and Forbidden Stories, a global network of investigative journalists whose mission is to continue the work of reporters threatened, censored or killed.

— George Polk Awards (@PolkAwards) February 24, 2021

“Forbidden Stories reporters interviewed sources who had never spoken on-the-record, revealing how local authorities sabotaged the investigation into Martinez’s death and put a scapegoat behind bars without proof — a tactic similar to one used by the Greek government in the aftermath of George Polk’s murder,” Long Island University announced.

Long Island University Board of Trustees Chair Eric Krasnoff stated, “Honest and independent reporting is our best hope to nurture and sustain an equitable democratic society.”

*The 25 news organization partners of the Cartel Project:

The Washington Post, Le Monde, France TV, Radio France, The Star, The Guardian, Proceso, OCCRP, Le Soir, Knack, South China Morning Post, Süddeutsche Zeitung, WDR, NDR, Die Zeit, Lede, Haaretz/ TheMarker, IRPI, Daraj, Proceso, El Pais, Prensa, Expresso, Radio Télévision Suisse, SVT, De Volkskrant.