Impact
All around the world, journalists are silenced through violence, threats and imprisonment because what they were investigating was known to have potentially far-reaching repercussions.
As a media organization, we do not advocate for any particular cause. Our journalism speaks for itself. By continuing those stories that we believe are of global significance, we have uncovered critical information on issues such as environmental crimes, corruption, organized crime and drug trafficking, disinformation, cyber-surveillance, and human rights violations.
Since 2017, our work has had significant political, legal, economic and environmental impact, from the appointment by the Council of Europe of a Rapporteur to monitor respect for the rule of law in Malta to the FBI dropping its plans to deploy Pegasus in its criminal investigations and the suspension of the operations of a nickel mine in Guatemala by the country’s highest court.
Our revelations have been followed by protests, the resignation of high-ranking government officials, the opening of numerous judicial and parliamentary investigations, and to the potential reopening of the investigation into the murder of Mexican journalist Regina Martínez.
The Belgian, French and European Parliaments are currently using the revelations of our “Story Killers” investigation in their fight to counter disinformation and protect democracy.
Our investigations have reached diverse audiences and groups, from the general public to NGOs and heads of states. We have triggered worldwide debates on cyber-surveillance, disinformation, and foreign interference. But most importantly, we’ve sent a strong message to enemies of press freedom: killing the journalist won’t kill the story.
All of this is a testament to the relevance of our mission. In the fight against impunity, collaborative journalism makes a difference.
Fighting impunity one investigation at a time
Read more about our investigations and their impact in our activity reports.
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Impact of the SafeBox Network
With the SafeBox Network, we built a new bulwark against attempts to silence journalists. Since its launch in May 2022, dozens of the world’s most endangered journalists have been trained in the SafeBox mechanism. Over 100 reporters now regularly secure their sensitive information with us.
Several members have said that making it publicly known that their information is protected with Forbidden Stories has helped reduce the pressure on them.
Our first two investigations published by way of this innovative mechanism, the “Rafael Project” and “The Front Companies Robbing the State of Mexico” gave global visibility to investigations into corruption, which had particular resonance ahead of local elections in Córdoba, Colombia and Edomex, Mexico.
Another achievement of the SafeBox Network is that it has managed to create a global community and break the isolation often faced by its members.