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Help us continue the work of journalists who have been silenced
Forbidden Stories is a non-profit media organization.
Our investigations are funded by the public, for the public.
As long as journalism remains under attack, we will need your help.
Close to 100 journalists were killed in 2023. Over 60 are considered missing, and more than 500 are currently incarcerated. Countless others are threatened, harassed, spied on and assaulted on a daily basis, in an effort to silence them and impede them from reporting. And when journalists are silenced, we are all deprived of information.
Forbidden Stories’ mission is unique: to protect the investigations of threatened journalists, and to pursue the work of reporters who have been silenced through imprisonment, abductions or murder. For each investigation, we gather a consortium of journalists and media organizations from all around the world to continue the investigations of our peers who have been forced to abandon them.
Our aim is twofold: to signal to enemies of press freedom that silencing a journalist will no longer allow them to hide their wrongdoings, and to enhance access to information of public interest for all.
Collaboration is at the heart of our mission. Together with our investigative partners, we have unearthed environmental crimes, corruption, surveillance, organized crime and disinformation scandals, all with a resounding impact. And we’re just getting started.
Forbidden Stories is a non-profit media organization who relies on the support of philanthropic foundations and donations from the public. Your contribution is essential to guarantee our independence and our ability to report anywhere in the world.
We are grateful for all donations, large and small. Your contribution will help ensure the sustainability of our organization and the continuity of our mission. Thanks to you, we will be able to continue the work of journalists who are in danger or who have been murdered, and to continue producing information of public interest that is free to access by all.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Forbidden Stories is a non-profit media organization. It is legally registered in France under the name “Freedom Voices Network”, under the French 1901 Law of Associations. It has received an Equivalency Determination from NGO Source, certifying it to be the equivalent of a U.S. public charity.
The organization was founded in October 2017. It is based in France, but operates worldwide. It is currently the only organization with the mission of protecting the work of threatened journalists and pursuing the investigations of silenced reporters.
Our mission is unique among existing media organizations: Forbidden Stories is the only organization devoted to protecting the work of threatened journalists and pursuing the investigations of silenced reporters. Our aim in doing this is twofold: to deter violence against journalists, and to enhance access to information of public interest for the general public. By supporting Forbidden Stories, you send a strong message to enemies of press freedom, and let them know that silencing a journalist will no longer allow them to conceal the truth.
Enhancing access to verified and uncensored information for all is at the heart of our mission. This is why our stories are free to access, and why we don’t use paywalls or subscriptions. But our kind of journalism is costly, and we need public support to give us the means to achieve our ambition of keeping stories alive and deterring violence against journalists. You can find more information about our current sources of funding on this page.
Donations of all sizes are welcome, however large or small. Every little bit helps us make an impact. We particularly welcome monthly donations, which enable us to plan ahead and have a better view of our financial situation in the medium-term.
Your donation will help ensure the sustainability of our organization and the continuity of our mission.
Forbidden Stories’ editorial team is constantly working on multiple investigations, into issues such as corruption, environmental crimes, human rights violations, disinformation or organized crime. And as the organization grows, we aim to publish more investigations, more frequently, and to reach more regions of the world.
Our kind of cross-border, collaborative investigations are costly. Your contribution will therefore help finance the work that goes into producing such investigations, be it pre-investigating leads, conducting field missions and investigating on the ground, gathering our investigative consortiums, providing secure equipment for our journalists, fact-checking and translating our stories, or communicating about our findings and reaching as wide an audience as possible. Your contribution will also help us provide support to threatened journalists through the SafeBox Network.
Forbidden Stories collects donations through a form powered by Donorbox, and processes payments through Stripe. Both are PCI compliant, and Stripe is certified as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider, the most stringent level of certification in the payments industry.
When you make a donation to Forbidden Stories, you are requested to share basic identifying information such as your name (although you can also donate anonymously), email address and country. Forbidden Stories does not sell or trade your information, and anyone who handles your data is held to strict privacy standards.
Through Donorbox, Forbidden Stories accepts donations made by credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Venmo.
Forbidden Stories welcomes both one-time and monthly donations. We currently accept donations in Euros, US Dollars and British Pound Sterling.
Donations of all sizes are welcome, however large or small. Every little bit helps us make an impact. We particularly welcome monthly donations, which enable us to plan ahead and have a better view of our financial situation in the medium-term.
Yes, by ticking the “Make an anonymous donation” option on our donation form.
Donations made to Forbidden Stories are not currently tax deductible. We are working on it, and will update with the relevant information as soon as possible.
Please consult this guide by Donorbox, which powers our donation form. Should you still encounter difficulties, please contact Elisa, our Fundraising Manager, at elisa [at] forbiddenstories.org.
Forbidden Stories is for everyone. If you want to help us but are unable to support us financially, there are still many things you can do. You can subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok), and help us spread the word about our investigations.
Please contact Elisa, our Fundraising Manager, at elisa [at] forbiddenstories.org.
Please contact Elisa, our Fundraising Manager, at elisa [at] forbiddenstories.org.