LONDON, 3 MAY 2022 – Today, on the World Press Freedom Day, the Justice for Journalists Foundation announces the winners of its 2022 Investigative Grant programme. 14 winners will share 465 thousand US dollars to fulfil projects in four priority thematic areas this year:
- Document and investigate violence and abuse against Ukrainian media workers and/or suggest ways on enhancing their security;
- Document and investigate violence and abuse against Russian independent journalists;
- Further enhance our successful anti-SLAPP campaign;
- Investigate crimes against media, its sources and whistleblowers, including cybercrimes.
The Justice for Journalists Foundation will provide full or partial funding for the following applications from media outlets, non-governmental organisations and individual media workers:
1. Ukrainian media workers:
- Security and emergency assistance to journalists in Ukraine.
- Pop up platform for media workers under occupation.
- Documenting war crimes against professional and citizen journalists in Ukraine.
2. Independent journalists from Russia:
- Documentary dedicated to the demolition of free thought and speech in Russia.
- Investigation into violations of human rights of journalists’ sources and whistleblowers, as well as journalists attacked in connection with their professional activities.
3. Initiatives and events enhancing promoting the anti-SLAPPs agenda in the UK, Europe and globally:
- Second Anti-SLAPP conference in London in the framework of the Unsafe for Scrutiny programme.
- Anti-SLAPP Conference in Ireland Don’t SLAPP the Messenger: Ending abusive lawsuits against journalists in the EU and UK.
- Drafting a model anti-SLAPP law.
- Anti-SLAPP Conference in Brussels
- Exposing the enabling industry of lawyers and public relations professionals behind SLAPP cases in the UK.
4. Investigations into cyberattacks, wiretapping, digital threats against media workers in the Middle Eastern, Balkan, Latin American and African states:
- Hacked: how surveillance, harassment and blackmail became part of life of the female journalists in the Arab world.
- Private Eye: Mapping covert surveillance in South East and Central Europe.
- Surveillance press: the eyes and ears of the State against freedom of expression in Colombia.
- The safety of journalists in West Africa.
The Justice for Journalists Foundation would like to thank its Expert Board and Advisory Board who put many hours into the stringent selection process. We are looking forward to working with the recipients of this year’s Investigative Grants.