How Flowers and Fruit Failed to Build a State
Former diplomat looks back at decades of frustrated attempts to support the two-state solution.
Fake News Fuels Fear in Lebanon
A confusing media landscape leaves citizens desperately searching for credible information.
Interview: The War on Disinformation
Open source intelligence (OSINT) can provide facts – but impatient, angry audiences often prefer opinions.
Israel: “I Witnessed Horrific Crimes”
An Israeli journalist who covered the kibbutz massacres describes anger, fear and denial.
Gaza: “Each Day Seems Darker Than the Last”
A Palestinian journalist describes trying to report amid the danger and chaos of the war.
When the News Becomes a Nightmare
The task of journalism is not to have the answers, but rather to be an honest witness.
Gaza War Resonates in the South Caucasus
The region’s geopolitical shift following the Nagorny Karabakh conflict may continue amid the crisis in the Middle East.
Tuesday, 31 October ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Case Launched Over Torture of Former ATO Participants
Summons describes how men were beaten, electrocuted with stun guns and branded with a hot iron before being subjected to forced labour.
Armenian, Azeri Experts Exchange Critical Views
Analysts discuss the tense situation around Nagorny Karabakh following a meeting between their two countries´ presidents.
Boosting Georgian Regional Media
This key sector can play an important role in supporting rule of law and combating radicalisation.
IWPR Films Shortlisted for Award
Features tell stories of reconciliation and justice in a society still struggling to overcome ethnic divisions.
IWPR's Syria Coordinator Wins Landmark Freedom of Speech Prize
Writer and mentor has been instrumental in helping Syrians tell their stories.
Kyrgyz Investigative Journalists Drive Change
Campaigning stories lead to direct government intervention.
Iraqi Activists Reach Millions
Project aims to raise awareness on critical issues such as coexistence and anti-extremism.
IWPR Brings Children’s Art to Heart of Baghdad
Drawings exhibited in Iraqi capital convey moving messages of life and hope.
Iraqi Activists Tackle Extremism
Understanding the phenomenon helps develop ways to combat violence and promote co-existence.
IWPR Films Inspire Hope for Positive Change
Discussion groups look at how the stories can help people deal with the legacy of conflict.
IWPR Women’s Prize for Journalism
IWPR’s inaugural award for outstanding journalism recognises the work of our network of women reporters worldwide. Working in often challenging environments, these journalists face additional threats such as harassment, gender-based violence and systemic misogyny.
"What was significant for all three of us [judges] was how the stories stayed with us - not just for the amazing yet harrowing insights into these women’s lives but the courage it took for them to keep going, to experience the harshness in which they lived and to tell the world about it through their stories."
World Press Freedom Day 2024
On World Press Freedom Day we focus on local journalists facing myriad challenges in the tireless pursuit of truth and their enduring efforts to bring meaningful change.
Highlights from IWPR’s Consortium to Support Independent Journalism in Latin America (CAPIR).
An investigation by ContraCorriente, one of the investigative units IWPR supports in Honduras, revealed abuses including robbery, torture and kidnappings allegedly inflicted on citizens by police officers. The investigation also addressed how the state of emergency, in place since 2022, has allowed these abuses to occur with impunity. The authorities deny responsibility, claiming that organised criminal groups are using replica uniforms to pose as police officers.
A transnational publication by the investigative units of Plaza Pública and Criterio media revealed the huge extent of Asian cigarette smuggling in northern Central America. In addition to the health problems and millions of dollars lost to tax evasion, this also finances organised crime trafficking of drugs, weapons and humans. The investigation highlighted the failure of institutional efforts to stop this problem, aggravated by the complicity of officials who help falsify documents.
A story by the IWPR beneficiaries Guardiana and La Nube media outlets revealed the unauthorised sale of "medical preparations" to treat mental illnesses such as depression in a market in Cochabamba, one of Bolivia's largest cities. The story showed how products were marketed without information about their ingredients, including unlicensed natural remedies from Peru and Brazil. In response, the Cochabamba department of health announced it would increase the number of police operatives in the market where these products are sold.
Highlights from IWPR’s Central Asia network of analysis and investigations.
The construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan is causing water shortages in southern Uzbekistan, while in Kyrgyzstan the government is considering the construction of a nuclear power plant. In Kazakstan, conservation activists are working to save the Central Asian tortoise from extinction.
Elsewhere, CABAR delves into the efforts by Central Asian authorities to detect, reduce and prevent statelessness across the region.
Ukraine Justice Report
Countering Disinformation in Moldova
Ukraine War Diary by Anthony Borden
Democratic accountability comes from journalists investigating their own societies – IWPR provides a much needed platform and support for those reporting from some of the most dangerous and difficult places in the world.
Disinformation is a major global threat , especially in conflict and post-conflict areas. IWPR performs a vital mission, building up local voices as a bulwark against this challenge.
IWPR fills a critical gap by helping local journalists to focus on human rights and justice issues. In the process, it contributes to democratic transitions, and demonstrates that the best war reporting is not about military conflict, but human consequences.