ICFJ Partner Wins Prestigious European Press Prize

By: Patrick Butler | 04/17/2015

OCCRP's “The Russian Laundromat” showed how illegal Russian cash was “laundered” in other countries.

The European Press Prize named the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) winner of its Special Award for 2015, calling ICFJ’s partner organization “a determined force for good everywhere it operates.”

ICFJ oversees a six-year, $6.3 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to OCCRP for its work building a network of investigative reporting centers across Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and helping reporters in that network collaborate on cross-border stories.

Former ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellow Paul Radu, executive director of OCCRP, was named in the citation for his story “The Russian Laundromat.” The story showed how illegal Russian cash was “laundered” in countries from Moldova to Latvia. Before becoming a Knight Fellow, Radu was a 2004 winner of ICFJ’s Knight International Journalism Award for groundbreaking investigative journalism in his native Romania.

Another OCCRP story, “Unholy Alliances,” was shortlisted in the Investigative category. That story exposed how Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic was tied to organized crime through his own contacts and those of his family’s bank.

Radu and OCCRP’s Regional Editor Miranda Patrucic accepted the award on behalf of OCCRP in Copenhagen Monday. The judges called OCCRP “a memorably motivated, determined force for good everywhere it operates. Its members do not get rich, but the societies they serve are richer and cleaner for the scrutiny only true, independent journalism can provide.”

For more information on the awards, visit the European Press Prize website and the OCCRP website.

Latest News

ICFJ Statement on African News Innovation Challenge

From 2012 to 2014, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) worked in partnership with the African Media Initiative (AMI) to manage programs aimed at helping African media and media support outlets to improve the quality of their journalism, their use of technology, and their financial sustainability. Among these programs was the African News Innovation Challenge (ANIC), with its digital innovation lab, which provided grants and mentoring to organizations with the best ideas for finding technological solutions for news gathering and dissemination.

U.S. Ethnic and Indigenous Media Play Critical Role in Countering Disinformation, New ICFJ Study Finds

While political disinformation is surging across the United States, one part of the news media is proving especially resilient in stopping the spread of false information – ethnic and Indigenous newsrooms, according to a new study by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

ICFJ+ and Project C to Map Standout News Creators Worldwide

There are a lot of talented news creators out there doing compelling journalistic work. But finding them can be hard. That’s why ICFJ+ and Project C are teaming up to launch regional lists of news creators to watch across the globe. The goal is simple: surface and elevate news creators who are building deep relationships with loyal audiences across newsletters, video, podcasts, social media, and more.