The International Journalism Festival weekly round-up. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, by following us on Instagram or Telegram, or by joining us on Bluesky.
Investigation into Russian shadow fleet wins the 2025 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism. The investigation, coordinated by the platform for investigative journalism Follow the Money in collaboration with media from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, revealed how Western shipowners earned over 6 billion dollars selling 230 aging tankers to Russia’s shadow fleet
‘We asked Israel to investigate the deaths of our journalists. We’re still waiting.’ Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni joins Alan and Lionel on Media Confidential to reflect on the targeting of journalists in Gaza
Invest in Free Media: Europe’s Democratic Foundation. Over 100 organizations have signed the letter Invest in Free Media: Europe’s Democratic Foundation, calling for long-term and consistent investment in free and independent media by the EU
Mentoring under pressure: how one Nigerian woman is shaping the next generation of investigative reporters. Joke Kujenya, executive-in-charge of the Media Mentors Journalism Centre, has trained, mentored, and supported more than 100 young investigative journalists in Nigeria. Her goal is simple but ambitious: equip them with the skills, mindset, and resilience needed to hold power to account
The data is in: The Washington Post can’t replace its “TikTok guy“. In the platform era, the creator isn’t an accessory to the brand; they are the brand
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union and led by the BBC
Car bomb attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci rings alarm for media freedom in Italy. This attack is particularly troubling as it coincides with the anniversary of the death of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who lost her life to a car bomb on 16 October 2017
How is agentic AI remaking the shopping experience? In a new report, McKinsey’s Katharina Schumacher, Roger Roberts, and Katharina Giebel explore the future of agentic commerce and how AI agents can act on our behalf to anticipate consumer needs, navigate shopping options, negotiate deals, and execute transactions.
75 books to celebrate press freedom and independent journalism. As the International Press Institute celebrates its 75th anniversary, its team has compiled a list of 75 must-read books related to press freedom and independent journalism
Russia secretly acquired Western technology to protect its nuclear submarine fleet. Russian Secrets, a new cross-border investigation, reveals the shadowy procurement network behind Russia’s surveillance program
S.V. Dáte thinks the White House press corps should hand in their badges, too. The White House press secretary told him “your mom” chose Budapest as the site for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. HuffPost’s senior White House correspondent says it’s all part of America’s slide toward autocracy, and journalists must take collective action
From pan-African to South African: the team behind The Continent launches a second WhatsApp newspaper. “With people overwhelmed by push notifications, our readers keep using the words ‘fun’, ‘love’ and ‘trust,’” says Sipho Kings, co-founder of The Friday Paper
The State of U.S. Local News 2025. Two decades of data, deserts and dynamic change
12 years in the making: inside Contexte’s methodical plan for European expansion. The French B2B publisher is expanding its deep-dive policy journalism into English, starting with an energy vertical and an ‘adaptation’ model instead of direct translation
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages plummet after a “breakdown” in archiving projects. Between May and October 2025, homepage snapshots fell by 87% across 100 news publications
Photo credit: winners of the 2025 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism by the European Parliament