Screenshot from the documentary “Warmongers.”
In the run-up to the 11th Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Hamburg this September 26 to 29, we’re featuring one Global Shining Light Award finalist per day. The winners, chosen from 12 outstanding investigative projects, will be announced at the conference.
The Shining Light Award, first given out at our 2007 Global Conference, uniquely honors investigative journalists in developing or transitioning countries whose work was done under threat, duress, or in the direst of conditions.
The finalists were selected by an international panel of judges from a record 291 projects. All the stories were published in 2017 or 2018. The award is sponsored by the Global Investigative Journalism Network, an association of 182 organizations in 77 countries.
This year, given the broad range of work submitted, we divided the submissions into two categories: large outlets (with ten or more staff) and smaller outlets (with fewer than 10 staff). We hope you’ll agree that this year’s finalists showcase extraordinary journalism by some extraordinary journalists.
Large Outlets Category: “Warmongers,” ARIJ and Deutsche Welle (Egypt).
Team: Saada Abd Elkader, Aseell Sarih, Sameh Ellaboody.
This documentary tells the story of how human traffickers in Egypt are exploiting vulnerable Yemeni and Syrian refugees and convincing them to sell their kidneys. Featuring interviews with key figures at each step of the process, the reporters show how the network of organ traders uses forged documents to circumvent Egyptian law.
