Investigative journalism: uncovering corruption

For the third year Transparency International is sponsoring the One World Media Corruption Reporting Award.

The media plays a crucial role in providing citizens with information that enables them to stand up to and fight the corrupt. This takes courage and determination from both the reporters and the people who tell stories, sometimes at great personal risk.

The award seeks to honour journalists who bring the abuses of entrusted power to light – because only when corruption is uncovered can it be tackled.

2015 Winners

The winner of the 2015 Corruption Reporting Award was the documentary Virunga, directed by Orlando von Einsiede, that told the story of a small group of dedicated conservationists and park officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo who are fighting both militias and corruption to save Virunga National Park – its wildlife and local communities – from commercial exploitation.
Overall there were more than 30 entries. The runners-up for the 2015 award were:

• Africa Investigates: Uganda's Temple of Injustice, an investigation by Emmanuel Mutaizibwa for Al Jazeera English, that exposed corruption at the heart of Uganda’s judicial system.
• People's Republic of Offshore, an in depth investigation led by Gerard Ryle and International Consortium of Investigative Journalists into how off-shore companies are used to hide corrupt money.

Transparency International is already a co-sponsor of the Latin American Investigative Journalism Award with Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute, IPYS). The winner of the 2015 award, went to The White House of Enrique Peña Nieto, an investigation by Daniel Lizarraga, Rafael Cabrera, Irving Huerta, Sebastian Barragan, and Carmen Aristegui from Aristegui Noticias (Mexico). The reporters looked into the US$7 million mansion that was an undeclared donation to the Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto from a contractor who was favoured with public contracts.

One World Media Awards are now in their 28th year. They reward “the most outstanding coverage of the developing world and recognise the unique role of journalists and filmmakers in increasing cultural understanding and promoting fairness and justice worldwide”. The Corruption Reporting Award received more than 30 entries, of which three were shortlisted. The jury for the award is independent and selected and managed by One World Media. The 2016 award will be presented in London in May.