
The 2023 EU Award for Investigative Journalism has proven to be an exceptional showcase of talent, diversity and shifting journalistic priorities.
More than 200 journalists submitted their stories alongside teams from 35 different media outlets making it a tough job for the judges to pick the winners.
What stood out this year was a significant shift in the types of stories being told to audiences across the Western Balkans and T rkiye. Traditionally, investigative journalism in this region has often revolved around high-profile criminal cases and political misconduct.
This year however saw more stories on health, the environment, and discrimination - issues that have a direct impact on the lives of ordinary people. There was an acknowledgement too of the intersection of these seemingly diverse topics and their broader impact on society: local issues with a global impact.
We analysed the 70 top-rated investigative stories (10 from each participating country) to show the extent of this evolving trend. The breakdown looks like this:
25% on political power and political corruption.
23% on health and environmental themes.
19% on high-level criminal activities.
16% on discrimination in various domains, including education and politics.
Here are a few highlights from some brilliant entries.
Exposing corruption
Kreshnik Gashi
In Kosovo journalist Kreshnik Gashi from Kallxo, won first prize for his two-year long investigation and expos of a deep-seated corruption scandal involving local businessmen and prosecutors.
A noteworthy example from Serbia is the first prize awarded to the investigative portal KRIK, which continued to shed light on a dangerous criminal group known as the Darko ari clan. The four-part series showcases top-quality teamwork, combining traditional investigative journalism methods with advanced technological innovations.
In T rkiye, the first prize went to Murat A rel from Yeni a Gazetesi for his captivating print story T rkiye in the Grip of Drugs, in which he unveiled a web of crime stretching from T rkiye to Europe.
Medical malpractice and healthcare reform The spotlight also turned toward healthcare with some notable examples.
Bad Blood from North Macedonia provided an innovative documentary approach to addressing dangerous practices within a private hospital during the pandemic, whilst in Montenegro, ur a Radulovi s Silence surrounding violence highlighted issues in maternity wards.
Arduana Pribinja
From Bosnia and Herzegovina Arduana Pribinja of Al Jazeera Balkans tackled the transformation of the healthcare system in the Canton of Sarajevo. Her story garnered widespread attention and prompted significant changes in the healthcare landscape.
And in Albania, journalist Osman Mustafa investigated whether children battling cancer were being given access to potentially life-saving drugs.
Environmental issues An investigative journalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Stanimirovi from Al Jazeera Balkans presented a remarkable two-part documentary expos , Battle for Neretva on potential ecological disasters facing Neretva, Herzegovina, and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole. It provided invaluable insights into institutional corruption, environmental mismanagement, and the age-old conflict between human interests and nature.
Montenegrin journalists from Boka News zeroed in on the problem of illegal landfills in the Boka Kotorska area, and in Serbia, the investigative story by Vremes journalists centred on the controversy around the arrival of the company Rio Tinto and its potential environmental impact.
Discrimination and education In Kosovo, journalist Dafina Halili presented a powerful piece exposing the school segregation of Roma and Ashkali children in Kosovo, Ghost Schools, Ghetto Schools, and Segregated Shifts.
Meanwhile Turkish journalists from Ozel Haber brought to light a story about religious education provided to young boys. Many of the children are the offspring of militants whose fathers were involved with ISIS in Syria.
In summary, it's clear that this years awards exemplify the power of investigative journalism to shed light on critical issues and drive positive change. What is also clear is that these journalists are making an impact far beyond the newsroom. Many stories were presented in an innovative way which increased that impact, not only within their respective countries, but to a wider audience.
Congratulations to all of the winners.
Davor Marko Programme Manager - Central Europe & South East Europe
Davor is Thomson's Central Europe and South East Europe programme manager. He is actively involved in designing, running and overviewing programmes in this region.
Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...
12/03/2025
New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...
12/03/2025
Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...
12/03/2025
ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...
12/03/2025
Consumer show back following hugely successful first series
10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...
11/03/2025
For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...
11/03/2025
The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...
11/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...
11/03/2025
NEW BERN, N.C. Wheatstone will introduce a Linux audio driver for its WheatNet IP audio network during the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, at the Las Vegas Convention...
11/03/2025
NEW YORK A new study finds that as TV viewership for women's sports surged by 131% in 2024, the programming also saw a 56% year-over-year increase in ad im...
11/03/2025
Powerful switcher for news studio
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, has installed its HVS-1200 ...