Best international business news reporting in newspapers, news services, magazines or digital
AWARD YEAR: 2022
AWARD NAME: The Malcolm Forbes Award 2022
RECIPIENTS: Debbie Cenziper, Will Fitzgibbon, Eva Herscowitz and Delphine Reuter
AFFILIATION: ProPublica and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with more than 50 international media organizations and Northwestern University
HONORED WORK: “Shadow Diplomats: The Global Threat of Rogue Diplomacy”
It was a problem that spanned across 168 governments, reaching from Detroit to Finland to Paraguay. “Honorary consuls” have long operated with little oversight or checks around the world, and ICIJ discovered that more than 150 current or former consuls have been accused of tax evasion, fraud, bribery and money laundering, while others were tied to violent crimes and environmental abuses. The judges were impressed with the project’s ambition and scope, connecting court records, news reports, public policy documents and government reports from points around the globe. The project had impact, including moves by Paraguay, Finland and Brazil to investigate the consuls and the systems that had long protected their power.
1. The Global Threat of Rogue Diplomacy
2. Agents of Influence: How Russia Deploys an Army of Shadow Diplomats
3. Shadow Diplomats Have Posed a Threat for Decades. The World’s Governments Looked the Other Way.
4. Highlights from Shadow Diplomats reporting around the world
5. Nazi Germany Used Honorary Consuls to Advance Agenda Globally, Records Show
6. Consul Cases: Details of Troubled Diplomats Around the World
7. Governments Call for Reforms to Centuries-Old Honorary Consul System
8. VIDEO DOCUMENTARY | Shadow Diplomats: The Global Threat of Rogue Diplomacy (18 minutes)
9. How can I find out more about honorary consuls from my country?
10. Jordan, Latvia and Israel Shake Up Diplomatic Corps After “Shadow Diplomats” Investigation
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