Journalism and democracy: prize to honour Daphne Caruana Galizia's memory

(Strasbourg) The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism, supported by the European Parliament, is seen as a double recognition: of freedom of information, a cornerstone of any democratic system, and of young investigative journalism, which adds value to reporting as a public service. These were the underlying motives of the 2023 edition of the prize, which was awarded on Tuesday October 17th at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

This year's prize went to the journalists who carried out the investigation into the deadly shipwreck of the fishing boat 'Adriana', which claimed the lives of more than 600 migrants in Pylos, Greece, last June.

The joint investigation was carried out by a pool of journalists from the Greek investigative outlet Solomon, in cooperation with Forensis, the German public broadcaster StrgF/ARD and the British newspaper The Guardian. The joint investigation established the Coast Guard's responsibility for the deadly migrant shipwreck off the coast of Pylos.

More than 700 journalists from the 27 EU countries entered the competition, submitting more than 200 investigative reports.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, said: “Today, as every year, we honour the memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia with a prize that is a powerful reminder of her fight for truth and justice. Journalists around the world continue to be targeted just for doing their job, but they refuse to be silenced. This Parliament stands by their side in this long-standing battle to safeguard press freedom and media pluralism in Europe and beyond.”

The Prize was created in December 2019 as a tribute to Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese anti-corruption investigative journalist and blogger who was killed in a car bomb attack in 2017.

The Prize is awarded on a yearly basis (on the anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia) to “recognise outstanding journalism that promotes or defends the core principles and values of the European Union such as human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, and human rights.”

Professional journalists and teams of professional journalists of any nationality can submit in-depth articles published or broadcast by media based in one of the 27 member states of the European Union.

The aim, says the European Parliament in a note, is “to support and highlight the importance of professional journalism in safeguarding freedom, equality and opportunity.”

The independent jury is made up of representatives of the press and civil society from the 27 European member states and a representative of the International Federation of Journalists. The award and the €20,000 prize money “demonstrate the European Parliament's strong support for investigative journalism and a free press.”

In October 2021, the Daphne Caruana Prize for Journalism was awarded to the journalists coordinated by the Forbidden Stories Consortium for their investigation into the Pegasus project, and in October 2022 to a Découpages/Arte G.E.I.E. co-production for a documentary on Russian influence in Africa.

Gianni Borsa e Marco Calvarese