Global investigative journalism award to Montenegro and South America

The prize was handed out for the sixth time at Lillehammer, Norway saturday evening, local time. The award was divided between two projects.

- Truth cannot be stopped

The first is “Unholy Alliances” by Miranda Patrucic, Dejan Milovac, Stevan Dojcinovic, Lejla Camdzic og redaktørene Drew Sullivan, Jody McPhillips and Rosemary Armao. Published by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Montenegro in 2014.

An energetic Miranda Patrucic is very happy after winning the prize.

- This is incredible. I come from a small country, Bosnia. I even received death treaths after this project. This award shows the truth cannot be stopped, Patrucic says to The Journalist.

She started her career as an interpreter at a centre for investigating journalism in Sarajevo, Bosnia in 2004. Soon she advanced to become a research, and later to a journalist and an investigative reporter. Now she travels the world to teach methods in investigating reporting.

Smugling

The second project awarded is “Empire of Ashes” by Mauri König, Albari Rosa, Diego Antonelli (Brazil), Martha Soto (Colombia) and Ronny Rojas (Costa Rica). Published in 2014 in Gazeta do Povo, Brasil.

The project from Montenegro has investigated how the family bank of prime minister Milo Djukanovic has come to the centre of an “unholy alliance” of government, organized crime, and business, according to the Global Investigative Conference website.

The project from South America has investigated cigarette smuggling is taken over for drigs as profitable smuggling in parts of Latin America.

The award consists of an honorary plaque and US$1,000.

The 12 finalists were chosen among 76 innsendte bidrag som ble publisert mellom 1. januar 2013 og 31. desember 2014 i 34 land.