SCOOP - investigative reporting in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus
Investigative reporters are the watchdogs of society. In Eastern and south-eastern Europe investigative reporters get support from SCOOP, a network and support structure established by IMS in cooperation with local journalists and FUJ in 2003. Direct support in the form of coaching and financial support enable the journalists to carry out in-depth investigations and bring the results forward to the public. SCOOP extends to numerous countries in the region thereby connecting investigative journalists in the region as well as globally.Archive
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Investigative journalism in Caucasus – making the stories happen
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Child slavery in Armenia, bribery in public healthcare in Azerbaijan, and the perils of illegal migration to Greece from Georgia; all stories uncovered by journalists in Caucasus over the past year with the help of Scoop, an IMS-funded network for journalists in Caucasus and Eastern and South Eastern Europe
- One of the major problems for investigative journalists working in the Caucasus is not only the restrictive environment in which they work. - it is the lack of funds available to properly investigate the leads to a promising story. This is where Scoop support in Caucasus has made major difference, says Henrik Kaufholz, Coordinator of Scoop Caucasus.
It all boils down to money
During the first phase of Scoop’s work in Caucasus from July 2008 – June 2009, Scoop has established a regional network incorporating more than 100 reporters and funded twelve investigations carried out in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
- Scoop’s work in Caucasus is unique because we support individual journalists by funding their investigations, providing a coaching service through the regional coordinators, and putting them in touch with likeminded colleagues, Henrik Kaufholz explains.
- There are many organizations in Caucasus that carry out training courses in investigative journalism which is all very well, but the journalists also need funding to carry out investigations. This is where Scoop - with IMS support - plays a crucial role, he says.
Stories that incite change
The investigations funded by Scoop over the past year covered primarily corruption, social and environmental issues. They have been largely successful according to Scoop’s own success criteria.
- All have been published, all have had an impact on those involved and they contributed to strengthening the network of journalists in the region, says Henrik Kaufholz.
In Armenia, one investigation uncovered child slavery, detailing how poor parents sell and hire out their children as young as 14 for manual labour for economic reasons. The article led to a broad public discussion in Armenia as well as amongst the Armenian diaspora about the use of children for manual labour.
Another investigation in Azerbaijan revealed corruption in the health system, showing how doctors, despite recently being awarded pay-rises by the government in an effort to combat bribery, still demand off-the–record payments from their patients for their services. The article resulted in the dismissal of several doctors and officials caught red-handed.
Scoop is now seeking new funding for the second phase of the Scoop Caucasus Programme scheduled to begin 1 January 2010. For more information about Scoop, see www.i-scoop.org.
About Scoop
Scoop is a support structure and network for investigative journalists in Eastern and South Eastern Europe and Caucasus. SCOOP brings together professional journalists from the region to share best practises and produce investigative journalism.
Several investigations funded by SCOOP have won awards a.o.in Ukraine, Macedonia and Romania. SCOOP is funded by the Danish Neighbourhood programme and managed by the Danish Association of Investigative Journalism (FUJ) in cooperation with International Media Support.
For more information about Scoop, see www.i-scoop.org
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