In-depth Solomons is now officially a Member Centre of the world’s leading investigative journalism network, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
It’s one of two news outlets from the Pacific, and of the 16 worldwide, to have officially joined OCCRP as a Member Centre this week. The other is Inside PNG, based in Port Moresby.
“This is a huge milestone for us,” In-depth Solomons co-founder Georgina Maka’a said today.
“We feel humble and proud at the same time to be a Member Centre of the world’s leading investigative network,” Maka’a said.
Maka’a was one of three local journalists that founded In-depth Solomons. The trio launched the the online news outlet on May 5 last year.
One of OCCRP’s Pacific editors, Vanuatu-based Dan McGary, said their team was delighted to welcome In-depth Solomons as a full OCCRP member centre.
“We’ve been working with the IDS team since the newsroom’s inception. We’re lucky to have this dedicated & professional team in the OCCRP family,” McGary said.
With the addition of these 16 new outlets, OCCRP now has 67 member centres around the world, as well as four regional partners, which are networks of reporters OCCRP regularly collaborate with on investigations.
“We’ve been working with some of these outlets for years and we’re excited to officially welcome media in new regions for OCCRP, like Latin America and the South Pacific, and to also expand our relationships with reporters in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe,” said Publisher Drew Sullivan.
“We’re also proud to help support media outlets working in exile, covering the tough countries of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Syria, and Venezuela.”
OCCRP provides support to member centers to improve their sustainability.
Member centers also receive digital and physical security support and access to important journalistic resources, like OCCRP Aleph, an investigative data platform, and OCCRP ID, a research desk that helps journalists track people, companies, and assets.
The media outlets in the network also agree to help OCCRP and other member centres by contributing valuable local knowledge, data, and expertise.
OCCRP is opening up member centre status to long-time partners around the world who have requested to join the network.
OCCRP’s newest member centres:
Europe
AZERBAIJAN – Mikroskop Media
Mikroskop Media was founded in exile in 2018 and is based in Berlin, Germany. The outlet operates in Azeri and English, and covers social, economic, and political issues in Azerbaijan using interactive storytelling, infographics, and explanatory videos.
BELARUS – Buro Media
Buro Media is a team of Belarusian investigative journalists who expose abuses of power. They cover topics including bribery, fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, nepotism, sanctions evasion, human rights violations, and other illegal activities.
CYPRUS – CIReN
The Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network (CIReN) is an independent non profit investigative media platform committed to the highest professional and ethical standards of quality journalism in the public interest. Its stories are published in English, Greek and Turkish, and whenever possible are translated in all three languages to reach the widest audience in Cyprus.
GREECE – Insidestory.gr
Insidestory.gr is a digital, subscription-based investigative and explanatory daily news site in Greece. It publishes long-read articles, mostly in Greek but sometimes in English. It focuses on investigating socially important issues and corruption while adhering to the highest journalistic standards and pursuing a dialogue with its readers.
Latin America
BRAZIL – Piauí
Piauí is a monthly magazine established in 2006 with the aim of telling carefully researched, meticulously written stories for those who enjoy reading. Piauí also publishes news reports on its website and hosts a weekly podcast, the Foro de Teresina, on Brazilian politics.
COLOMBIA – Cuestión Pública
Cuestión Pública is a digital media outlet in Colombia. It was created in 2018 to fill the void of independent investigative journalism available in Colombia, and to shed light on abuses of power.
MEXICO – Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI)
Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad is a Mexican non-governmental organization founded in 2015. It is dedicated to conducting journalistic and academic research, strategic litigation, and analysis and communication on corruption and impunity in the country.
MEXICO – Quinto Elemento Lab
Quinto Elemento Lab is a Mexican non-profit organization founded in 2017 by a group of independent journalists. It seeks to encourage and conduct investigative reporting that empowers citizens, strengthens accountability, and helps build a more just and transparent society.
PERU – OjoPúblico
OjoPúblico is an award-winning digital investigative news site founded in Lima in 2014. It focuses on democracy, human rights, and environmental issues, as well as reporting on corruption and abuses of state, corporate, or organized criminal powers.
VENEZUELA – Armando.info
Armando.info is a Venezuelan investigative journalism website focused on covering corruption, organized crime, and human rights. It was created in July 2014 amid increasing persecution of the free press in Venezuela. In 2018, its founders and several of its reporters were targeted by Venezuelan authorities and forced to emigrate. Today, a significant part of the Armando.info team works in exile across Colombia, Mexico, and the United States, while a smaller group of editorial staff remains in Caracas.
Middle East and North Africa
ISRAEL – Shomrim – the Center for Media and Democracy
Shomrim is Israel’s only independent non-profit investigative news organization. Its mission is strengthening Israeli democracy through investigative journalism that holds power to account and drives change.
LEBANON – Daraj
Daraj is an independent media outlet founded and owned by experienced journalists. It is dedicated to producing investigative journalism that holds power accountable and gives voice to marginalized groups and underreported topics. In a region where narratives are often polarized and politically influenced, Daraj stands out as a platform committed to providing its audience with factual, independent, and impartial information that impacts their lives.
SYRIA – SIRAJ
Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism (SIRAJ) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reporting on Syria and training local journalists in investigative techniques. SIRAJ empowers Syrian journalists to produce detailed written, video, and audio investigations on a wide variety of issues related to Syria..
TUNISIA – AlQatiba
AlQatiba is an independent online media outlet based in Tunisia. Specializing in investigative journalism, interactive storytelling, and data journalism, AlQatiba covers the entire North African region, with a special focus on Tunisian affairs.
South Pacific
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – InsidePNG
Established in 2022 amid a fight for press freedom, InsidePNG is a bold new media outlet that is quickly becoming a beacon of investigative journalism in the South Pacific. . Championing marginalized voices and dedicated to transparency and accountability, InsidePNG aims aims to spark conversations and drive reforms in the region.
SOLOMONS ISLANDS – In-depth Solomons
In-depth Solomons is a non-profit online news outlet dedicated to investigative, in-depth, and independent journalism in the Solomon Islands. It is nonpartisan and investigates issues affecting the Solomon Islands and its people, exposing corrupt leaders and officials and holding them accountable for wrongdoing.
OCCRP’s newest regional partner:
WEST AFRICA – CENOZO
Established in Burkina Faso in 2015, CENOZO publishes investigations, provides mentoring and networking to West African investigative journalists, and provides legal assistance to those prosecuted for their work. It is a regional network dedicated to fostering the capacities of investigative journalists through training, mentoring, grants, and networking.