Collaborative journalism across borders is essential for investigative reporting in dangerous environments
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/laurent-richard. "The missing Ukrainian reporter, the Russian prison – and a vital lesson learned about journalism in a dangerous age | Laurent Richard | The Guardian." April 29, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Journalists today face dangerous, organized threats that make the old model of working alone obsolete. By collaborating across borders and sharing investigations, reporters can produce better stories, expose powerful systems more effectively, and protect themselves from being silenced.
Conclusion
In today's dangerous media landscape, journalists must abandon the traditional lone-reporter model and work collaboratively across borders to effectively investigate powerful systems and protect themselves from threats
Premises
- Traditional solo journalism is inadequate for investigating complex, transnational systems like the Russian detention network that killed Viktoriia Roshchyna
- Collaborative investigations produce stronger, more accurate reporting because multiple journalists scrutinize, challenge, and verify each piece of information
- Cross-border collaboration provides access to diverse sources, contexts, and expertise that no single newsroom could possess alone
- Survey data shows that 70% of threatened journalists believe coordinated investigations are what those targeting them fear most
- Collaborative investigations have proven successful in exposing major systems (Panama Papers, Pegasus project) and achieving real-world consequences like EU sanctions
- Making investigations bigger and more distributed makes them harder to silence and provides protection for individual journalists
Assumptions
- The threats facing journalists today are primarily organized, transnational, and state-backed rather than isolated incidents
- Traditional safety mechanisms and reporting channels are inadequate for protecting journalists
- Journalists can overcome their competitive instincts and build trust across cultural and editorial boundaries
- Powerful actors genuinely fear widespread exposure more than isolated reporting
- The quality of journalism improves rather than deteriorates when multiple parties collaborate