Combatting Crime through Investigative Journalism in Cyprus and Malta

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a pilot project to strengthen investigative journalism in Malta and Cyprus to uncover crime and corruption. If successful, the pilot may be expanded to the other countries in Europe.

Democracies across the globe are increasingly under siege. Free societies have been challenged from within by corruption, inequality, polarization, populism, and illiberal threats to the rule of law. Democratic nations are increasingly challenged from outside by antagonistic authoritarian powers. Anti-democratic forces use misinformation, disinformation, and weaponized corruption to exploit perceived weaknesses and sow division within and among free nations, erode existing international rules, and promote alternative models of authoritarian governance. Corruption threatens security and stability, creates obstacles to economic growth, facilitates transnational criminal activity, and siphons away public and private resources, often costing lives and livelihoods.

The most effective antidote to corruption is transparent and accountable democratic institutions held to account by an informed and engaged public. Investigative journalists equipped with the right tools and training are essential to keeping society informed by uncovering corruption through meticulous research and presenting the information in a format that is easy to understand. Investigative journalists unravel complex corruption schemes hidden in the darkness of offshore corporate entities, obscured by opaque nameless and faceless transactions, and agreed to in encrypted conversations outside of the public view.