The story that rocked the world: Ten years of the Panama Papers, part 1 – ICIJ
6 hours ago
- #Investigative Journalism
- #Global Collaboration
- #Financial Secrecy
- The Panama Papers investigation originated from an encrypted message to German reporter Bastian Obermayer, offering data from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm.
- Obermayer and colleague Frederik Obermaier recognized the leak's global scale and involved ICIJ, leveraging its collaborative model for cross-border investigative journalism.
- ICIJ's Gerard Ryle and Marina Walker Guevara spearheaded expanding the team, securing major outlets like The Guardian and BBC, despite some initial skepticism.
- The leak grew to 11.5 million documents, exposing offshore financial dealings of politicians, billionaires, and world leaders, requiring unprecedented secrecy and collaboration among hundreds of journalists worldwide.
- The Panama Papers redefined investigative journalism by demonstrating the power of large-scale, international collaboration to uncover complex, hidden financial systems.