On the 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring, the state of free press in the MENA region is as tenuous as ever.

Reporters continue to work in hostile environments ten years after what many had hoped to be a revolutionary movement and a peaceful uprising against oppressive regimes across the Middle East and North Africa.

On June 2, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) hosted a virtual conversation with journalists to discuss the current state of press freedom in the MENA region, what can be done to combat threats and how global collaborations like ICIJ’s FinCEN Files, Luanda Leaks and Panama Papers help free press thrive. From access to information and censorship, to investigating corruption and threats against female journalists, we look back on the changes over the decade and why hope for the region remains.

The roundtable discussion featured Jelena Cosic, ICIJ’s training manager and Eastern Europe partnership coordinator, ICIJ member Alia Ibrahim, co-founder and CEO of Daraj.com, ICIJ member Malek Khadhraoui, executive director of Inkyfada and Saja Mortada, investigative journalist with the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ).

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