The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ Deforestation Inc. investigation has been awarded one of the top environmental journalism prizes, and was credited by judges as having “re-energized the global debate about greenwashing and deforestation.”
Deforestation Inc. brought together reporters from 28 countries to uncover how a lightly regulated sustainability industry overlooks forest destruction and human rights violations when granting environmental certifications.
Combining on-the-ground reporting with an analysis of leaked documents, court filings, audit reports and more, journalists found hundreds of companies that were certified as “sustainable” and later accused of environmental crimes and other wrongdoing.
The annual John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism was established in 1993 to recognize stories that make an “exceptional contribution to the public’s understanding of environmental issues.” Deforestation Inc. was announced as the winner of the 2024 prize last week.
Judges labeled the ICIJ investigation an “impressive journalistic feat” that traversed the globe to demonstrate both the depth and breadth of the issue.
“Stories often hop between geographies, demonstrating the global nature of the industry, while providing readers with an up-close view of the deforestation challenge from a new lens,” judges wrote. “Importantly, the project provides an exemplary model for global collaboration in environmental reporting.”
Finalists for the 2024 Oakes Award included Reuters for its investigation into bat-borne pathogens, and the Marshall Project for an investigation into the impact of climate change on a “ghost lake” that threatens to flood two Californian prisons.
The winner and finalists receive prizes of $5000 and $1,500 respectively, which will be awarded at a ceremony at Columbia Journalism School in September.
