Panel mit Fabio De Masi
14:30 – 15:30 Investigative Journalism and Media Freedom in Fighting Corruption
Recent scandals unearthed by investigative journalism have had a huge impact on both the public and on policy. The fall-out from the Panama Papers influenced David Cameron’ s Anti-Corruption Summit, forced the resignation of the Icelandic Prime Minister and triggered further revisions of beneficial ownership provisions in the European Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The Lux Leaks scandal has led to an unprecedented level of EU policy and legislative developments in the field of corporate tax avoidance, the tax practices of several multi-national companies being investigated by the European Commission, and the setting up of a special committee in the European Parliament.
It is clear that the media plays a vital role in exposing corruption and holding governments and the corporate world to account. And yet space for a free media is shrinking – from Budapest, to Warsaw and beyond journalism is under threat – and the perilous financial landscape makes the future for media organisations uncertain.
Moderator Carl Dolan Transparency International EU Office
Panellists
Fabio De Masi, Member of the European Parliament
Mr De Masi sits on both special committees that were set up after lux leaks and the panama papers scandal.
Kalin Ivanov, DG HOME, European Commission
Mr Ivanov works for the European Commission and can focus on EU priorities for anti-corruption and introduce the Commission’s view of the role of journalism in helping to fight corruption
David Pegg, the Guardian
Mr Pegg can expand on his view of working on corruption stories and in his view the reaction to these stories by the public and politicians –such as at the London Anti-Corruption Summit
Algirdas Lipstas, Deputy Director, Media Programme, Open Society Foundations
Mr Lipstas can explain how Open Society Foundations supports journalism and why foundations are becoming a key founding source for independent investigative journalism