Ιn our effort to shed light on important issues of public interest, we join forces with The Manifold, an independent investigative outfit, which specializes in in-depth, long-form journalism.
The pandemic has undoubtedly proved to be a challenging time for all of us ― and journalism was not unaffected.
Given the unprecedented circumstances the virus brought, Solomon had to adapt (and did so!) to elevate the voices of people on the move and hold power to account.
Our team has been up against restricted media access to sites where refugees and asylum seekers live, which started right after the fire that destroyed Moria camp, and continues today, as all camps on the Greek mainland have transformed into closed accommodation facilities.
Moreover, we continue to deal with the usual struggles, as we aim to report on issues that we consider of public interest: public bodies and state services not responding to our media requests, and withholding public data as if it were personal information.
Despite the objective difficulties, though, over the past year, our team managed to deliver quality journalism to our readers. And, several times, the impact of our stories (for which our repeated media requests went unanswered), was really felt: on various occasions, our stories succeeded to make their way into the Greek Parliament, and our findings were quoted by MPs; our on-the-ground reports in Greece were read by people in over 10 European countries; our work was nominated for the European Press Prize 2021; and others put pressure on the powerful and made them take responsibility.
But, not everything has been great these months. We have experienced a rise in police brutality and maltreatment against vulnerable individuals, citizens, and media professionals. We have seen the rule of law challenged from within. And we have noted a generalized mentality of impunity that goes hand in hand, with an arrogant attitude of factors bearing power: believing that they can get away with anything and that there will be no consequences for their actions.
In this context, we have decided that we are not going to stop there.
Today, we are pleased to announce a new focus of Solomon’s reporting: accountability and transparency linked to those in power.
Ιn our effort to shed light on important issues of public interest, we join forces with The Manifold, an independent investigative outfit, which specializes in in-depth, long-form journalism. As part of our collaboration, the Manifold will undertake to investigate police violence and impunity in Greece ― a beat on which they have reported extensively in recent years.
We are really looking forward to reading their work, knowing their capabilities and commitment to uncovering the truth, and hopefully will join forces in joint investigations.
Quality journalism needs collaboration. It also has its price. We’re glad therefore that this collaboration will be supported by Open Society Foundations. To be able to present Accountability and Transparency as a new focus of our investigations, we should first start with our own transparency. Solomon publishes the list of foundations and grants that provide us with financial support.
Focusing on human stories and facts, always in touch with the communities we cover, and devoting time to investigating what we consider to be issues of public interest, we will publish reports that aim to hold the powerful accountable and make sure that relevant information is shared and explained thoroughly.
Until we are ready to present our new findings, don’t miss out on the chance to read some of our previous reports and investigations. These are the kind of stories that you’ll see more from us in the coming months:
But, we don’t want to just share our research with you, we would also like to hear from you.
If you have any feedback, tips, or an interesting topic to suggest for our Accountability and Transparency focus, please contact us at solomon-tips@protonmail.com or through WhatsApp/Signal on +30 698 503 6691.
Despite the grants that cover most of our essential needs right now, your support can really make a difference and help us keep going. Without the financial help of our readers, our journalism will struggle to stay afloat. We continue our fundraising efforts so that we can keep providing readers with responsible and quality journalism. Your contributions are very much needed and appreciated.
If you are unable to contribute a donation, another way to help is to please spread the word and help us grow. Share a story of ours that you liked with your friends or family and let them know about our work if you think what we do is important.
Thank you for being part of our community and we hope you enjoy reading about our work.
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