2012-09-24

At VVOJ's European Investigative Journalism Conference the Pascal Decroos Fund will, in cooperation with VVOJ itself, be in charge of a side track of the programme that is specifically aimed at foundations and funds.

ANTWERP - At VVOJ's European Investigative Journalism Conference the Pascal Decroos Fund will, in cooperation with VVOJ itself, be in charge of a side track of the programme that is specifically aimed at foundations and funds.

On the first day of the conference, Friday 16 November, we will bring together different international foundations in Antwerp. The day will start the same as the standard programme: with the opening of the conference and the keynote speeches. After lunch, however, we will leave the standard programme for a special meeting, organised specifically for foundations and funds to get acquainted with investigative journalism. David Kaplan, director of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, Brant Houston, professor of investigative journalism and former director of IRE, and Journalismfund.eu's Brigitte Alfter will explain how investigative journalism is financed and wat the importance is of (grants for) investigative journalism. Afterwards, two representatives of nonprofit investigative journalism centres will talk about their projects, output and impact and about the deliverables for donors and sponsors. Finally, there will be a reception in Antwerp's city hall, after which we can have dinner together.

By bringing foundations from all over Europe and the rest of the world together in this special side track of the conference and familiarising them with journalism, we want to show them that financing investigative journalism can fit in with their mission. It is, after all, an important pillar of healthy democracies and leads, in the end, to a more just world. In this way, we hope to convince them to start investing in investigative journalism.

This is what the programme looks like.