“During the investigation into Balkan Syndrome, service personnel spoke of bullying, sexual harassment, and psychological terror within the army. However, a new investigation into this could take weeks or even months.” – Marleen Teugels
‘Why is there so little investigative journalism in our country?’ I think it’s mainly a question of money. Publishers are primarily concerned with boosting their figures in a small, fragmented market. Staff editors are under immense time pressure. They have to churn out bite-sized news stories at breakneck speed. Freelancers are paid so little for their work that they are constantly racing against the clock, too. Publishers have neither the time nor the budget for in-depth journalism. It's no wonder that journalists don't always manage to get to the bottom of shady cases. It's no surprise that quite a few dodgy dealings are never fully investigated.
While this financial struggle continues, the Pascal Decroos Fund is a valuable resource for journalists determined to pursue investigative journalism despite the challenges it presents. Without the Fund's support, this would not have been feasible for me. Without the grant, I might never have obtained the secret report on the situation of women in the army. With the grant, I was able to conduct the investigation and achieve results.
