The Earth Journalism Network (EJN), a global network developed to support journalists around the world, announced this week that they will award DataFixers.org, a project sponsored by The Brown Institute for Media Innovation, a grant to highlight threats to global biodiversity in Brazil.
“In Brazil, Luiz Fernando Toledo (Data Fixers cofounder) will look into illegal exports of endangered pau-brasil or brazilwood timber used to produce high quality violin bows. The tree is one of Brazil’s key sociocultural symbols. Using his experience in data reporting, he’ll investigate the organized crime group behind the trade.”
This is the second investigation that will be conducted by the Data Fixers project related to brazilwood illegal trade. In December, Toledo released a 2-month investigative project in partnership with The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Brazilian magazine Piauí. Now the main goal is to expose how the organized crime group works and their connections to other countries.
Data Fixers is a data-driven journalism project focused on investigating environmental crimes by using data and freedom of information requests in Brazil. The project has already helped newsrooms such as BBC, The Washington Post and Al Jazeera publish investigations about Brazil and was a source for more than 80 articles. Data Fixers has also become a source to the Brazilian media to discuss public transparency and freedom of information, with over 10 interviews and mentions by well recognized TV stations and news websites such as TV Globo, CNN Brazil and UOL.
Congratulations to Data Fixers!
Image Credit: Katie McCraw/OCCRP