Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism’s Zalzali wins top Global Shining Light Award

Johannesburg,  South Africa, Nov. 18, 2017 – ARIJ-supported Iraqi journalist Asaad Al-Zalzali won the top prize at the seventh Global Shining Light Awards ceremony in Johannesburg on 18 November for a TV investigation exposing corruption in Iraq’s Ministry of Education

Together with photographer Thaer Khaled, he disclosed how $200 million allocated for new public schools in Iraq disappeared.

When $200 million allocated for public schools in Iraq went missing, reporter Al-Zalzali followed the money, which led him to a bank and to another country. The story exposed the magnitude of corruption in the country’s Ministry of Education and led to a conviction and a settlement that returned half the stolen money.

Zalzali, with the backing of Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), followed the money to a bank and to another country.

The award was handed out at the end of the Global Investigative Journalists Network (GIJN) conference in Johannesburg, attended by over 1100 investigative journalists, including 25 ARIJEANS sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Norwegian Association for Critical and Investigative Research (SKUP).

The award honours investigative journalism conducted in a developing country, done under threat, duress, or in the direst of conditions. The award drew a record 211 submissions from 67 countries this year. Only four prizes were handed out.

Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) is co-founded by International Media Support. Read more about the story and ARIJ here.