ARIJ Director General Rawan Damen participated in the iMEdD International Journalism Forum 2025, a three-day gathering of journalists, media professionals, academics, and students from 34 countries.

At this year’s Forum, participants explored critical issues shaping the future of journalism, including press freedom, the ethical and practical challenges of technology and AI, conflict coverage in high-risk regions, and the importance of international collaboration. The discussions highlighted how journalists navigate these complex realities while striving to provide accurate, impactful reporting in an increasingly uncertain world.

Gaza Project Wins IJ4EU Impact Award 2025

ARIJ’s Director General, Rawan Damen, received the IJ4EU Impact Award alongside partners for the Gaza Project investigations, a cross-border  collaboration between 13 newsrooms coordinated by Forbidden Stories. The award celebrates cross-border investigative journalism with tangible impact.

The Gaza Project exposed the systematic Israeli targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza and the West Bank. 

Other awardees included Deadly Prices, which investigated opaque drug pricing in Europe, and Desert Dumps, revealing EU-funded mass migrant expulsions in North Africa. An honorable mention was given to a project exposing EU-funded security operations suppressing democratic protests in Senegal.

Powerful Lightning Talk: “She Wasn’t Just a Colleague. She Was a Target”

At the Forum, Rawan Damen delivered a 10 minute lightning talk, honoring journalists killed in Palestine even before the genocide in  Gaza.

In her talk, she recounted personal stories of female reporters risking their lives daily, emphasizing that these deaths were deliberate targeting, not collateral damage. “These killings of journalists are not accidents in chaos. Human rights organizations call this by its true name—a genocide.”

Damen also pointed out that ARIJ’s efforts extended beyond investigations to humanitarian support, providing equipment, internet access, and aid to 400 journalists in Gaza. The organization also mobilized its Arab Fact-Checkers Network to verify information across 60 media outlets worldwide.

Damen concluded with a call to action for policymakers, newsrooms, and the public: safeguard journalists, support local reporting, and ensure accountability for attacks on media professionals.

UNCOVERED 2025: A Celebration of Cross-Border Investigative Journalism

Damen also attended, prior to the forum; the IJ4EU annual UNCOVERED Conference, bringing together around 130 investigative journalists, editors, and media professionals from across Europe, including some 80 current or former IJ4EU grantees, reflecting the network’s vibrant community of cross-border reporting. 

Damen spoke about the level Arab investigative journalists reached with top-notch skills and their eagerness and willingness to have cross-border collaboration with European journalists. 

The conference is organized by ECPMF, together with IJ4EU consortium partners the International Press Institute, the European Journalism Centre, and Arena for Journalism in Europe. It is funded by the European Commission.

Damen did a couple of interviews with Greek media; one is here in Greek.