Investigating murky waters

No smoke without fire

2018 marks 50 years of Public Eye’s efforts to combat injustice that originates in Switzerland. To celebrate this anniversary, we want to work with you to facilitate unprecedented investigations into the dubious practices used by Swiss companies in poor countries. Because when journalists establish the facts, it gives victims a voice and can bring about urgently needed changes.

So we have called on the journalists of the world to submit their projects to us. Our distinguished jury has selected just two proposals from the 55 submissions, and now we need YOUR support!

First of all, we want to raise CHF 15,000 to enable Marie Maurisse of the Vesper agency to investigate the strategies used by large tobacco companies to penetrate the African market, and particularly to attract young people. It is very difficult to obtain reliable information about this sector. Thanks to you, Marie will be able to carry out investigations in Switzerland, Europe and several African countries. An experienced journalist, she will do everything in her power to reveal the ’secret recipes’ used by companies that are sacrificing public health at the altar of profit.

Boat graveyards - hell on earth

If we manage to fund this first project, we want to raise an additional CHF 15,000 to enable Nicola Mulinaris of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform and Gie Goris, of MO* Magazine to shed light on the role of Swiss companies in the brutal process of dismantling of boats in southern Asia. The two men also want to give the floor to the victims of this form of «toxic colonialism» which has drastic social and environmental consequences.

This is what I need backing for.

How do tobacco companies manage to engulf Africa in smoke from Switzerland? What responsibility do Swiss companies bear in the toxic process of dismantling boats in South Asia? It takes courage, time and resources to carry out these essential investigations into opaque sectors. We want to make them possible – with the support of everyone who finds injustice intolerable.

The outcome of the work will be published online and in a special edition of Public Eye’s magazine.

Thank you for your support!