Keeping Journalists Alive – Laurent Richard, Founder of Forbidden Stories

This year alone, 435 journalists have been detained and 19 have been killed for their work – covering conflict and famine in Palestine, organised crime in Mexico, or writing on renewable energy projects in the Philippines (a former editor-in-chief of a student newspaper).

In most cases, those responsible for these attacks face no consequences. Forbidden Stories continues the work of silenced and threatened journalists, collaborating with teams around the world to send the message that “killing the journalist won’t kill the story”. In 2025, they were awarded the European Press Prize for their reporting on conflict, corruption, organised crime, and environmental and human rights violations.

Together with Laurent Richard, investigative journalist of 25+ years, Emmy-winning documentarian for his series on Pegasus, and founder of Forbidden Stories, we will discuss the implications of declining press freedoms and increasing threats to journalists around the world. If you’re interested in ground-breaking investigations, what (and who) it takes to break these stories, and how journalists can continue asking the questions the powerful don’t want asked, join us at the stage next Thursday – you’ll also get a chance to ask Laurent Richard such questions yourself.