Charges Dropped Against Photojournalist Daniel Smith in Florida
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Lumière Honor for a Fallen Witness
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Award-winning reporting exposes environmental crimes and defends Indigenous rights
In 2025, environmental news organisation Mongabay earned major international recognition for investigative reporting that exposed environmental crimes and threats to Indigenous rights across Latin America. Central to this success was journalist Karla Mendes, who received the John B. Oakes Award for her three-part investigation into illegal cattle ranching in Brazil’s Arariboia Indigenous Territory. Her reporting revealed how unregulated ranching expanded alongside rising violence against the Guajajara people, and her findings are now being used by federal prosecutors in a murder trial involving a forest guardian.
Mongabay contributor Gloria Pallares was also honoured for an investigation uncovering fraudulent schemes that falsely invoked United Nations backing to pressure Indigenous communities into surrendering forest rights, earning international anti-corruption recognition. Additional awards for reporters, including Mendes, Philip Jacobson, and Fernanda Wenzel, highlighted the newsroom’s collective strength. Together, these honours underscore Mongabay’s role in advancing accountability, influencing legal action, and elevating underreported environmental crises worldwide.
To read the full story: https://tjcproject.org/mongabay-journalists-win-top-international-honors-for-environmental-investigations-in-2025/