In February 2025, together with European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Lighthouse Reports, ECNL launched the Civic Journalism Coalition (CJC)- an informal space connecting investigative journalists and civil society organisations working on digital rights. Today, this partnership is yielding tangible results as we are publishing a practical guide.
Created to bridge the gap between investigative journalism and civil society advocacy across Europe, the CJC brings together journalists, researchers, and CSOs to share knowledge, shape advocacy actions, and collaborate on investigations - from surveillance to algorithmic accountability. Over the past year, it has fostered a community of 50+ professionals trying to make collaboration more practical, ethical and impactful.
The coalition supported 6 joint projects combining journalistic investigations with civil society advocacy and campaigning. We have also collected the lessons from a series of in-person and online workshops held over the past 12 months in a practical guide to joint investigations.
A practical guide emerges from one year of work
The new CJC resource consolidates the lessons learned from the investigations during the project. The guide offers a blueprint for CSO-media partnerships that respect independence, credibility and the voices of affected communities, and provides:
- practical recommendations for journalists and CSOs on how to choose the focus of the investigation, divide roles, set objectives and agree on communications outputs;
- a transversal focus on how to work with and for affected communities; and
- tools, checklists, and field insights.
An in-person workshop held in October 2025 brought together CJC subgrantees to share experiences and collectively shape the guide. We tested our recommendations and collected additional insights in an online discussion in December 2025. The two workshops highlighted the importance of trust, transparency, and complementary expertise in collaborative investigations.
Six investigations shedding light on digital threats
Through a sub-granting programme, we awarded six grants to joint projects between civil society organisations and journalists totalling EUR 44,000, with individual awards ranging between EUR 6,000 and 8,000. These six investigations shed light on pressing digital rights challenges across Europe. Explore some of their findings below:
AlgorithmWatch and Tech Policy Press - Environmental impact of data centres
This investigation analysed the huge ecological, energetic, and societal impacts of large-scale data centres in Germany and Ireland, raising huge concerns on the EU’s AI Continent Action Plan, which wants to triple data center capacity in the Union by 2030. Read the reporting on Germany and Ireland.
IrpiMedia, Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights and Wired Italia – The connections of Italian far-right influencers with the Meloni government
Irpi Media’s investigation reveals how supposedly “independent” Italian far-right influencers- and particularly the media project Esperia Italia - are in fact embedded in networks linked to political communication figures close to the Meloni government, in a coordinated operation to influence the public discourse. Read the investigation.
Pablo Jiménez Arandia, Algorights and Público - RisCanvi algorithm in Catalonia
The investigation shows how the RisCanvi risk-assessment algorithm, used in Catalonia’s prison system since 2010, is now being used recklessly by judicial actors. The project shows how the use of the algorithm hinders vulnerable inmates’ access to parole, permits and other prison benefits - a pillar of their social reintegration process. Outputs include:
- Main article: RisCanvi’s impact on the rights of vulnerable inmates
- Documentary: Video piece with the main findings of the investigation
- Technical analysis: An analysis of the algorithm details and its upcoming new version
- Expert interview: An interview on algorithmic fairness
Federica Rossi and Italiani senza Cittadinanza - Denial of access to citizenship in Italy
The investigation reveals that citizenship applications in Italy are increasingly denied based on vague “state security” grounds using opaque and unchallengeable assessments that might be driven by opaque algorithms. As a result, applicants are left without effective means to defend their rights. The project also exposed the lack of transparency of Italian authorities on this matter. Read the investigation.
Liga lidských práv (Ligue of Human Rights), Page Not Found, and ROMEA.cz – Forced sterilisation of Roma women and the impact of lack of digitalisation
The investigation focused on how the Czech Department of Health handles compensation for victims of illegal forced sterilisation. In particular, the analysis explored how the lack of possibility to access files or request compensation digitally impacts victims, especially older women from small towns belonging to the Roma community. The findings show poor management of claims as well as insufficient transparency around the process, hindering the rights of affected people. The outputs include:
- Legal analysis of the Ministry of Health’s FOI practices in compensation cases for unlawful sterilisations
- Interview on Romea.cz presenting the analysis and its implications
- Podcast episode discussing the barriers to transparency and their impact on victims
Access Now and Investigace.cz - Digital risks for exiled activists
The project investigated and documented the risks that activists in exile, originally from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, are likely to face on Telegram, as well as the platform's obligations under the Digital Services Act. As a result, the organisations developed an initial taxonomy of risks, as well as a research methodology that prioritises the security of human rights defenders and journalists considering ongoing threats. This analysis and the fine-tuned research approach will inform Access Now’s advocacy and digital security support to activists.
Building community through workshops and events
Beyond funding investigations, the coalition has organised 4 online workshops to stimulate connections between civil society and journalists. Topics ranged from protecting journalists from spyware to using investigations to support strategic litigation and countering SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation). A session on investigating Big Tech harms through the Digital Services Act data access mechanism gave participants practical skills for requesting platform data.
The CJC also took part in major journalism events, including the International Journalism Festival in Perugia and DataHarvest in Mechelen. These gatherings allowed us to build community, meet coalition members, present the coalition, and participate in debates on digital rights.
Looking ahead: sustaining collaboration
The coalition has grown into a community of 50+ professionals from media and civil society organisations. As we seek further funding to launch new sub-grants and workshops and to extend the coalition beyond digital rights, the network will continue as an informal coordination group to provide support on digital rights and facilitate collaborative investigations, as the relationships forged over the last year remain active and productive.