On every continent, journalists have faced difficulties investigating environmental issues. Since 2009, at least 13 journalists have been killed working on environment-related stories, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ is still investigating 16 additional deaths, so there may be as many as 29 cases.

Other journalists were forced to shut down their newspapers. Many, constantly under threat, simply can’t work anymore, because they have been forced into hiding or can’t find news outlets willing to risk publishing their stories.

One subject is particularly perilous: documenting environmental damage by the mining industry. Green Blood is a project designed to finish work begun by some of these journalists shut down by the danger inherent in shedding light on one of the darkest and most destructive industries in the world.

Through this unique collaboration with 30 media partners, we investigated mining multinationals. We looked into a nickel mine in Guatemala, a gold mine in Tanzania and sand mining in India.

For eight months, we collected documents, testimonies and scientific samples, which revealed environmental damage and human rights violations. As a consortium, we shared our skills and knowledge to trace multiple supply chains, from the mines to end products consumed by individuals around the world.

By publishing the Green Blood Project all together at the same time in more than 25 countries, we are once again sending a powerful signal to the enemies of the free press:

“You stopped the messenger, but you won’t stop the message.”