Dr Manisha Ganguly has jointly won two European Investigative Journalism Impact Awards for investigations on the Border Graves as well as the Story Killers project. She has also been nominated for Journalist of the Year at the Asian Media Awards.
The Border Graves project brought attention to an underreported issue of thousands of unmarked graves of refugees and migrants spreading across Europe’s borders at a rate never seen before outside of times of conflict. The project also won the European Press Prize Special Award earlier this year.
Story Killers is a global exposé by the Forbidden Stories network which reveals the shadowy world of disinformation mercenaries and paints a picture of the landscape of disinformation, surveillance and press freedom.
About the awards, Manisha said: "I am delighted that our two joint investigations into the disinformation industry and uncovered 1000 unmarked graves of migrants on the borders of Europe have been recognised. This is the power of collaborative investigations. Thank you IJ4EU judges for honouring us."
Manisha has also been nominated for Journalist of the Year at the Asian Media Awards 2024 for her investigations on Gaza. On the nomination, Manisha commented: “Thank you to the Asian Media Awards for nominating me for Journalist of the Year for my Gaza reporting and to my editors who have had my back throughout the last year. My work wouldn’t be possible without a large network of Palestinian journalists, aid workers, medical professionals, and civilians who continue to risk starvation, daily bombardment, telecoms blackouts, and certain death to supply evidence and testimony. I’ve reported on war crimes in Syria, Libya and Ukraine before this, but the sheer magnitude of horror in Gaza, the record number of civilian casualties, especially children, has been like nothing I’ve ever investigated before — all continuing while foreign journalists are barred from entry by Israel and Egypt.”
The winner of this award will be announced on 25 October.
Manisha holds a PhD in open-source investigations from the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) at the University of Westminster. Her thesis was the first academic study of its kind on open-source intelligence (OSINT) and its impact on investigative work. She is currently an Investigations Correspondent and visual investigations lead at The Guardian, where she continues to specialise in using OSINT techniques and investigates human rights abuses under conditions of war.
Manisha’s work contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn about Media and Communication courses at the University of Westminster.
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