Impact

TBIJ is a mission-driven organisation: we aim to spark positive change through journalism. Our investigations and data have contributed to changes in policy and law at a local and national level in the UK and around the world. Our findings have been used in court cases to hold human rights abusers to account; they have informed and strengthened the work of NGOs and academics; and they’ve given voice to the marginalised and provided a platform for those affected to speak up and take action.

We think a lot about the role that our journalism plays in society, and how it contributes to social change. Journalism doesn’t change anything on its own – but it is often a key part of a much bigger array of people, organisations and action that does.

We are not campaigners or advocates. We uncover information and put it in the hands of those able to use it. This impact-centred approach means that our work also plays a vital role in keeping democracy strong, power accountable and societies more just.

At TBIJ, we track the change we spark through our impact tracker. We follow what happens after our stories are published and categorise the impact as either community, political/ legal, business, organisational or media pick-up (more below). We also track the geographical and numerical reach of our journalism.

Community

This impact happens at the level of an individual person or community. For example:

• We collaborate with communities to do the journalism

• Our work makes a material difference for people featured in our story

• A charity or a campaign group uses our findings.

We are taking a community approach to our Trans+ Voices project and are engaging with trans and non binary people.

Political/legal

This impact happens in the political or legal arenas. For example:

• A parliamentary debate includes our work

• We brief policy makers, politicians or regulators on our investigation

• Lawyers bring a case based on our findings, or our work prompts legal or enforcement action.

In January 2024, the European Court of Human Rights cited our reporting in a judgment on human rights abuses and torture conducted by Lithuania on suspected terrorists.

Business

This impact happens to a corporation. For example:

• A company changes its policy or practices, or opens an internal investigation

• Shareholders bring about a motion

• A corporate whistleblower comes forward

• A CEO or other corporate leader issues a statement on our investigation.

After we revealed HSBC’s dubious green investments in October 2022, a coalition of shareholders asked the bank at its AGM this year to explicitly set out how it intends to use the money it has dedicated to sustainable finance.

Organisational

This impact happens within TBIJ. For example:

• An investigation is nominated for or wins an award

• A TBIJ reporter appears on a conference panel, podcast, radio or TV broadcast

• We receive a new tip-off as a result of an investigation.

Media pick-up

This impact is all about how far and to where the story travels and how many people are likely to have seen our investigations. We monitor the names, locations and reach of media outlets and websites that pick up our work and cite TBIJ around the world, including the languages the stories are published in. In the past year, our reporting has been picked up by over 1,264 other newsrooms and published in over 77 countries and more in 23 languages.