Catching up with previous winners of a Free Press Award
Free Press Unlimited has been awarding journalists with the Newcomer of the Year-Hans Verploeg Award since 2016. We have given this award to eight journalists who have received a scholarship to support their careers. Now that the nomination round for 2024 has started, we catch up with previous winners to hear how they are doing and how the award has affected their lives. This time: Bianca Albu, Newcomer of 2020.
The Newcomer of the Year award is presented to talented new journalists who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to press freedom and independent coverage and use innovative methods to disseminate this information. Nominees in the category Newcomer of the Year show extraordinary dedication to journalism as a means to hold those in power accountable and to serve as a watchdog in the public interest, right from the start of their career.
Newcomer of the Year of 2020: Bianca Albu
Romanian journalist Bianca Albu uncovered links between a money laundering network belonging to the Spanish Royal family, a corrupt Romanian politician, and the local police, and showed great determination when she got confronted with political aggression in the first year of her career. With the scholarship she won with the award, Bianca took an online course on databases. When catching up with her she shares:
“Winning the award has been a significant boost for my career. It served as a launchpad, helping me secure several prestigious scholarships and fellowships. These opportunities have been invaluable for my growth and development as a journalist. Having this award has also given me a sense of legitimacy, which has positively impacted how my work is received and the opportunities available to me. The course I took has also been extremely useful, especially now that I work in a newsroom focused on investigations based on AI-curated databases.
“The award has empowered me to take a stand against the system.”
I continue to encounter challenges in my work such as restricted access to public information and accusations of working for politicians or intelligence services. Unfortunately, these issues are common in Romania, and most independent journalists face them. On the positive side, the award has empowered me to take a stand against the system. I have initiated several lawsuits against institutions like the National Television and the Anti-organized Crime Agency to gain access to public information they refused to provide. I am proud to say that I have already won one of these cases.
“I have published a series of investigations with my colleague, Ovidiu Vanghele, on abuses in social care centres. We uncovered more than 20 suspicious deaths.”
Currently, I work on a new publication in collaboration with Public Record, where I am part of the founding team, which is a part of OCCRP. Over the past year, I have published a series of investigations with my colleague, Ovidiu Vanghele, on abuses in social care centres. We uncovered instances of torture and more than 20 suspicious deaths. We also identified key individuals connected to these businesses, leading to the resignation of two ministers and discussions about legislative changes. Right now, I am working on materials about corruption and disinformation.”
