Dataharvest 2023 - the European Investgative Journalism Conference

When the rich and powerful use a lawsuit to bully their critics - rather than to correct an actual wrong - it's called SLAPPs – Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. Journalists, newspapers, activists, whistle-blowers and others are increasingly being targeted with SLAPPs, that try to silence them (and other would-be critics) by burdening them with extra work and the cost of lawyers. Some journalists or media organisations are fighting dozens of SLAPPs at the same time, leaving few resources for journalism.
Meet four colleagues that have been fighting SLAPP cases in Greece, Belgium, Poland and Slovenia: What were the complaints, how did they handle the cases, what lessons can they share, and how did it end?