On Thursday, The Guardian reported that HSBC was ordered to pay $31.5 million following a massive international investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists:
The investigation was prompted, Jornot said, by revelations in the Guardian, the BBC, Le Monde and other media coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. This showed that HSBC’s Swiss arm banked the proceeds of political corruption and accepted deposits from arms dealers while helping wealthy people evade taxes.
In recent weeks, several news organizations have written about big investigations that paid dividends.
From last week’s Post and Courier:
Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, who headed up the House’s domestic violence reform effort, praised The Post and Courier in an interview for pushing the issue. The newspaper delved into the state’s culture of violence and the state’s lack of action through its Pulitzer Prize-winning series “Till Death Do Us Part,” which prompted legislators to act.
From New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan this morning:
Surveillance reform, displayed as the lead story on the Times front page and home page, would never have come to pass without the combination of a courageous individual, Edward Snowden, and a functioning free press protected by the First Amendment. It’s a powerful combination.
Last month, in The New York Times:
The legislation follows emergency rule changes ordered by Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, last week in response to a New York Times investigation that uncovered the widespread exploitation of nail salon workers, many of whom experience serious health problems linked to the chemicals they work with regularly.
