Cohort of Pulitzer Center Fellows Will Expose Rainforest Threats Old and New

Image

Few times in recent years has the global media spotlight focused so intently on tropical forests as at last year’s climate talks in Belém, Brazil, the gateway to the Amazon. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility—a fund to help countries keep their forests standing—was launched at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30).

Nine months on, the international media glare has turned elsewhere and flagship conservation programs are struggling to attract the necessary finance. Journalists committed to reporting from rainforest regions also face major challenges. 

But the threats to the biodiversity and people of the Amazon, Congo Basin, and tropical forests of Southeast Asia are no less urgent. That’s where the Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) comes in.

For the past six years, the Pulitzer Center has supported talented investigative journalists from around the world to fill a critical gap in ambitious investigative journalism that holds governments and corporations to account for their roles in rainforest destruction. In the past, this reporting has led to criminal proceedings, regulatory changes, and global companies severing ties with problematic suppliers.

This year, our RIN Fellows will tackle both emerging and stubborn problems, from the rush to find critical technology metals and the impacts of new “green” energy projects, to transport infrastructure and the exploration and extraction of traditional commodities like gold, oil, and gas.  

Over the next 12 months, 10 journalists from eight countries will receive training and support from our dedicated Data and Research team, as well as our in-house audience engagement experts who will help boost the reach and impact of the Fellows’ investigations.

But because Fellows' investigations are rarely limited to national borders, they’ll also foster enduring cross-border communities that share their own knowledge, experiences, and advice on exposing the actors and industries profiting from vital tropical ecosystems.

With great pleasure, we are announcing our 2026-27 Rainforest Investigations Fellows. They are:

• Agoeng Wijaya Soedjito, Tempo 
• Alexander Abdelilah⁩, Forbidden Stories 
• Annika McGinnis, Mongabay
• Elizabeth Salazar, La Encerrona
• Flávia Milhorance, The Guardian
• Isabel Seta, Agência Pública
• Jonas Kiriko, InfoNile
• Romulus Dorval Kuessie, Africa Uncensored
• Shanshan Chen, Dialogue Earth
• Sofia Bourdebala, AFP

We can't wait to see what they’ll achieve.

Best,

Image

Rob Soutar
Senior editor, Rainforest Investigations