Gregor Haschnik researched the grievances in a religious sect in Hanau for many years.
The FR author receives the Otto Brenner Prize.
The FR author Gregor Haschnik received the 1st Prize for Critical Journalism 2020 from the Otto Brenner Foundation for his contribution "How died Jan H.?" *.
Haschnik has been researching the grievances in a
religious sect in Hanau
since 2014
, in which a four-year-old boy died in the summer of 1988.
The case was quickly filed away at the time.
But after numerous discussions, intensive research and evaluation of internal letters, Gregor Haschnik “achieved something extraordinary” with his FR story, as the jury explained.
Haschnik's outstanding journalistic achievement leads not only through the thicket of a sect, but thanks to
"his persistent research the case came to court"
.
Haschnik had "against all resistance from the authorities, but also from sect members, unwaveringly followed the story of little Jan - and did not allow himself to be dissuaded by attempts at intimidation."
One day after the jury decided to
award Gregor Haschnik
for his
“impressive research”
, the accused sect leader Sylvia D. was convicted of murdering the four-year-old.
Independently of this, Gregor Haschnik also brought to light, according to the assessment of the jury, the practices with which this sect is led.
"And so maybe even prevented further victims", wrote the jury in the reason for the award.
Research grant for Buzzfeed News
In addition, in 2020 the Otto Brenner Foundation again awarded three research grants, each endowed with 5,000 euros.
Juliane Löffler
, a reporter in the
Buzzfeed News
investigative team
in Berlin
, receives one of them
.
Together with other colleagues in
Italy, France and Croatia
, Löffler is tracking down “sexual harassment and sexualised violence in the medical field” and will also highlight the European dimension of the topic.
The Otto Brenner Prize promotes
critical journalism
.
The award will be given to contributions that have exemplarily implemented the motto of the tender "Thorough research instead of ordered truths" in their contributions.
Due to the
corona pandemic
*, which is
rampant in Germany, the award ceremony will take place on
November 17th in Berlin without an audience - all interested parties can watch it live from 6 p.m. on the foundation's website.
(FR)
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen editorial network