EJN’s Mediterranean Media Initiative Awards 9 Story Grants and 4 Investigative Grants to Journalists from the Region

For the past two years, EJN’s Mediterranean Media Initiative has cultivated a robust network of journalists and boosted coverage of critical marine issues in the region. With support from the Adessium Foundation, the project has supported the production of award-winning, impactful stories that have improved public awareness and helped shape policy decisions around ocean sustainability in the Mediterranean.    

In August 2024, MMI launched a new grant call for applications, which received a record number of applicants. After a thorough review of all applications, 17 journalists were selected for 13 grants (with some working in pairs). Over the next few months, 12 of these grantees will work on reported features, while five will produce investigative stories.

We are pleased to announce the latest cohort of MMI grantees: 

In Greece: 

• Alexandros Katsomitros will report on the recent bottom trawling ban in Greece and how it will impact Marine Protected Areas, for News247.gr.
• Theodosia Gkournelou will report on recent progress made by the Greek government on the 30x30 targets for Solomon.

In France:  

• Zahra Rahmouni will report on the destruction and the revitalization of Algerian reefs for Africa is A Country. 

In Italy: 

• Francesco Torri will report on bearded fireworms and their impact on fish stocks and fishing communities in Sicily, Italy, for Undisciplined Environments and Manifesto.
• Carlotta Indiano and Andrea Turco will report on the development of the Italian-Algerian gas pipeline called the TransMed Corrido, and the threats it poses to marine biodiversity, for Economia Circolare.
• Marta Abba will follow the impact of discarded nets, often referred to as ghost nets, on marine life in northern Italy, and explore some of the solutions proposed to address this issue, for Wired Italy.

In Spain and Italy: 

• Helena Rodriguez Gomez and Federica Rossi will produce a cross-border story on the environmental impact of cruise ship scrubbers, for Climatica.

In Turkey:  

• Illya Topper will produce a short documentary and a written piece on the invasion of pufferfish and the solutions put in place by the Turkish government, for EFE
• Gonca Tokyol and Ingrid Woudwijk will report on the management of Turkey’s Marine Protected Area in the Datça/Bozburun peninsula, for Turkey Recap.

The investigative grantees are:  

From Italy: 

• Alice Pistolesi and Monica Pelliccia will investigate illegal fishing activities taking place in a cetacean sanctuary in Italian waters, for Altreconomia.
• Francesco de Augustinis will produce a two-part investigation on the challenges faced by the European Union to regulate overfishing, with a focus on illegal fishing of juvenile hake, for Corriere della Sera and Mongabay.

From Tunisia:

• Bahira Ouji from will produce a documentary on the challenges of regulating fishing seasons and the impact of mismanagement on fish production and biodiversity, for Diwan FM.
• Mabrouka Khedir will investigate the impact of ship pollution on the marine environment in Tunisia, for Cosmos Media. 

“We were very impressed by all the applications we received, but we unfortunately could not select everyone. We are excited to once again commission work from Bahira Ouji and Mabrouka Khedir from Tunisia, and look forward to providing mentoring support to all our new grantees,” said Mona Samari, technical advisor for the project.

Keep a look-out for these grantees’ stories on the EJN website.  

Banner image: Bristle worms or Hermodice carunculata photographed in Malta’s waters / Credit: Prilfish via Flickr.