Purpose of the Ellsberg Whistleblower Award is also to foster networking. On the day of our award ceremony 2026, we will therefore host in cooperation with Reporter ohne Grenzen a non-public expert exchange on the cooperation between journalists, whistleblowers and NGOs:

Cooperation between investigative journalists and whistleblowers, 1:30-3:00 p.m. CET, moderated by Michael Sontheimer, journalist, author and member of the Board of the taz Panter Foundation

Whistleblowing support structures and investigative journalism, 3:30-5:00 p.m. CET, moderated by Renata Ávila Pinto, human rights lawyer and CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation) [digital participation possible]

Input givers include:

• Sven Becker, investigative journalist at DER SPIEGEL magazine, on his multiple experiences with whistleblowers,
• Alexander von Bismarck, Executive Director at the EIA, Owen Pinnell, Documentary Filmmaker for the BBC, and Andrés Olarte, Ellsberg Whistleblower Award Winner 2026, on the cooperation regarding the case of Ecopetrol and the Iguana Papers,
• Henri Thulliez, Director of Strategy of Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa – PPLAAF, on the work of an international whistleblower support organization and its relationship with journalists,
• Delphine Halgand-Mishra, Executive Director of The Signals Network, on trainings for journalists on how to work with sensitive sources,
• Annegret Falter, Chair of Whistleblower Netzwerk – WBN, with a Welcome and overview of existing whistleblower support structures, and Kosmas Zittel, Managing Director of WBN, on the role of a national whistleblower support organization in non‑public cases.

Together with journalists and researchers from +972, Wau Holland Foundation, Disruption Network Lab, ARIJ – Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalists, IStories, AIWI – AI Whistleblower Initiative, Whistleblower Aid, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Transparency International, AllRise, WWF, Greenpeace, Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, kolko – Menschenrechte für Kolumbien, DIE ZEIT, Reva and David Logan Foundation, taz, we will:

• benefit from others’ experiences in a working atmosphere
• identify best practices
• discuss the relationship between journalism and whistleblower support structures
• evaluate which support structures are missing or need strengthening, and develop strategies for their improvement