ABSTRACT
A central component for the cross-border investigative collaboration is the “Surviving Story,” those that stem from an endangered or killed journalist. A classic concept which can be applied to understand the Forbidden Stories is that of interpretive communities. The Forbidden Stories project challenges established professional norms related to competition between news outlets and journalists. For the founders of Forbidden Stories, the work of perpetuating the stories and projects of wounded, imprisoned, or murdered journalists is not about fame or money but about doing something meaningful as investigative journalists. Forbidden Stories was built by journalists with years of experience as professional documentarians, producers, and reporters, possessing valuable connections and networks in the business. The Paris-based Forbidden Stories platform addresses critical incidents by both challenging and negotiating the practice of journalism as we know it. Competition within journalism has not only been understood in strict business terms but also as a social and cultural force.
