08-05-2025
HKFP's investigative reporting nominated for prestigious SOPA award
A Hong Kong Free Press investigation has been nominated for a prestigious Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award.
HKFP's 2024 probe into Hong Kong's role in illegal deforestation of the Amazon rainforest was a joint investigation by Mercedes Hutton and Repórter Brasil.
Supply chain data, revealed in the feature, showed that at least four local businesses had imported beef farmed by a man whom Brazilian police had called 'the greatest devastator of the Amazon.'
It is in the running for a Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting next month. Also nominated in the regional category is a feature on Thailand's cyber scam victims by HaRDstories, and a Mekong Eye investigation into meat smuggling.
SOPA said in a Thursday press release that there were over 700 entries, with 120 volunteer judges asked to pick the top contenders.
Established in 1999, the SOPA Awards recognise editorial excellence in both new media and traditional journalism in the Asia-Pacific region. HKFP has won three prizes in previous years.
The SOPA 2025 Awards Gala Dinner will be held on Thursday, June 26, at the JW Marriott Hotel. Editor at Large for Bloomberg Weekend Mishal Husain, a former BBC World presenter, will be the keynote speaker, alongside broadcaster Karen Koh as host.
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