New Delhi: An investigative report published by The Wire has won the ‘Tina Merlin Prize for Territorial Investigative Journalism,’ given by the Italian journalists’ union, Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana.The story, filed from Jalandhar in India and Latina in Italy, is authored by Kusum Arora, Stefania Prandi, Francesca Cicculli and Charlotte Aagaard. Arora is a longtime contributor of The Wire.The report was simultaneously published on the portal of the Investigative Reporting Project Italy.Headlined ‘Behind the Sweetness of Italy’s Kiwi Fruit Lie the Trafficking and Exploitation of Indian Workers,‘ the article is a deep dive into how, seduced by the idea of earning well, thousands of Punjabi youths pay traffickers lakhs of rupees to get to Italy, only to find themselves working in conditions of near slavery.The awards ceremony was held on December 16, in the presence of the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana general secretary Alessandra Costante, along with the council members Domenico Affinito, Matteo Naccari and Monica Andolfatto, the mayor and president of the Province of Belluno, Roberto Padrin, and a large representation of journalists.
