Over the past seven years, the FJA has celebrated the best in global journalism and has awarded prizes and recognition to more than 250 leading reporters and editors from all corners of the world.

These professionals are a rich resource and through the promotion of their experience, talent, and professionalism the FJA illustrates that journalism remains a cornerstone of democracy.

To reinforce the role that journalism plays in society everywhere, the FJA has decided to create a new network – the Fetisov Academy, which includes all of our winners and shortlisted entries over the past seven years.

The initiative follows a recommendation from the FJA Expert Group, which met in Cyprus in April 2026 prior to the celebration of this year’s awards. A working programme for the new Academy has been put in place. It will be formally launched at our upcoming Awards Ceremony in 2027.

This will be a forum in which FJA winners will share their experiences, promote quality journalism and maintain links with colleagues who have also made their mark at the highest levels in journalism.

We hope that the Academy will have practical purpose, serving as a journalism information exchange and becoming a mechanism for promoting skills and cross-border solidarity in journalism.

In shaping the work of the Academy, FJA winners have considered how to ensure that the Academy will strengthen the mission of journalism.

Building on their own personal experience, they have made recommendations on the role of the Academy as a practical instrument of professional solidarity, and specifically to help strengthen journalism and strengthen media from very different regions and media systems

They have also considered how the Academy can play a role in promoting safety in journalism, through providing support for training, legal aid and humanitarian assistance and also how the Academy will work to uphold ethical standards across diverse political and cultural contexts.

In a world where journalism and the tools that journalists use for their work is changing, the Academy will be and engine of growth, sharing knowledge and providing support for professional growth in partnership with other media support groups such as the European Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, the World Editors’ Forum and the Ethical Journalism Network.

The specific skills or knowledge gaps that the Academy will address will include raising awareness on the highest standards for use of investigative tools, digital security, and artificial intelligence in journalism.

Above all, the Academy will aim to amplify the impact of our award-winning stories globally by engaging with policymakers, NGOs, and international organisations on the need to support journalism and to create the professional conditions in which journalists can work.

A regular Academy newsletter is planned which will include information on member investigations, and collaboration opportunities.

Aidan White is the General Director of the FJA