As already stated, and emphasised by the chair of the Flemish Journalists’ Union, the resources for investigative journalism have substantially declined (figures are not disclosed by the media). Nonetheless, every leading news media house attempts to do investigative journalism. Some media organisations provide additional resources and time to investigate a bigger story of societal importance or the possibility to attract attention to their medium. Only a few media organisations have a specific taskforce for investigative journalism; a “task force” mostly consists of one or two journalists who get the opportunity to work on longer projects.
Participation in international networks of investigative journalists, such as the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which had been collaborating in operations such as Offshore Leaks and Panama Papers, has come more to the front in a few Flemish media organisations. Because of the small size of the Belgian market, start-ups focusing on investigative journalism, such as Apache, struggle with generating enough revenue to support their work. The Flemish Government is, however, still offering project subsidies for investigative journalism through the Pascal Decroos Fund.
