You Can Kill the Messenger, but not the Message

‘You can kill the messenger, but not the message’ is the slogan of news platform Forbidden Stories. We speak with founder Laurent Richard about the opportunities and challenges technology brings when working in the danger zone.

107 journalists were killed during their work last year. Very often because of their work. With his organisation Forbidden Stories, French journalist Laurent Richard completes the news stories of journalists who were murdered. Under the slogan ‘you can kill the messenger, but not the message’, Forbidden Stories published about forced labour in Turkmenistan, captagon trafficking in Syria and deforestation in Cambodia.

Before Forbidden Stories, Richard was involved with the Panama Papers, a project that published millions of documents that exposed offshore financial constructions.

Technology helps Richard in his investigative journalism, but comes with its own dangers. How do you communicate safely with your sources and protect yourself from spyware? How do you verify your facts online? In this edition of Techdenkers we speak with Laurent Richard and other journalists about the opportunities and challenges technology brings when working in the danger zone.

About Techdenkers

Technology has become an inseparable part of our lives, but do we pay enough attention to it? During Techdenkers we explore the ethical implications of technological innovation. What influence does the arrival of AI have on our lives? How are we going to solve the climate crisis with the help of technology? And do we want algorithms to determine our choice of partner?

The Techdenkers series is provided and broadcast by De Balie and is part of our partnership with Adyen.

About Forum on European Culture

Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, Forum on European Culture 2025 (June 25 – June 29) brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.