Get Results: Impact Case Studies
We will focus on two case studies which show real impacts investigative stories can have.
Case study 1: Supply chains of Decathlon
During this session, Pierre Leibovici of Disclose (France) will share lessons learnt from a year-long investigation on the supply chain of Decathlon, one of the world’s largest sports retailers, in Asia. By combining human sources, confidential documents and OSINT, Disclose has uncovered the true cost of Decathlon products: child labour, forced labour in China and a global strategy to exploit garment workers. Thanks to partnerships with several newsrooms and the reach of key stakeholders in the textile industry, this investigation led to concrete impacts, including the termination of the contract between Decathlon and some of its major suppliers in Asia.
Decathlon profits from Uyghur forced labour in China. Investigation by: Pierre Leibovici, with Gabriel Garcia (Cash Investigation). Additional research: M. T. (anonymous Uyghur researcher), Daniel Murphy, SOMO (The Counter). For Disclose. 6 February 2025.
Case study 2 – SLAPPs and trying to discredit journalists
Peter Geoghegan, editor of Democracy for Sale, will share lessons from two investigations that generated outsized real-world impact. First: how a co-published exposé with the New Statesman of a lobbying campaign against libel law reform prompted Justice Secretary David Lammy to commit to action. Second: how an investigation into Labour Together hiring a PR firm to discredit journalists covering its undeclared political funding was picked up by dozens of outlets, triggered a ministerial resignation, and won the 2026 Paul Foot Award – the UK’s most prestigious investigative journalism prize.
We investigated London’s libel lawyers – here’s what happened next. By Peter Geoghehan and Jenna Corderoy. For Democracy for Sale. 19 May 2026.
McSweeney’s think tank paid PR firm to investigate journalists. By Khadija Sharife and Peter Geoghegan for Democracy for Sale. 5 February 2026.
Moderator – Emma Youle.