Join us on 27 March, for our upcoming Live event Backlash Without Borders: Women Journalists Investigating Power, hosted by Media Defence:
Date: 27 March 2026
Time: 14:00 UK / 16:00 Romania / 11:00 Brazil / 09:00 US ET
Location: Online (Instagram)
Backlash Without Borders: Women Investigating Power
What happens when journalists expose powerful wrongdoing and refuse to look away?
For Emilia ศercan (Romania), Juliana Dal Piva (Brazil) and Neha Dixit (India), this question is not theoretical. Their reporting has uncovered plagiarism at the highest levels of government, exposed alleged corruption within powerful political networks, and revealed the trafficking of vulnerable girls.
In response, each has faced years of legal battles, coordinated smear campaigns, harassment and threats, both online and offline, aimed at discrediting their work and deterring further investigation.
For women journalists, this backlash often takes on a gendered dimension, with misogynistic abuse and sexualised narratives used to undermine them not only as reporters, but as individuals.
This International Womenโs History Month, join a live conversation with three journalists who continue to report in the face of intimidation and are challenging retaliation through the courts.
Why attend?
Hear directly from three investigative journalists who have taken on powerful actors and refused to be silenced, and bring your own questions to the conversation.
In this live discussion, we will cover:
- The power structures behind the stories they investigate
- How lawfare is used to intimidate and silence journalists
- The gendered nature of backlash and online abuse
- What it means to fight back through the courts
- How resistance and solidarity take shape across borders
- Why this matters for all of us, and what we lose when diverse voices are pushed out
Meet our Speakers!
Juliana Dal Piva
Emilia ศercan
Neha Dixit
Juliana Dal Piva is a Brazilian investigative journalist known…
for reporting on corruption, political networks, and the far-right in Brazil. Her investigations into alleged corruption involving the family of former president Jair Bolsonaro sparked significant political backlash and online harassment, highlighting the risks faced by journalists investigating powerful actors.
Emilia ศercan is a Romanian investigative journalist whose…
groundbreaking reporting has exposed widespread plagiarism in doctoral theses by senior politicians, security officials and other powerful figures. Despite facing sustained harassment, smear campaigns and threats in response to her investigations, she has continued her work and pursued legal action to defend both her reporting and press freedom.
Neha Dixit is an Indian investigative journalist known…
for her deeply reported work on human rights, gender, and the abuse of power by state and political actors. Despite facing lawsuits, threats and sustained harassment in response to her investigations, she continues to report fearlessly on issues affecting vulnerable communities and to challenge attempts to silence independent journalism.
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