Journalism's lasting impact

This week marks seven years since the Panama Papers were first published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 media partners all around the world. 

For those of us who were in the thick of it, often it’s a time when we remember the frantic initial aftermath — mass protests, high-profile resignations, dramatic police raids and more… or when we take stock of the changed laws or revenue recouped that would eventually follow. 

But this year, we stumbled across a very different measure of the impact of the investigation — the cultural impact. 

An ICIJ colleague of mine, perusing Spotify, went down a rabbit hole and discovered dozens of songs, and multiple albums and bands named in honour of the Panama Papers. And it’s not just music; the Panama Papers have wound their way into books, films, cartoons, cocktail recipes, and even the name of a prize-winning racehorse here in Australia. 

While it all seemed a bit of a novelty, when we reached out to a few of these Panama Papers-inspired bands, we realised that we had underestimated the more pervasive and abiding effect that these stories had on people... Two young musicians described the investigation as “formative” for them as highschoolers, and said it opened their minds to the “way the world works”. Other artists told us that they wanted their music to tap into audiences’ simmering discontent about widening inequality and unfairness in the world, as embodied and immediately understood by invoking the spectre of the Panama Papers. 

Filmmaker Alex Winter — who made a documentary about the Panama Papers — told us that this infiltration into popular culture was not to be dismissed. “You don’t change ongoing, systemic corruption overnight with a handful of arrests, or even a lot of arrests,” he said. Instead, by seizing the imagination of ordinary people, citizens can be equipped with the patience and determination to fight the long fight for lasting change. 

Hamish Boland-Rudder, ICIJ Online Editor

 

Image Credit: Facebook - Panama papers