The story was published. Then came a demand for more than €400,000—and a lawsuit naming the reporter personally alongside the news organization that published his work.
For Holger Roonemaa, head of the investigative and fact-checking desk at Delfi Estonia, the experience illustrates how quickly the cost of investigative journalism can extend far beyond the reporting budget. A newsroom can stand behind its work and still face an expensive fight to defend it.
Delfi was already a member of Reporters Shield, a nonprofit membership organization that helps newsrooms defend public interest journalism against legal threats, when the lawsuit arrived. Roonemaa says that membership gave the newsroom financial support at a moment when defending the investigation threatened to consume resources needed for the next one.
“They covered all of our legal fees to defend ourselves,” he said.
An investigation into money and political influence
The reporting examined an Estonian banker and businessman’s influence within the conservative Isamaa party, where he was a major donor, according to Roonemaa. The public interest question was how financial power translated into influence over a political organization.
Roonemaa said a reporter on his team requested access to files from a criminal investigation involving the businessman, who had been acquitted. Within those files, the reporter found emails and transcripts of intercepted calls that, Roonemaa said, shed light on the businessman’s involvement in internal party affairs.
The resulting story focused on that political influence. According to Roonemaa, the businessman then sued over the publication of his personal data, sought more than €400,000 in damages and demanded removal of numerous passages, including some that did not identify him by name.
The claim targeted both Delfi and the individual reporter. That personal exposure is especially troubling to Roonemaa, who emphasizes that publication follows an editorial process rather than a reporter acting alone.
The cost begins before the verdict
The financial demand was only one source of pressure. Roonemaa describes the hours, days and sometimes weeks required to organize evidence, prepare materials for court and work with lawyers.
Those responsibilities fall on journalists who would otherwise be pursuing their next investigation. Even a newsroom confident in its reporting must devote time to defending work it has already completed. “We don’t want to spend time on something that we have already done,” he said.
Reporters Shield cannot give those hours back. Nor, Roonemaa explains, does the support he describes eliminate the possibility of damages if the newsroom ultimately loses. The uncertainty remains, particularly for a reporter named personally in the proceedings.
What changes is the concern about paying for the legal defense. Roonemaa says cases like this can generate legal fees running into tens of thousands of euros. Having those fees covered allows the publisher to preserve money for reporting while contesting the claim.
“We know that we will have the best possible defense and then representation,” he said. “And that gives a really big level of assurance to you.”
A first court victory with an appeal still pending
At the time of the interview, Roonemaa said Delfi had prevailed in the first court instance and the investigation remained online. He described the ruling as strongly supportive of the newsroom and said the judge characterized the action as a SLAPP—a strategic lawsuit against public participation.
That characterization mattered to the team. Roonemaa said the decision also attracted coverage from other Estonian news organizations, bringing wider attention to the dispute and its implications for journalism.
The case, however, was under appeal. Roonemaa was clear that the first decision could still be upheld or reversed. The newsroom’s experience demonstrates the value of support during a continuing legal battle, with the final outcome still uncertain.
Good reporting still needs a defense
Roonemaa sees a difficult paradox in investigative journalism: in his experience, some of the strongest, most carefully checked stories can provoke the strongest resistance. Thorough editing and fact-checking do not prevent someone from filing a lawsuit.
That does not diminish the newsroom’s responsibility to get the work right. He describes rigorous reporting standards as central to Delfi’s relationship with Reporters Shield, including careful editing, fact-checking and, in some cases, legal review before publication.
For Roonemaa, membership reinforces the need to put the full effort into each investigation. Support for the defense works alongside that discipline, giving editors greater assurance when well-supported reporting is challenged.
Keeping the next investigation possible
The value extends beyond the journalists handling the case. Roonemaa says having support for legal costs gives his company’s leadership more confidence about continuing to invest in investigative reporting.
That investment already requires salaries and substantial reporting time. Litigation can multiply the expense and complicate decisions about what the newsroom can afford to take on next.
For Delfi, Reporters Shield’s support helps protect the resources behind those decisions. The published investigation remains available while the legal process continues, and the newsroom can keep pursuing further reporting without carrying the same burden of defense costs.
The next important story will still require evidence, careful editing and an editor willing to publish. Roonemaa’s experience shows why publishers also need to consider how they will pay to defend that decision.
About Reporters Shield:
Reporters Shield is an independent, nonprofit membership organization that defends investigative and public-interest journalism from legal threats designed to silence critical reporting. Serving print, digital, and nonprofit newsrooms globally, the organization provides legal support and resources to help journalists publish with confidence. It was developed by investigative journalists and media lawyers, with support from leading legal institutions and funders committed to defending press freedom.
For more information, contact info@reporters-shield.org.
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