Anne-Mie Desterbecq (1938–2025): A life Devoted to Journalism

2025-06-14

OSTEND - Journalismfund Europe mourns the loss of co-founder.

Anne-Mie Desterbecq, one of the co-founders of the Pascal Decroos Fund for Investigative Journalism, died in Ostend (Belgium) on 11 June 2025. She was 87 years old.

Anne-Mie was part of the group that founded the fund in 1998 - an initiative that would later evolve into Journalismfund Europe. Her dedication to the organisation was remarkable: she served as a member of the board of director for 16 years (1998-2014), after which she remained involved for an additional eight years as a loyal member of the General Assembly until March 2022.

For Journalismfund Europe, Anne-Mie was more than a co-founder. As the mother of Pascal Decroos - whose name the fund bears in Flanders - and wife of the late Paul Decroos, who chaired the non-profit organisation for many years, she formed the family nucleus of an organisation that today is Europe's most important mainstay for investigative journalism.
Besides Pascal, Anne-Mie also leaves behind her children Ann-Sophie, Tom and Isabel and nine grandchildren. Her dedicated volunteer work - enabling independent, critical journalism - will live on in the many projects that found their way into the public eye thanks to her commitment and vision.

Funeral service
Friday 20 June 2025 at 11.00 a.m.
Sint-Annakerk, Stenedorpstraat, Stene (Belgium)

Journalismfund Europe expresses its deep gratitude for Anne-Mie's many years of selfless commitment to journalism and democracy.

Photo © Journalismfund - Anne-Mie (second from left) is flanked by her daughter, Isabel Decroos (left), and her husband, Paul Decroos (right).

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