Kickback explores a global system of corruption and inequality: it traces how many of the most prestigious corporations in the world, including Fortune 500s, pay billions of dollars in illegal bribes every year to some of the most authoritarian and repressive regimes in the world. Montero spent five years traveling across Nigeria, Bangladesh, Greece and China to document how these payments exact a devastating toll on human rights, political stability, and the overall health of many of the world’s poorest nations. Kickback is deeply concerned with human rights issues and the exploitation of universal freedom of expression. Many writers, journalists, and artists are seeking refuge from the very regimes that Montero documents – regimes that cling to power thanks to the illegal bribes they receive from Western corporations.

Photo by: Sven Stork

David Montero has documented the impact of corruption in South and South East Asia. Formerly a correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor and a regular producer for PBS’s flagship investigative series, FRONTLINE, his work has twice been honored with an Emmy Award nomination as well as the South Asian Journalist Association’s Daniel Pearl Award. Montero has also written for Longreads, The New York Times, The Nation, Le Monde Diplomatique, Harvard Business Review, and many others.