Investigative Journalists Share Ideas in Brazil, Germany, UK

More than 800 journalists have gathered in Hamburg for the annual Netzwerk Recherche conference, one of three major events for muckrakers this weekend.

This is a busy weekend for muckrakers: investigative journalists are now meeting in Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom for seminars, training sessions, and networking. The events, sponsored by GIJN members Abraji, Centre for Investigative Journalism, and Netzwerk Recherche, have brought together more than 1200 journalists from around the world. All three events include a range of practical sessions on investigative techniques, data journalism, and new models of muckraking.

In Sao Paulo, Abraji, Brazil’s investigative journalism association, is holding its 10th Congresso Internacional de Jornalismo Investigativo, featuring three-days of 70 panels and workshops.

In London, another ten-year anniversary is occurring with the UK Centre for Investigative Journalism’s 10th CIJ Summer Conference. The event, with 60 sessions, has posted handouts on such topics as interactive storytelling, undercover filming, and tax havens.

And in Hamburg, Netzwerk Recherche, Germany’s investigative journalism association, is holding its annual conference, which has drawn more than 800 people to the two-day event. GIJN’s Nils Mulvad reports:

All three conferences emphasize skills and training. Photo: Netzwerk Recherche. Credit: Nils Mulvad.

Netzwerk Recherche is now focused on sharing tools and how to help journalists cooperate on international stories. The conference offered more than 100 sessions. In earlier conferences there was a lot of focus on discussions of ethical and philosophical questions, and less so on data journalism and other practical tools. But that has changed. “Many of the German journalists are now really dedicated to learning how to expand their investigations in other countries and media,” says Julia Stein from Norddeutsher Rundfunk. Stein was just elected as chairwoman of Netzwerk Recherche.