Mapbox released a new tool with a plug-and-play format for quickly publishing interactive experiences with high-quality map visuals. The storytelling template allows users to input copy, select elements of the map they want to feature for each “chapter,” and publish. The format -- sometimes called scrollytelling -- lets the user include as much context as needed, and to define the map locations for viewing. The template allows easy output and publication of datasets and can be used to compare demographic data in different cities, share reports about factory site output, highlight housing market trends, communicate interactive travel itineraries, and display migratory patterns.
Source: Mapbox
The 2019 edition of the Javier Valdez Latin American Prize for Investigative Journalism recognized journalists from Quinto Elemento Lab (Mexico), Globo TV (Brazil) and the Center for Investigative Journalism of Puerto Rico, with first prize to Quinto Elemento for its report “El país de las dos mil fosas" (The Country of 2,000 Graves). The awards are named for Javier Valdez, a renowned Mexican journalist who reported on drug trafficking in the region and who was shot and killed in Sinaloa on May 15, 2017. The award was given at the Latin American Conference of Investigative Journalism (Colpin, for its initials in Spanish) 2019, which was held in Mexico City from November 7 to 10.
Source: Knight Center
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has launched legal action aimed at forcing the UK government to release a report into potential Russian interference in British politics. The Bureau has written to the prime minister demanding the publication of the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report. The letter makes clear that if he fails to release it, lawyers have been instructed to challenge that decision by way of an urgent application for judicial review. The contents of the 50-page report are believed to detail possible efforts by Russia to subvert British elections and interfere in UK politics, and include an examination of the closeness of oligarchs to the Conservative party. Several of the known ties between the Conservative party and wealthy Russian donors were first exposed by The Bureau.
Source: TBIJ
GIJN member Center for Investigative Reporting and its program Reveal are the target of a lawsuit that has cost the nonprofit $7 million in legal fees since early 2017, the group has disclosed. The suit, by international charity Planet Aid, claims that reporting on alleged mismanagement in its aid programs in Africa was defamatory. CIR is fighting the suit and calls it part of a broader US trend aimed at shutting down investigative reporting, "a manifest example of what deep-pocketed interests can do to a news organization even when the facts are on the journalists’ side."
Source: CIR/Reveal
Freedom House released their ninth report in their Freedom on the Net series this week. A comprehensive study in 65 countries around the globe, covering 87% of the world’s internet users, it tracks improvements and declines in internet freedom conditions each year. More than 70 analysts contributed to this year’s edition, using a 21-question research methodology that addresses internet access, freedom of expression, and privacy issues. In addition to ranking countries by their internet freedom score, the project identifies global trends related to the impact of information and communication technologies on democracy.
Source: Freedom House
Pegasus is a spyware created for mobile devices which transforms a cellphone into a mobile surveillance station. Researchers have documented it being used to spy on journalists. The spyware gives the attacker the ability to monitor, record, and collect existing and future data from phones, including calls and information from messaging applications and real-time location data. The spyware is able to remotely activate the camera and microphone to surveil the target and their surroundings. Pegasus is designed to be installed on phones running Android, BlackBerry OS, and iOS without alerting the target to its presence. Read more on how to protect yourself from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Source: CPJ
