The lack of regulatory oversight of radioactive waste in the oil and gas industry has created an environment ripe for some extraordinary science and environmental journalism.
With legacy media stepping back from the space, three veteran reporters decided to create a new outlet dedicated to wildlife investigations.
Hyury Potter is one of the leading environmental investigative journalists in Brazil. A freelance reporter, he recently won the Pulitzer Center’s Breakthrough Journalism Award.
Two scientists and an editor spent six months investigating so-called paper mills, which churn out bogus scientific papers that impede actual research on lifesaving breakthroughs.
The team at the award-winning data journalism outlet suspected that Russia would invade — they could see clues in the data. We profile the team and their work combating false conflict narratives.
At NICAR25, data reporters detailed how amateur transportation enthusiasts are a valuable, media-friendly, and underused source of critical tips and information for investigations.
As extremism spreads across sub-Saharan Africa, journalists are turning to open source tools to track the networks and physical movement of these often violent groups.
Our data journalism column also features stories looking at the history of African borders, Spain’s prisoner release algorithm, and the global impact of deep USAID funding cuts.
GIJN shares some of the no-cost, easy-to-use data tools that NICAR25 conference panelists described as surprisingly useful but unknown by investigative reporters.
Covering Trump 2.0 poses stark challenges for news outlets, but many environmental journalists who reported on Trump between 2016 and 2020 can offer perspective.
TBIJ journalists explain how they got around SLAPP suits by having UK Members of Parliament — shielded by legal privilege — read in the House of Commons previously silenced stories.
For International Women’s Day we spoke to data journalists from Argentina, Kenya, Sweden, and Turkey to find out why they chose this path and what challenges still remain.
The current funding challenges facing nonprofit media make it more important than ever for newsrooms to “walk the talk” on transparency and to maximize their independence.
Ginna Morelo put part of her investigation into Colombian paramilitaries on hold for 13 years to protect her family and sources. She tells how she decided it was finally time to publish.
This guide provides watchdog journalists with key context and practical advice to enable better investigations of the fossil fuel industry.
The United Nations process for evaluating national human rights records is long and complex, but offers valuable material for journalists to use when covering the topic.
A comprehensive list of national, regional, and global reporting grants and fellowships.
Featuring advice on fact checking, digital security tips, interview techniques, and guidelines for editors.
The global fight against climate change depends on the actions of individual nations — so national accountability is critical.
Empower the World’s Watchdog Journalists
The GIJN Bulletin is free and distributed to journalists in more than 100 countries
A Manhattan federal court has found Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov — who US prosecutors say belong to a Russian organized crime group — guilty of involvement in a murder-for-hire plan to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a US-Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist based in New York. Prosecutors say Iran paid the men $500,000 for carrying out the hit, which ultimately failed when the men were arrested with a loaded rifle outside Alinejad’s Brooklyn home in 2022. The case forms part of a Justice Department crackdown on transnational repression — when authoritarian governments target political opponents on foreign soil.
The Index on Censorship, along with more than 20 other organizations including GIJN, has signed a statement urging the United States to protect press freedom and keep journalists safe. The statement, whose signatories include Reporters Without Borders and PEN America, was released in response to US President Donald Trump's order calling for the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) — the federal agency that oversees broadcasting entities such as the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
The DIG Awards, organized by Documentari Inchieste Giornalismi, “acknowledge excellence in journalism and encourage the work of reporters who use video and audio to investigate current social, economic, technological, environmental and political issues.” The 10th iteration of the awards will be handed out at the DIG Festival, which will be held in Modena, Italy, from September 24-September 28, 2025. Submission takes place on the Filmfreeway platform and will be accepted until June 1, 2025. The DIG Awards include five video categories, an audio/podcast category, and a pitch category open to documentary projects that are in development or production.
A Guatemalan appeals court has ordered José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, founder of the newspaper elPeriódico, back into preventive detention. Zamora — the founder of the newspaper elPeriódico, who has faced threats and arbitrary detention for his investigations into corruption in Alejandro Giammatei’s government — was granted conditional release in October 2024 after spending more than 800 days in preventive detention. The judge presiding over the case said that he disagreed with the ruling, despite being compelled to enforce it. PEN International stated that the decision “reinforces the impunity and corruption that continue to dominate Guatemala’s judicial system."
Source: Center for News, Technology & Innovation
On March 12 the Center for News, Technology & Innovation, an independent global policy research center, released two reports on “Journalism in the Age of AI,” based on a survey of 430 journalists in more than 60 countries who were asked about government, technology, online harassment, and what it means to be a journalist these days. Key findings include that only 24% of US journalists believe the public can distinguish journalism from other forms of information; 50% of journalists globally report experiencing government overreach; and 36% of journalists say AI will have a positive impact on informing the public.
To mark International Women’s Rights Day on 8 March, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) draws attention to cyberharassment against journalists who cover women's rights and gender-based violence. Such online attacks result in reporters self-censoring, which diminishes coverage of these issues. Nearly 60% of the journalists from over 110 countries surveyed by RSF in the report “Journalism in the #MeToo Era” know at least one journalist who has been a victim of cyberharassment due to their work on these topics. RSF has 16 policy recommendations for law enforcement, judicial authorities, digital platforms, newsrooms, and national governments to mitigate online assaults.
The Germany-based nonprofit European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has announced a Journalists-in-Exile Programme program — underscoring its “long-term commitment to providing structured, sustained support for journalists and media professionals forced to flee their home countries.” Under the program, journalists will be designated JiE Fellows and receive targeted support for professional development and participation to help them continue their journalism work in Germany, including finance counseling and training. The offer is open to media professionals in Germany who have had to leave their home countries due to oppression or persecution.
In a move the RSF described as “emboldened” by President Trump’s rhetoric and freezing of foreign aid, on 25 February Serbian police raided the offices of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), the NGO behind the fact-checking website Istinomer.rs, along with three other NGOs. The public prosecutor justified the raids by citing US officials’ claims that recipients of USAID funds may have been “misused.” The operation came amid an increase in government attacks on the press in Serbia, and RSF called on institutions of the EU — which Serbia hopes to join — to condemn the targeting and criminalization of independent media.
The Associated Press (AP) has announced the launch of its Local Investigative Reporting Program to "accelerate our longstanding efforts to support newsrooms across the US," which will be led by global investigations editor Ron Nixon. Nixon and his team will work with state and local outlets to produce stories and support their reporting needs — including training for local newsrooms, for example in open source investigative techniques; using AI for local investigations; producing local investigative guides; connecting local outlets with AP editors and subject matter experts; and working with AP’s data team to provide data analysis services.
Italy’s journalists’ union has made a criminal complaint to Rome prosecutors after Giorgia Meloni’s government “shut down questions in parliament over suspicions it had illegally used spyware technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals.” It emerged in January 2025 that an investigative journalist and six others’ mobile phones had been targeted by an entity using Graphite — a military-grade spyware made by Israel-based Paragon. The Guardian also reported that Paragon had ended its dealings with Italy over a “breach of contract." Meloni’s office denied that domestic intelligence services or the government were behind the alleged hacks.
Hyury Potter is one of the leading environmental investigative journalists in Brazil. A freelance reporter, he recently won the Pulitzer Center’s Breakthrough Journalism Award.
In a career spanning more than 20 years, Le Monde reporter Stéphane Horel has brought a creative and, at times, humorous approach to groundbreaking environmental investigations.
The managing editor of HumAngle, which covers the human costs of conflict and terrorism, discusses the challenges of investigative coverage in Nigeria.
GIJN’s Benon Herbert Oluka talks to Golden Matonga, investigations director at the Platform for Investigative Journalism – Malawi, about his career uncovering corruption.
Two scientists and an editor spent six months investigating so-called paper mills, which churn out bogus scientific papers that impede actual research on lifesaving breakthroughs.
GIJN shares some of the no-cost, easy-to-use data tools that NICAR25 conference panelists described as surprisingly useful but unknown by investigative reporters.
For International Women’s Day we spoke to data journalists from Argentina, Kenya, Sweden, and Turkey to find out why they chose this path and what challenges still remain.
We used WhatsApp to crowdsource information from Uber and Lyft drivers in NYC about company lockouts during a local, minimum wage dispute.
The team at the award-winning data journalism outlet suspected that Russia would invade — they could see clues in the data. We profile the team and their work combating false conflict narratives.
In the aftermath of a car bombing that killed one of Malta’s leading investigative reporters, her family set up an organization to fight for justice and ensure her legacy lives on.
The nonprofit newsroom — whose founders and senior leadership are all women — has taken a innovative, youth-focused approach to covering corruption.
GIJN member Mongabay is leading the way in environmental journalism with a innovative global-plus-local approach to watchdog reporting.
Our second regional spotlight series examines the successes and challenges facing our members in Africa and others reporting from the continent. These articles tell the stories of growing journalistic collaboration, courage, and innovation in the face of repression, legal intimidation, lack of access to information, and even physical threats.
Our first regional spotlight series celebrates the achievements of our members in Latin America and others reporting from the region. These articles tell the stories of reporters across the continent, digging into the investigations that matter, and detailing how outlets are creating innovative reporting projects amid their own specific local challenges.
Global elections in 2024 will affect more citizens than in any previous year, and will likely reset humanity’s liberty compass for years ahead. This project features an elections reporting guide, stories on cutting-edge tools for investigating campaigns and candidates, and lessons learned from the best in local watchdog reporting from around the world.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, GIJN has published a series of stories and tipsheets for investigative journalists covering the war. This includes a wide range range of topics, from tracking Russian assets to investigating war crimes.
Satellite imagery has become a game-changer for investigative journalism, offering powerful tools to uncover hidden stories.
The 2024 elections marked a seismic year for democracies worldwide, presenting investigative journalists with unique challenges and opportunities.
In Africa, more than in most other parts of the world, the hurdles that journalists have to overcome to report beyond their own countries or continent are numerous.
This session was designed to provide investigative journalists with the skills to investigate the arms trade and military aid.
