Filipino journalist Jaemark Tordecilla explains how he made and refined a custom AI tool that makes it easier to report on public spending from budgets published online.
Investigative journalist and filmmaker Anu Adelakun discusses her investigation into the forces behind water scarcity and pollution in Africa’s most populous democracy.
In El Salvador, the government has increasingly failed to honor public access to Information laws, forcing journalists to obtain data through other channels to hold power to account.
Would a group of reporters who knew – for sure – that they were being followed be able to identify the operatives sent to track them?
GIJN is proud to announce that it is the new administrator for the annual SIGMA data journalism awards, which are now accepting submissions for the 2025 round.
Our fortnightly column also highlights attacks on the LGBT community in Russia, fentanyl production in Mexico, and a New York Times analysis of its own past travel recommendations.
The press in the US faces daunting challenges with the return of President Donald Trump, but holding his administration accountable makes environmental journalism that much more vital.
The managing editor of HumAngle, which covers the human costs of conflict and terrorism, discusses the challenges of investigative coverage in Nigeria.
GIJN member Mongabay is leading the way in environmental journalism with a innovative global-plus-local approach to watchdog reporting.
For an investigation into misinformation on TikTok, the Documented team developed helpful methodologies for using AI to transcribe and analyze large amounts of downloaded videos.
Files discovered at Syria’s intelligence directorate after the fall of the Assad regime detail an operation to surveil and investigate SIRAJ, a Syrian journalist collective.
From Russia to Central Asia, the climate for investigative journalism is deteriorating. But watchdog reporters have not given up, even if many now have to report from overseas.
Despite the challenges of reporting in wartime, Ukrainian journalists continue to uncover corruption — even while under attack from disinformation campaigns.
Also featuring stories on dubious pension payments, sinking cities, and deforestation, here are our favorite stories from the Lusophone world this year.
How the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism looked into the opaque algorithm used by the ride-hailing company Grab.
Our annual round-up of compelling investigative audio stories, as reviewed by GIJN’s global team. Featuring stories from the US, Germany, Switzerland, El Salvador, Turkey, and Russia.
Read our updated guide to reporting on health and medicine, featuring lessons learned from covering the coronavirus outbreak.
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.
Featuring a broad array of tools, techniques, and resources to help watchdog reporters dig into almost any campaign or election.
The comprehensive guide offers detailed advice on managing the non-investigative aspects of collaborative projects.
Empower the World’s Watchdog Journalists
The GIJN Bulletin is free and distributed to journalists in more than 100 countries
The Pulitzer Center has opened calls for applications to journalists looking to cover issues related to the environment and the climate crisis in the lead up to COP30. This editorial grant specifically "aims to support investigative projects that examine how domestic and international climate policies influence the governance of rainforest and ocean ecosystems. This includes exploring, for example, how regulations—or their absence and misuse—facilitate problematic industrial operations, unsustainable supply chains, and opaque carbon offset schemes." Submissions can be made in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Bahasa Indonesia. The deadline to apply is February 15.
UNESCO is now accepting nominations for its annual Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, which was established 28 years ago to recognize an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to defending press freedom in the past year. Named in honor of Cano, a Colombian journalist gunned down outside his newspaper office in Bogota in 1986, the prize committee accepts submissions of up to three candidates each from member states, press-focused NGOs, and professional organizations. The deadline to apply is midnight February 14, 2025.
Reuters Institute has published a survey looking at expectations and predictions for the journalism industry in 2025. Ominously, it found that just 41% of media leaders are confident about the future of the press, a drop of nearly 20% from just three years earlier. This includes an expectation that referral traffic from most social media sites will continue to erode, and concern over "AI slop" infecting the information environment and undermining the work of fact-based reporting. While more than half — 56% — are optimistic about their site's business prospects for 2025, worries about further demonization of the press and physical attacks still color much of the industry, especially with the arrival of several far right governments into power around the world.
Source: International Center for Journalists
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is now accepting applications for its News Creator Award for Excellence in Independent Video Journalism. This honor, which will be given to eight winners at the 2025 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, recognizes high-quality, digital-first video journalism from independent reporters around the world. The deadline for nominations is midnight US EST on January 15.
As part of its Earth Investigations Programme, Journalismfund Europe is offering another round of grants for cross-border teams of professional journalists. The funding, which totals €1.6 million (US$ 1.7 million) for the 2025 cohort, targets investigations into the environment in Europe (not just the EU) and is not limited to media organizations in Europe (although any final story or stories must be published by at least one Europe-based site). The grant can used by journalists to fund reporting time and logistics expenses as well as cover legal costs and investments in necessary technology or datasets. Deadline: January 23, 2025.
In the wake of the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, GIJN member SIRAJ has uncovered internal documents showing that the intelligence agencies were surveilling members of the site's staff and tracking their work. In a post on LinkedIn, SIRAJ founder Mohammad Bassiki detailed the revelations: "We now know there were a total of six former Assad's regime security branches secretly pursing us inside and outside Syria." However, this intense scrutiny, he noted, was proof of the power of accountability journalism, even when facing one of the most implacable totalitarian regimes. Bassiki promised a fuller account will be published soon on SIRAJ's site.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
At least 50 journalists have been injured by police in recent weeks while covering pro-EU demonstrations in Georgia. According to the CPJ, dozens of reporters covering the mass protests in Tbilisi and elsewhere in Georgia have been brutalized or unfairly detained while doing their jobs. While Georgia's Special Investigation Service said it will be looking into these assaults on the press, CPJ decried what it called a clear pattern of intimidation. “Georgian authorities must hold police officers to account for brutalizing members of the press and publicly commit to uphold journalist safety during the protests," said the CPJ's Gulnoza Said.
GIJN member Lighthouse Reports is holding workshops in Berlin in January 2025 for young Syrians and Afghans living in the EU who are interested in pursuing a career in OSINT and investigative journalism. The December 4 application deadline has been extended to Wednesday, December 11 for Syrian applicants. The workshop will “combine training, practical exercises and Q&As with expert guest speakers. Trainers will cover social media investigations, analyzing satellite imagery and plane and ship tracking, amongst other topics.” The workshop is open to students, recent graduates, or young professionals already based in the Schengen Area.
Source: European Federation of Journalists
The EFJ announced that it will soon stop publishing content on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. The EFJ, which represents nearly 300,000 journalists in 44 countries, said that it will no longer update its account with content from its members as of January 20, 2025. It joins the Guardian and other European media sites that have ceased updating their X accounts, citing numerous actions by new owner Elon Musk which includes downranking news links, ending free verification, and changing its algorithm to push right-wing content. The EFJ said that it can "no longer ethically participate in a social network that its owner has transformed into a machine of disinformation and propaganda."
Swedish journalist Kim Wall had an accomplished career as an international correspondent, reporting from Cuba, Kampala, and Sri Lanka. When she was killed while reporting a story, her family set up a memorial fund in her name, in co-ordination with the International Women's Media Foundation. Since 2018, the fund has awarded more than a dozen $5,000 reporting grants to women and nonbinary journalists "whose reporting carries forward Kim’s legacy." “We can never get Kim back, but we can see to it that her spirit and will live on, and inspire other young journalists to go out in the world and find the stories," her family said. Deadline: December 8.
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.
Investigative reporter Annie Hylton on her journey from law to journalism, overlooked stories, and advice for interviewing sources living with trauma.
Throughout her career, the trailblazing Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont has exposed graft, bribery, and misconduct.
Filipino journalist Jaemark Tordecilla explains how he made and refined a custom AI tool that makes it easier to report on public spending from budgets published online.
GIJN is proud to announce that it is the new administrator for the annual SIGMA data journalism awards, which are now accepting submissions for the 2025 round.
Data journalism in Africa has made a powerful impact, from holding leaders accountable to refuting myths around domestic violence. But the field faces formidable challenges.
A recent investigation by Grist, a nonprofit independent media outlet, dug into federal datasets to uncover the extent of state trust lands on Indigenous reservations across the US.
GIJN member Mongabay is leading the way in environmental journalism with a innovative global-plus-local approach to watchdog reporting.
Since its inception, the Cameroon-based journalism collective has had a double mission: first to train journalists, and then to encourage them to work together.
Launching as a digital outlet 25 years ago gave Malaysiakini’s founders the freedom to report on stories that others feared to cover.
As well as playing an outsize role in exposing state capture and toppling South Africa’s former president, this newsroom is a champion for investigative journalism in the region.
The second in our ongoing series of regional spotlight weeks 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.
Despite the funding and sustainability challenges that watchdog reporting faces today, journalists across Africa are producing top-tier investigative stories.
How to cover illicit money flows, drug trafficking, and environmental crimes originating in Latin America but impacting communities worldwide.
This webinar was designed to equip investigative journalists with the knowledge and tools to enhance their watchdog reporting on Africa’s mining sector.
Three senior investigative journalists shared tips and tools on investigating the conflict in Gaza.
