Reporting Tools & Tips Research
Seven Deadly Sins of Bad Open Source Research
Three experts from Bellingcat dig into common open source errors that they’ve encountered, to help other online investigators improve the quality of their own work.
Investigation Reveals Global Fisheries Are Worse Off — and Many Have Already Collapsed
For The Conversation, an academic researcher recounts his team’s investigation, published in the journal Science, that looked into the accuracy of models measuring the health of fisheries.
Distribution & Promotion Getting the Story Out
How Mobile Investigative Newsrooms Can Restore Citizens’ Faith in Journalism
Two members of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project — North Macedonia’s Investigative Reporting Lab and Latvia’s Re:Baltica — have set up reporting outposts across their respective countries to directly connect the public with their watchdog reporting.
Reporting Tools & Tips
Q & A: Lessons Learned from Investigating the Wagner Group in Africa
In this interview, Nigerian investigative journalist Philip Obaji Jr. discusses the threats and challenges he has faced covering the Russian mercenary outfit, the Wagner Group, and their activities in Africa.
Reporting Tools & Tips Research
Exposing the Money Behind Environmental Destruction, Part II: Investigating Investors
In this second installment of a Pulitzer Center series, reporters Jelter Meers and Madeleine Ngeunga reveal their tactics in investigating the financial incentives fueling environmental damage.
Data Journalism Top 10
Kamala Harris’ New Donor Wave, Elon Musk’s Hard Right Turn, Cheap Drone Warfare, and a Superyacht Suddenly Sinks
In this edition of our Top 10 in Data Journalism, we also highlight an investigation into irregularities in the vote count during Nigeria’s 2023 elections; a timeline of tensions in the Middle East; and an analysis of Japan’s global gas empire.
Press Freedom Safety & Security
‘Silenced’: Brazilian Investigative Journalist Juliana Dal Piva on Facing Threats from Her Reporting
Her reporting put her on a collision course with the supporters of Brazil’s then-President Jair Bolsonaro, which led to her facing personal and professional ramifications for investigating the powerful.
Sustainability
The Threat — And Possible Solutions — to Latin America’s Foreign Donor-Funded Journalism
Latin American journalists have ventured into nonprofit journalism. But finding a sustainable financing model has eluded most outlets.
How They Did It News & Analysis
How One Investigation Exposed an Alarming Threat to the US Election — And Why Others Should Dig Deeper
A blockbuster Rolling Stone investigation discovered the extent of key official posts in swing state local election systems that have been filled by conspiracy theorists.
Awards, Grants, & Fellowships News & Analysis
10 Investigations Named to 2024 IJ4EU Impact Award Shortlist
The annual IJ4EU Impact Award honors the best in cross-border investigative journalism in Europe. This shortlist for 2024 recognizes 10 outstanding works of collaborative reporting.
Conference Resources
7 Highlights from Germany’s Investigative Journalism Conference
Reporters debate the legal risks of investigative reporting, covering the conflict in Gaza, open source verification techniques, and investigating global warming.
Getting Started in Investigative Journalism
Tips and Resources for Students on Investigative Journalism
Featuring the advice of university professors and leading investigative reporters who also teach, here are ten tips on how to excel in the field of watchdog reporting.
Data Journalism Top 10
‘New Great Wall’ of China, Ukraine on the Offensive, Spain’s Coast Under Threat, and the Scale of Gaza Destruction
Our latest column curates some of the best data journalism from around the world, with pieces about the Olympics, gambling in South Africa, and Spanish coastlines under threat.
Legal Defense & Emergency Aid News & Analysis
How Reporters Shield is Protecting Newsrooms from SLAPP Attacks Around the World
Clothilde Redfern, executive director of Reporters Shield, details the group’s efforts to help investigative outlets combat SLAPPs and legal harassment.
Investigative Techniques Press Freedom
Mining Social Media and Visiting Morgues to Document Police Violence in Bangladesh
“Our priority was to reveal what the government was trying to hide,” says Zyma Islam about the work of her team in the weeks that changed her country.
News & Analysis
From Mexico to South Africa, Brazil to the Philippines: GIJN’s Investigative Bookshelf
Featuring titles that address historic wrongdoing, unpack corporate secrets, and reveal misconduct that the powerful would rather remain hidden.
Guide Resource
GIJN’s Elections Guide for Investigative Reporters — Revised for 2024
Featuring a broad array of tools, techniques, and resources to help watchdog reporters dig into almost any campaign or election.
Guide Resource
GIJN Reporter’s Guide to Investigating War Crimes
This comprehensive guide includes expert advice from more than two dozen specialists and journalists.
Guide Resource
Covering the Extractive Industries
Mineral extraction plays a dominant role in many economies and in the lives of billions of people. How can reporters dig into the benefits and costs?
Database Resource Tipsheet
Grants and Fellowships for Journalists
GIJN has compiled a comprehensive list of national, regional, and global reporting grants and fellowships focused on opportunities available to international journalists.
Chapter Guide Resource
Latest Tools to Help Reporters Investigate Methane Emissions
New sources have emerged that can help investigative journalists hold to account those responsible for emitting methane gas, a major cause of global warming.
Resource
Awards for Investigative Journalists
A guide to prominent journalism awards and competitions of special interest to investigative journalists.
Guide Resource
Reporter’s Guide to Investigating Carbon Offsets
Carbon offsets are truly an international climate change story with potential for cross-border collaboration between journalists.
GIJN Hub
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18–22 September 2024
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Program Director
Global Investigative Journalism Network
Remote
Deadline: 10 October 2024
Local Conference Producer/Coordinator (KL, Malaysia)
Global Investigative Journalism Network
Malaysia
Deadline: 20 September 2024
Resource Center Researcher
Global Investigative Journalism Network
Remote
Deadline: 30 September 2024
Editor, Head of Crises Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
Paris, France
Deadline: Open until filled
Investigative Reporter (Paraguay)
OCCRP
Paraguay
Deadline: 17 September 2024
News Editor
Code for Africa
Anywhere in Africa
Deadline: 20 September 2024
Training and Journalism Officer, Information & Media Practice
IREX
Türkiye
Deadline: Open until filled
Southeast Asia: Senior Media Advisor
Internews
Asia
Deadline: Open until filled
Managing Director
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
Leipzig, Germany
Deadline: 27 September 2024
Data Editor
ProPublica
New York, United States
Deadline: Open until filled
Around the World
Grants Available for Data Investigations Into Environmental Crime
Source: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC) has open submissions for its ECO-SOLVE amplifying grants. The program is "designed to fund initiatives that combat the illicit wildlife trade and timber trafficking" and supports collaborative projects across the Americas, Africa, Southeast Asia/Oceania, China, and India that "reduce gaps in law enforcement integration, overcome institutional and political barriers to data sharing, and identify innovative solutions." GITOC will be awarding four grants of €250,000 (US$275,000) each and the projects will run for one year. Deadline for applying is October 18, 2024 and grants will begin in February 2025.
Kyrgyz Supreme Court Upholds Decision to Shut Down GIJN Member Kloop
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
Investigative outlet — and GIJN member — Kloop lost it appeal to the Kyrgyz Supreme Court, which upheld a lower court ruling that declared the outlet must be dissolved. That initial decision from a year ago came in the wake of Kloop's numerous corruption investigations into the country's president and other state officials. "The forced shuttering of international award–winning investigative outlet Kloop is a shameful episode in the history of modern Kyrgyzstan — a country long viewed as a haven for press freedom in Central Asia — and is a clear indication that under President Japarov this reputation no longer holds,” said the CPJ's Gulnoza Said.
Registration Open for AccessFest 2024, IRE’s Virtual Conference
Source: Investigative Reporters & Editors
IRE members who were unable to attend this year’s Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) conference, or the NICAR data journalism conference, can register for AccessFest, IRE’s annual “virtual-by-design” event. (Attendees can also apply to become an IRE member online.) Taking place on October 17-19, 2024, AccessFest focuses on expanding IRE’s efforts to provide more accessible training and inclusion to improve newsrooms and coverage. It will also feature the best data classes and investigative reporting sessions from IRE’s in-person conferences this past year. Journalists, students, and educators of color are eligible to apply for AccessFest fellowships.
Former Politician Convicted in Killing of US Investigative Reporter
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
A jury in Las Vegas, Nevada, found a former politician guilty of the murder of investigative reporter Jeff German. Robert Telles, previously a Clark County public administrator, lost his re-election bid in the summer of 2022 after German extensively reported on misconduct and possible corruption in Telles' office. German, a veteran reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was found dead outside his home several months later. "The conviction sends an important message that the killing of journalists will not be tolerated,” said the CPJ's Katherine Jacobsen. “It is vital that the murder of journalists should be taken seriously and perpetrators held accountable.”
Journalists Arrested During Democratic National Convention in Chicago
Source: Reporters Without Borders
At least three journalists were arrested covering protests during the US Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On Tuesday, August 20, a small group of protesters gathered outside Chicago’s Israeli Consulate to protest the war in Gaza. Overnight, according to the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, more than 70 people were arrested, including three credentialed journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the journalists’ credentials were seized and that they were charged with disorderly conduct and failure to obey police. Citing press freedom concerns, RSF called for all charges against the journalists to be dropped.
Application Deadlines Approaching for Two FIJ Grants
Source: Fund for Investigative Journalism
The application periods for two different journalism grants from the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) are coming to a close. FIJ's regular grants program provides up to US$10,000 for stories that "break new ground and uncover wrongdoing in the public or private sectors," but journalists must provide a commitment from a news outlet as part of the application. FIJ's seed grants program is aimed at freelancer reporters and offers up to US$2,500 for initial research (open-records fees, travel, logistics costs) to solidify investigative pitches. The regular grants deadline is end of day Sept. 9 and the seed grants deadline is end of day Sept. 20.
Transparency International Publishes New Report on Secret Money Transfers Between Russia and UK
Source: Transparency International Russia
A new report released by Transparency International (TI) Russia details a web of illicit digital money transfers between Russia and the United Kingdom. According to TI, this secret money channel over the past decade has allowed large e-payments via verified business bank accounts and highlights "significant regulatory gaps and the use of dark web marketplaces where these accounts are sold, often registered under false identities with genuine documents." The report also identified high-risk profiles, political exposed persons, and complex corporate structures that "exacerbated" the risk of illegal money transfers into the UK from Russia.
Applications Open for Anna Politkovskaya-Arman Soldin Prize
France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has launched the second iteration of the Anna Politkovskaya-Arman Soldin Prize for Courage in Journalism, which “honors the work of journalists and photojournalists committed to carrying out their essential role of spreading information, particularly in crisis or conflict theatres.” The prize is named for Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and French-Bosnian AFP photojournalist Arman Soldin, who were killed in the line of duty. It will be awarded in early November 2024, and the winner will receive €10,000 (US$10,921) to finance a reporting project.
Two Accused Hitmen Acquitted of Killing Greek Reporter
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
A Greek court acquitted two men accused of carrying out the 2021 assassination of crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz, citing a lack of evidence. Prosecutors had claimed that the two men, who are brothers, ambushed the well-known investigative journalist outside his Athens home, shooting him 10 times. Karaivaz had done extensive reporting on organized crime and authorities claimed that the men were carrying out a retaliatory hit. “We call on the Greek authorities to ensure that all of those involved in the deadly shooting of Karaivaz are brought to justice," said CPJ Europe representative Attila Mong.
Launch of Shireen Abu Akleh Prize for Women Journalists
Source: International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IJF) and the International Francophone Press Union (UPF) have launched the Shireen Abu Akleh Prize to recognize the escalating threats and risks women journalists face. Named for the Palestinian journalist killed in the Jenin refugee camp while reporting live in May 2022, the prize will recognize the courage and commitment of women journalists. Nominations are open to women journalists and media professionals regardless of nationality, working languages, or media platform. Recipients will receive €5,000, and the inaugural award will be given out in December 2024.
10 Questions News & Analysis
10 Questions with Mohamad Abu Shahma: Working — And Living — Inside Gaza as an Investigative Journalist
GIJN spoke with the northern Gaza-based journalist about how he has managed to survive and work as a watchdog reporter under harrowing, life-threatening conditions.
10 Questions LATAM Focus News & Analysis
When the Investigative Journalist Becomes a Target: Lessons From Brazil
When the award-winning Folha de São Paulo journalist did an investigation into election disinformation, she became a target herself.
10 Questions LATAM Focus News & Analysis
‘Don’t Be Scared, Not Even with Presidents’: Tips from a Celebrated Mexican Investigator
As one of the most respected journalists in Latin America, Carmen Aristegui has investigated political corruption and forced disappearances, never shying away from tough subjects.
10 Questions
Piercing the Veil of Censorship in China as a Visual Investigator
As a member of The New York Times Visual Investigations team, Muyi Xiao reports on her native China using a combination of remote tools and interviews.
Data Journalism Teaching & Training
Test Your Data Visualization Skills With GIJN’s Latest Quiz
GIJN Turkish Editor and data journalism instructor Pinar Dag is back with another quiz to test your knowledge of data visualization.
Data Journalism Reporting Tools & Tips
Using Data Sources to Track Harmful Climate Crisis-Fueled Algal Blooms
For the Society of Environmental Journalists Reporter’s Toolbox: datasets and sources useful for tracking the harmful impact of climate change-fueled algal blooms.
Data Journalism LATAM Focus News & Analysis
‘Shining a Light Where There Are Shadows’: Latin American Outlets Innovating With Data
Data journalism is helping outlets across the region carry out innovative projects that reveal the stories hidden in large volumes of data.
Data Journalism Getting the Story Out
How to Investigate When the State Conceals Data: Lessons from Belarus
Belarusian journalist Alina Yanchur shared the investigative methods adopted by those who have to work without access to state-published information.
Member Profiles
Fighting State Capture Through Collaboration: How amaBhungane Has Redefined Investigative Journalism in Southern Africa
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.
LATAM Focus Member Profiles News & Analysis
The Power of Collaboration: El CLIP and the Plan to Transform Latin America’s Investigative Ecosystem
CLIP was founded by three leading journalists who shared the conviction that to mirror the transnational challenges journalists face in Latin America, the stories had to be cross-border too.
Member Profiles Sustainability
How Serbia’s CINS Pushes Investigative Journalism Outside the State Media ‘Bubble’
Facing attacks and threats from politicians and partisan media, the outlet has turned to innovative reporting formats to increase audience engagement and public interest in watchdog journalism.
Getting the Story Out Member Profiles
How a Group of Paris-Based Journalists Are Saving Investigations from Oblivion
The goal of Forbidden Stories is to send a strong signal to those who oppose press freedom and want to act with impunity that killing a journalist won’t kill the story.
Projects
LATAM Focus
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.
2024 Elections
Global elections in the year ahead will affect more citizens than in any previous year, and will likely reset humanity’s liberty compass for years ahead. This ongoing project will feature an updated elections reporting guide, stories on cutting-edge tools for investigating campaigns and candidates, and lessons learned from the best in local watchdog reporting from […]
Investigating Russia and the War in Ukraine
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.
GIJC23
The 13th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC23), held in Gothenburg, Sweden from Sept. 19 – 22, 2023, gathered more than 2,100 journalists from 132 countries to hold workshops, share innovative methods, and celebrate a community increasingly facing censorship, corporate hacking, and authoritarian threats. This project is a compendium of GIJN’s coverage of the conference panels.
Videos
Resource Video
Expert Tips for Fundraising for Investigative Journalism in Africa
Despite the funding and sustainability challenges that watchdog reporting faces today, journalists across Africa are producing top-tier investigative stories. This is evident in, among others, the GIJN Editor’s Picks stories for the region from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and the decade before. However, Africa needs to catch up to the rest of the muckraking world […]
Resource Video
Investigating Latin America’s Global Reach Of Illicit Activities
How reporters have covered illicit money flows, drug trafficking, and environmental crimes when webs of misconduct start in Latin America but impact communities around the world.
Resource Video
Investigating the Extractives Industry in Africa
Africa is home to a substantial amount of the global mineral wealth. The continent, according to the Natural Resource Governance Institute, holds about 30% of the world’s oil, gas, and mineral resources. This includes up to 92% of the world’s platinum and chromium reserves, 56% of cobalt, 54% of manganese, and 40% of its gold. […]
Resource Video
Investigating the Israel Hamas Conflict
Seven months into the conflict between Israel and Hamas, journalists carrying out their work in the region have faced unparalleled challenges. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of April 9th, preliminary investigations show at least 95 journalists and media workers were among the more than 34,000 estimated killed since the conflict began on […]