Data Journalism
10 Outstanding Data Projects Win the 2024 Sigma Awards
There were 52 data journalism entries from 22 countries in shortlist for the 2024 Sigma Awards. Here are the top 10 winning projects.
To better share our reporting guide on investigating war crimes, GIJN has now published our online guide as the organization’s first-ever e-book.
GIJN has released its first batch of updated databases, re-publishing our resource lists on migration, business and trade, food and agriculture, and health and medicine.
Featuring a broad array of tools, techniques, and resources to help watchdog reporters dig into almost any campaign or election.
Carbon offsets are truly an international climate change story with potential for cross-border collaboration between journalists.
A guide to prominent journalism awards and competitions of special interest to investigative journalists.
This comprehensive guide includes expert advice from more than two dozen specialists and journalists.
The GIJN Bulletin is free and distributed to journalists in more than 100 countries
Advocacy organizations and investigative outlets including Rappler and CORRECTIV have called on Meta to abandon plans to shutter CrowdTangle, a tool "used by tens of thousands of journalists, watchdogs, and election observers to monitor the integrity of elections around the world." The tool is due to be wound down in August, which will "effectively prohibit the outside world, including election integrity experts, from seeing what’s happening on Facebook and Instagram during the biggest election year on record,” signatories of an open letter warn. The letter calls for the tool to be maintained throughout 2024. Meta says the decision is due to regulatory requirements.
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is accepting rolling applications for its fund for Indigenous journalists reporting on the crisis of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and Transgender people (MMIWG2T). The funding — sourced from a US$750,000 grant by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation — directly supports Indigenous journalists’ reporting on violence experienced by members of Indigenous nations, and is designed to counter dominant and often inaccurate media narratives on the issue based on reporting by non-Indigenous journalists. Grants of up to US$5,000 will be awarded.
Source: City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism
The Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York has opened applications for its McGraw Fellowships for Business Journalism. The fellowships, which are available to freelance or staff journalists with at least five years of experience, provide up to US$15,000 as well as editorial support to complete a "follow the money" investigation related to the global economy, business, or finance. The fellowship window opens twice a year, in the spring and the fall. The deadline for the current application period is March 31.
The Balkan Investigation Reporting Network (BIRN) Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence provides financial support and editorial mentoring to 10 journalists from Central and Southeastern Europe who have a story idea that needs dedicated reporting, in-depth research, generous funding, and sustained editorial attention to do it justice. Fellows’ stories are published by BIRN’s Balkan Insight and Reporting Democracy platforms and disseminated widely through their network of media partners. A bursary of €3,000 is available and the top three articles chosen by an international jury will receive awards. The fellowship now covers 14 countries.
Source: International Press Institute
According to a new report from the International Press Institute (IPI), climate and environmental journalism faces a series of increasing threats, including press freedom crackdowns and physical attacks on reporters. The report is compiled from interviews with nearly 40 journalists from 21 countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It identified "inherent risks" and the "hostile climate" that confront this critically necessary reporting, and "examines strategies for countering these attacks and pressures placed on journalists, including through collaboration, safety measures, and legal support structures."
The DIG Awards, an international competition to celebrate the best investigations and reportage in video and audio, are open for entries. The awards are organized by DIG Documentari Inchieste Giornalismi - ETS, a nonprofit association that supports investigative journalism in Italy and worldwide. Entries should investigate current social, economic, technological, environmental, and political issues. Winning projects tend to be “outstanding works of international caliber, in terms of quality, angle, depth of inquiry, the use of sources, and the originality of format,” organizers said. Entries by mid June. Awards ceremony in Modena, Italy, in September.
On March 6, police in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, raided the office of Toplum TV, an online television station founded in 2016. At least six journalists have been charged with “smuggling by prior conspiracy,” according to a statement by Toplum TV editor-in-chief and investigative reporter Khadija Ismail. All deny the charges. After the raids, the site’s YouTube and Instagram accounts were hacked and their content was deleted. Toplum TV is an independent news site founded by media lawyer Alasgar Mammadli. Human rights organizations say the raid is part of a widespread crackdown on the few remaining media outlets operating in Azerbaijan.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
More than 100 news organizations across the world, including GIJN, the AP, AFP, and Reuters, signed a CPJ letter expressing solidarity and support for journalists working under dire and sometimes deadly conditions inside Gaza. Since October 7, 95 journalists and media workers from Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The letter said: "Journalists are civilians and Israeli authorities must protect journalists as noncombatants according to international law.… Attacks on journalists are also attacks on truth. We commit to championing the safety of journalists in Gaza, which is fundamental for the protection of press freedom everywhere."
Source: National Association of Hispanic Journalists
A new study by the NAHJ found a significant lack of diversity among investigative teams in US newsrooms. According to the survey of 22 major metro newsrooms between 2021 and 2023, 6 in 10 investigative reporters were white, while Latino reporters were 13% and Black reporters made up 9%. Both of latter percentages stand below that demographic's share of the national population. Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) reporters, however, were 11% of the investigative staff, compared to 6% of the population. Gender diversity was near parity, though, with 44% of investigative reporters and 46% of editors identifying as a woman.
In a historic move, the US Treasury Department announced that for the first time it has sanctioned a company and executives that operated and distributed commercial spyware. The US sanctions target a Greek company led by a former Israeli military officer, that sells digital surveillance tools that have been used to spy on journalists as well as US government officials and policy experts. Related companies based in North Macedonia and Hungary were also sanctioned for their role in creating a zero-click spyware package marketed as Predator.
Bolot Temirov has led fact-checking and investigative journalism efforts to uncover high-level corruption inside Kyrgyzstan, making him a target for government harassment, detention, and forced deportation. But he refuses to stop reporting.
Diana Salinas is committed to uncovering wrongdoing and empowering more women to follow in her footsteps.
Philip Obaji Jr has— often at great risk — reported on Boko Haram, human trafficking, and Russian activities in Africa.
Boyoung Lim went from police officer to investigative reporter to head of the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network — a career trajectory neither linear nor planned.
There were 52 data journalism entries from 22 countries in shortlist for the 2024 Sigma Awards. Here are the top 10 winning projects.
There can be confusion among journalists about “mass shootings” data, which leads to wildly different numbers and deeper confusion among audiences.
Gaza’s urban landscape has changed profoundly since the start of Israel’s military campaign. Researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek and Corey Scher have been mapping the impact.
Our column of the best in data journalism also features stories on AI’s ability to forecast the weather, analyzing the Argentine president’s Tweetstorms, and apathetic EU voters.
GIJN member The Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (CENOZO) strives to promote journalism in the public interest.
GIJN member El Surtidor is a Paraguayan news organization created in 2015 that prioritizes innovation and multi-platform, visual journalism.
The group has built an international network of more than 100 trained investigative journalists and environmental experts probing the activities impacting the natural world.
GIJN member Danwatch was launched in 2007 by civic groups in Denmark with a focus on both research and journalism. Danwatch has since grown to have one of the largest specialized investigative journalism teams in Denmark, with 13 reporters, one of them based in South America.
Global elections in the year ahead — including presidential, legislative, and regional polls in at least 60 countries — 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 […]
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.
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.
Today, there is plenty of beat reporting and feature writing about the world’s climate crisis. But what’s missing are the investigative journalists, the ones who follow the money and hold corporations and governments accountable for what they have done – and what they haven’t done. GIJN is working to change this. Our Climate Accountability Project […]
In this short interview Jane Lytvynenko, an independent investigative reporter and an instructor for GIJN’s Digital Threats course, talks about how to start investigating online manipulation and also what challenges she faces when doing digital threats investigations. ———————– The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an international association of journalism organizations that support the training and […]
Cryptocurrencies have taken the financial world by storm, yet few people truly understand them. Despite an industry raked by volatility and billion-dollar scandals, they have gained popularity not only among investors and anarchists, but also organized crime figures and cyber thieves looking to avoid the traditional financial system. Experts insist there are ways to investigate […]
In this global economy, it’s become easy to hide one’s assets overseas, whether you’re a Mexican crime boss or a Russian oligarch. Backgrounding an individual’s holdings is essential, but ferreting out front companies, tax dodges, and hidden assets can be a tough undertaking. Here are two of the best at doing this. ———————– The Global […]
Satellite images play a crucial role in many investigations. Reporters are using them to analyze battlefields and war crimes. Eyes from above also are invaluable for many kinds of climate change stories, such as to document methane emissions, drought, and sea level rise. Our expert panelists will discuss many possible opportunities for using satellite images. […]