New Free Tools to Track Corporate Misconduct Around the World
The new Violation Tracker Global (VT Global) portal offers unique and valuable datasets on corporate misconduct across 57 countries and territories outside of the US and UK.
Reporting Tools & Tips
5 Free Open Source Digital Tools to Combat Disinformation
Developed by Brazilian media outlets in late 2024, the solutions are available free of charge to any journalistic organization inside and outside Brazil.
Data Journalism Reporting Tools & Tips
From NICAR25, Four Free Cutting Edge and Time-Saving Investigative Data Tools
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.
Reporting Tools & Tips
GIJN Toolbox: Cutting-Edge — and Free — Online Investigative Tools You Can Try Right Now
GIJN highlights some new, free investigative tools on fact checking, topic briefing, and journalist privacy that were the subject of significant interest in the hallways at the 2024 NICAR conference.
Resource Tipsheet
Free, Game-Changing Data Extraction Tools that Require No Coding Skills
In this edition of GIJN Toolbox, we examine the latest advancements from the IRE22 conference on data extraction and optical character recognition (OCR) tools for turning unwieldy documents into searchable spreadsheets.
My Favorite Tools
My Favorite Tools with Freelance Journalist Théo Englebert
For the latest installment of GIJN’s My Favorite Tools series, we spoke with French freelance reporter Théo Englebert, who drew acclaim last year for revealing that Rwandan colonel Aloys Ntiwiragabo, who is suspected of participating in that country’s 1994 genocide, had been living in France for at least 14 years.
Data Journalism
Drilling Down: A Quick Guide to Free and Inexpensive Data Tools
Newsrooms don’t need large budgets for analyzing data–they can easily access basic data tools that are free or inexpensive. Editor and Associate Professor Nils Mulvad explains how.
News & Analysis
How Well Do Online Freedom of Information Tools Actually Work?
Online FOI tools have gone global, but how well do they really work? UK-based nonprofit mySociety, which makes the Alaveteli FOI platforms came to some surprising conclusions about the sites’ impact and who uses them. Read the reports’ highlights to find out.
Reporting Tools & Tips
Essential Open Source Tools for Journalists Investigating Air Pollution
Here is a list of open source data tools that journalists can utilize to track air pollution, uncover its sources, and reveal the corporate networks responsible.
News & Analysis Press Freedom
Chaos and Credibility: A Snapshot of How AI Is Impacting Press Freedom and Investigative Journalism
GIJN offers a snapshot of how watchdog reporters are confronting algorithmic abuses and misinformation while also employing AI as a key newsroom tool.
News & Analysis Press Freedom
Behind the FOI Desk: Using Freedom of Information Laws to Fuel Accountability Stories in Africa
Newsrooms across Africa have established formal, right-to-information help desks that leverage government document requests for public accountability and watchdog reporting.
How They Did It
Exposing Extremism Networks in Sub-Saharan Africa Using Open Source Tools
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.
Reporting Tools & Tips
Why Any Reporter Can Now Source Free, Quality Satellite Images of Almost Anywhere on Earth
At a recent GIJN webinar, three experts explained how reporters can get regular, free access to high-quality satellite images covering almost anywhere on Earth.
Resource Video
How to Acquire Free Satellite Imagery for Your Investigations
Satellite imagery has become a game-changer for investigative journalism, offering powerful tools to uncover hidden stories.
Past event
GIJN Webinar: How to Acquire Free Satellite Imagery for Your Investigations
January 27, 2025
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Editor's Picks News & Analysis Reporting Tools & Tips
GIJN’s Top Investigative Tools of 2024
In 2024, new and innovative digital tools provided leads and evidence for accountability stories on every continent.
Reporting Tools & Tips News & Analysis
How Journalism Groups in Africa Are Building AI Tools to Aid Investigations and Fact-Checking
These organizations are developing AI tools and resources that can be used to tackle misinformation, improve data reporting, and help with the storytelling process.
Jaridar Bayanai My Favorite Tools
My Favorite Tools: Sigma Award-Winning Data Journalist Leonardo Nicoletti
The data visualization expert and former academic stresses the importance of having an ‘interdisciplinary mindset’ when approaching data-driven stories.
News & Analysis Reporting Tools & Tips
How Journalism Groups in Africa Are Building AI Tools to Aid Investigations and Fact-Checking
These organizations are developing AI tools and resources that can be used to tackle misinformation, improve data reporting, and help with the storytelling process.
Tipsheet Investigative Techniques Reporting Tools & Tips
Reporter’s Tipsheet for Acquiring Free Satellite Images
There is a treasure trove of compelling visual evidence out there that is going unused by many watchdog journalists. Here’s how to find it.
Reporting Tools & Tips
New AI and Large Language Model Tools for Journalists: What to Know
At the 2024 NICAR conference, data experts grappled with the broader question of when and how AI is appropriate to use in newsrooms.
News & Analysis
Spotting Deepfakes in an Election Year: How AI Detection Tools Work — and Sometimes Fail
Offering insights on how to evaluate and understand the outcomes provided by publicly accessible AI detectors that are available for free or at low cost.
Tipsheet
Tipsheet: Latest Tools for Investigating with Telegram
Telegram’s rapid growth means reporters and investigators need to become trained in new tools that can be used to search and analyze data from the platform.
Reporting Tools & Tips
GIJN’s Top 10 Investigative Tools of 2023
Having flagged the top tips at NICAR23, IRE23, and GIJC23 in Sweden, GIJN offers the following 10 user-friendly tools that you might consider in your next investigations.
Resource Video
GIJC23 – The Future of Data Journalism: New Analytical Tools, Data Visualization, and AI
This roundtable will conclude the data track of the conference with a discussion on the tools that are coming to the forefront for doing data stories and with predictions for what is ahead. Join us with your ideas for what is next. ———————– The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an international association of journalism organizations […]
Resource Video
GIJC23 – Lightning Round Favorite Tools & Techniques
Lightning rounds are among the most popular sessions at our global conferences. The presentations are short — about five minutes — so we fit in as many as a dozen speakers, one after another. Favorite Tools & Techniques showcases investigative methods and apps that may have escaped your notice. It’s impossible to fit all the […]
Resource Video
GIJC23 – Freelancing Survival Tips
Freelancing is a tough job; investigative freelancing is even harder. But it also brings independence and the ability to pick your projects. Here are tips from journalists from four countries with decades of experience in working on their own. ———————– The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an international association of journalism organizations that support the […]
Methodology
8 Ways Journalists Can Access Academic Research for Free
A lot of academic research exists behind paywalls. The Journalist’s Resource outlines eight ways reporters can get free access to high-quality scholarship.