Last May, Direkt36 published its first story about how the companies of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s family were secretly benefiting from projects funded by the government – often paid from the European Union’s budget. Here the reporters break down the five most interesting parts of their reporting.
The cold-blooded murder of Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak was also a cold slap across the face of modern Europe. That the public watchdogs could be halted simply by a brutal act of violence seems to portend a further breakdown of European values. Is it possible to legislate better security? There could be.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from March 5 to 11 finds everyone keenly sharing data tipsheets from @IRE_NICAR’s NICAR18 conference, @texifter discussing how to identify bots versus humans online and @EdjNet talking to @culukaya about the shocking rates of femicide in Turkey.
Late last year, the number of official deaths during Hurricane Maria were at a surprising low. That’s when the journalists at Puerto Rico’s Centre de Periodismo Investigativo kicked into high gear, forcing government to be more transparent and accountable.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network is always on the lookout for contributors interested in writing stories about innovation in journalism, as well as tips, tools and how-tos around investigative reporting. Experts in investigative journalism, journalists who write about media, academics in media studies, media trainers as well as GIJN members are encouraged to contribute.
The recently published paper, Bridging the Gap, Rebuilding Citizen Trust in Media, probably offers the most complete list of the current projects around media and trust. But those interviewed for the project viewed trust — and the way publications can gain and sustain it — differently. However, all initiatives seem to rely on two principles to optimize trust: transparency and participation.
The murder of Slovakian journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kušnírová, both 27, have sparked protests since the killings on February 25. On Friday, tens of thousands gathered at the Slovak National Uprising Square in Bratislava to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government and a thorough investigation of Kuciak’s death. Feature image by Tomáš Benedikovič.
More than 30 journalists set out to film and observe every foot of the border with Mexico, from Texas to California. The result was a fully interactive map with about 20 hours of aerial footage of the border, a seven-chapter story about the journey, 14 additional stories about the consequences of the wall, 14 mini-documentaries and an explanation of the history of the border itself. Here’s how they did it.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from February 26 to March 4 finds @morgenpost setting Germany’s poll data to music, @A_agadjanian showing Google Trends data on people’s general interest in gun control a week after deadly shootings in the US and @puntofisso rounding up an interesting list of #ddj and #opendata newsletters.
Bellingcat, a UK-based open source and social media investigation site, put together a seriously impressive comprehensive list of open source verification and research tools. It includes satellite and mapping services, tools for verifying photos and videos, websites to archive hyperlinks and much more. Dig in!
Data journalism is becoming increasingly important to newsrooms of all sizes. But how can a small newsroom begin to tackle it? Here are 10 steps your newsroom can take to improve data journalism efforts, while taking care of your limited budget.
Six independent media start-ups in Poland are trying to counter the growing politicization and the financial pressures that have ravaged quality journalism in the country. But can these start-ups build audiences and become sustainable in a challenging media market?
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from February 19 to 25 finds economist @SethS_D analyzing Spotify data to find the correlation between our birth year and our music influences, @infowetrust illustrates three centuries of iconic infographics in a beautiful 17th century-styled dataviz and @EdjNet’s Stats Monitor gives you #ddj news leads on European data.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network is delighted to welcome 10 new member organizations. Along with training centers in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Trinidad, our new members include a Cuban environmental reporting site, a Brazilian newsroom focused on human rights, a Mexican media lab, a Russian citizen investigative center, a Swiss startup magazine, a European reporting network and a Philippine investigative reporting center.
When monks in Myanmar threatened to kill Min Min for his reporting on Buddhist nationalism, they had hoped to scare him into silence. Instead, the experience inspired him to start his own news organization.
This step-by-step guide explains how to do a reverse image search right on your mobile phone to check whether the photo you saw on social media is the real thing.
Launched in October 2010, Chequeado was among the first digital fact-checking projects in the world. Today it is considered one of the global leaders with continuously innovative formats, channels and approaches.
An arsonist attempted to burn down the Rivne Investigative Reporting Agency in western Ukraine on Thursday evening, according to staff members and associates. An unknown attacker entered the newsroom’s first floor office, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it ablaze. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from February 12 to 18 finds @MattLWilliams discussing the ethics of publishing Twitter content, @MaryJoWebster explaining several common “dirty data” problems and @MediaShiftOrg showing examples of the powerful impact of small data teams in newsrooms.
From uncovering Big Pharma’s influence on healthcare to investigating child rape in El Salvador or documenting Mexican families tracking their “disappeared” loved ones, Latin American muckrakers had a busy year in 2017.
Why do people put stickers over their webcams? It’s well known in tech circles that a camera in a computer or smartphone can be turned on remotely by an attacker with the resources, time and motivation.
Doing good journalism in the Middle East and North African region is no easy feat. But since 2014, the journalists at Tunisia’s Inkyfada have been doing crucial investigative stories, supported by compelling visual storytelling and interactive reading experiences.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from February 5 to 11 finds @flowingdata’s tips to visualizing missing or incomplete data, statistics of women’s challenges in journalism by @abraji and @generonumero and a cool income inequality interactive by @EconomicPolicy.
What started out in 2013 as a small donor-funded health journalism center situated inside a legacy newspaper in South Africa has transformed into a staff of 10, and 15 regular contributors across the continent. Today, Bhekisisa consistently produces impactful reports which help to influence policy and decision making, set agendas and define conversations.
Often referred to as the only independent radio station in Russia, Echo Moskvy has been subjected to state pressure for some time, but 2017 was particularly bad. One radio host was almost killed, two journalists went into in exile and several more were detained in the course of their work.
