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.
Reporters at the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism explain how they used data to reveal systemic gender-based violence in Eswatini in southern Africa.
Investigative journalist and filmmaker Anu Adelakun discusses her investigation into the forces behind water scarcity and pollution in Africa’s most populous democracy.
The managing editor of HumAngle, which covers the human costs of conflict and terrorism, discusses the challenges of investigative coverage in Nigeria.
Also featuring revelations about misuse of college scholarships in Ghana, a televangelist’s troubling empire in Nigeria, and a dive into a US charity’s spending in Malawi.
GIJN talks to our African member organizations about their challenges and successes — and the state of Investigative journalism on the continent.
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.
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.
GIJN’s Benon Herbert Oluka talks to Golden Matonga, investigations director at the Platform for Investigative Journalism – Malawi, about his career uncovering corruption.
Cross-border investigations are trending all over the world. GIJN talked to organizations promoting reporting partnerships in Africa about their experiences and challenges.
African journalists who have worked on impactful cross-border investigations share lessons on uncovering illegal fishing, timber trafficking, and illicit money flows.
These organizations are developing AI tools and resources that can be used to tackle misinformation, improve data reporting, and help with the storytelling process.
Investigative journalists who have gone undercover in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Cameroon, and Kenya share advice and practical tips.
Investigations have underlying principles, elements, and rigorous requirements for evidence, accuracy, and fairness. They also require strong and detailed planning.
The comprehensive guide offers detailed advice on managing the non-investigative aspects of collaborative projects.
The funding process is similar to investigative journalism: you must write a compelling narrative that makes the reader understand the importance of your work.
Organized crime is a global phenomenon. But Africa, with its deep-seated corruption and “resource curse,” is particularly hard hit.
The US government engages with virtually every country in the world and each new president can radically change its policy. Here’s GIJN’s updated tipsheet on digging into global US influence.
Experiences and deep insights shared by the investigative journalists.
Our curation of the most prominent data centers in Africa.
To protect journalists from safety and security risks, some African and global organizations have set up programs that offer support to muckrakers who are in trouble, either in selected African countries or across the continent.
Resources that are available for journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa who seek public information in countries with laws governing access to information.
Nonprofit organizations dedicated to offering grants in support of investigative journalism in Africa.
A guide to prominent journalism awards and competitions of special interest to investigative journalists.
Seven journalists from Abzas Media and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in a court in Baku, Azerbaijan. The group, which included Abzas Media's director, Ulvi Hasanli, and editor-in-chief, Sevinc Vagifgizi, were accused of numerous crimes and operating as an "organize group" in retaliation for their reporting. The charges included smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion, forgery, and use of false documents. Vagifgizi said that the corruption investigations Abzas Media published involving top officials and members of the Azerbaijan president’s family were the real reason behind the criminal charges. Hasanli added: “We have lost our freedom for the sake of free speech and independent media."
The Bertha Foundation, which supports activists, lawyers, and storytellers around the world with funding opportunities for those fighting injustice, is accepting candidates for the Bertha Challenge, a fellowship program that enables in-depth investigations into one pressing social issue. For the 2026 challenge, investigative journalists and activists will spend one year focusing on protecting democratic accountability. The fellowship comes with a stipend of up to US$64,900, project funding of up to US$10,000, and a “connect fund” of up to US$5,000 to encourage collaboration, training, mentorship, and networking. The deadline is July 28, 2025.
Early bird tickets are now on sale for the 2025 African Investigative Journalism Conference (#AIJC25), organized by the Wits Centre for Journalism and taking place at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 5-7, 2025. The conference, now in its 21st year, is the largest gathering of investigative journalists on the continent. #AIJC2025 will also host the third annual African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award ceremony on the second day of the conference. The early bird tickets are available via the Quicket platform until August 10 — bulk discounts are available for 5 to 9, and 10+ ticket purchases.
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), along with family and friends of former Reuters, LA Times, and Nieman Storyboard editor Kari Howard, offer the Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism. Women and non-binary journalists with at least three years’ experience can apply for grants of up to US$5,000; applicants can be freelance, and apply individually or as part of a team. Projects reported and published in English anywere in the world are eligible, and reporting must be completed within six months. The application deadline is July 13, 2025. Howard died of cancer in 2022.
Source: The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation
In Malta, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella received life sentences on charges related to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb outside her home in October 2017. The jury delivered an 8-1 verdict convicting Agius and Vella of supplying the bomb used to kill Caruana Galizia. The alleged mastermind of the plot, Yorgen Fenech, is currently awaiting trial after being released on bail in February 2025. The middleman in the plan for Caruana Galizia’s murder, Melvyn Theuma, received a presidential pardon in 2019 and is now a state witness.
Journalists of color based in the United States can apply for the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)’s Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship. The year-long program aims to prepare and support a journalist of color for a career in investigative reporting, and provides training and mentorship, as well as support to attend IRE trainings, Data Journalism Bootcamps, a NICAR conference, the IRE annual conference, and other benefits. Fellows receive a one-year IRE membership or renewal, conference registrations, travel stipends, and more. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2025.
In a letter coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters without Borders (RSF), more than 130 global leaders of news and press freedom organizations called on world leaders, governments, and international institutions to ensure journalists from outside Gaza are given immediate access to the territory. The letter also demands the protection of Palestinian journalists currently reporting under siege in the territory. For almost 20 months, Israeli authorities have prevented international media from entering Gaza, except for brief excursions. “Access must be restored, and the rights of journalists must be respected,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
Source: Daphne Caruaza Galicia Prize for Journalism
The fifth edition of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism is now open for submissions. Professional journalists, individually or working in teams, may submit their work for consideration by July 31, 2025. The Prize honors outstanding journalism that defends core values of the European Union, such as human dignity, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. The winning submission will be selected by an independent jury, and the €20,000 annual prize will be awarded in October 2025 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, as a symbolic reminder of the date of Caruana Galizia’s assassination.
Security forces of the Kyrgyz government have arrested, detained, and relocated for interrogation numerous journalists from GIJN member Kloop media in the past two days. Authorities conducted coordinated raids targeting at least eight individuals, including current and former Kloop editorial staff. These journalists were also denied access to legal representation for hours and some were accused of "inciting mass unrest," though no formal charges have been filed as of now. “The detention of Kloop journalists is yet another stark example of how Kyrgyzstan’s security apparatus is being used to crush dissent and dismantle independent journalism. These actions are clearly intended to intimidate critical voices," said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Five US-based press freedom organizations — the Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom of the Press Foundation, International Women’s Media Foundation, PEN America, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press — announced the launch of a network to provide legal, safety, and training resources to journalists and newsrooms in the United States. They noted that requests for assistance from journalists and newsrooms have increased significantly. “Journalists and newsrooms from across the country are increasingly concerned about a raft of measures and actions that threaten press freedom in the United States,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
Tips on persistence from a permanently exiled reporter whose multi-year investigation was turned into an Emmy-nominated documentary.
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Connie Walker discusses her favorite podcast tools, the ‘radical transformation’ of how Indigenous issues are covered, and building trust with sources.
The investigative journalist — who has covered Iraq’s secret sex trade, the Yemen war, and the Sanaa funeral bombing — shares insights from working on a difficult beat.
Brazilian freelance reporter Hyury Potter recently won the Pulitzer Center’s Breakthrough Journalism Award.
The chief data reporter for the Financial Times discusses how he considers the use of text, color, and annotation to aid visual storytelling through charts and graphics.
After five years and 2,875 project entries from more than 100 countries, the Sigma Awards have become a catalyst for innovation and forever changed the face of data journalism.
Ten outstanding data-driven journalism projects, from as many countries, were chosen by a diverse Prize Committee of 17 judges from 498 entries from 80 countries.
GIJN, the new home of the Sigma Awards, is proud to announce the 2025 shortlist for the best data journalism projects and portfolios in the past year.
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, a GIJN founding member, has grown from a one-room news startup 36 years ago to a seminal force for watchdog reporting.
The team at the award-winning data journalism outlet suspected that Russia would invade — they could see clues in the data. We profile the team and their work combating false conflict narratives.
In the aftermath of a car bombing that killed one of Malta’s leading investigative reporters, her family set up an organization to fight for justice and ensure her legacy lives on.
The nonprofit newsroom — whose founders and senior leadership are all women — has taken a innovative, youth-focused approach to covering corruption.
Our third regional spotlight series examines the challenges facing our members and other outlets in the Middle East and North Africa, such as war, backsliding democracies, self-censorship, exile, surveillance and imprisonment of journalists, and the hostile legal environment — and why this reality on the ground makes investigative journalism there all the more essential.
Our second regional spotlight series 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.
A webinar exploring how investigative journalists can document human rights abuses in war zones, with a focus on methods to ensure the information gathered can later be used by legal investigators or international courts.
Satellite imagery has become a game-changer for investigative journalism, offering powerful tools to uncover hidden stories.
The 2024 elections marked a seismic year for democracies worldwide, presenting investigative journalists with unique challenges and opportunities.
In Africa, more than in most other parts of the world, the hurdles that journalists have to overcome to report beyond their own countries or continent are numerous.
