Investigating Governments Investigating governments and their actions is a vast challenge. There are tools to use, but the best place to begin is self-education about how things work in theory and practice. Whatever the investigatory goal, success will be enhanced through fundamental knowledge of how government works. What you learned in school may lay the […]
Researching Corporations and Their Owners Learning about corporations is one of the toughest challenges for investigators, professional or amateur. Unfortunately, the identity of the real owners may be legally disguised. The good news is that there are many ways to research companies. These include: Free databases Subscription databases Official records Corporate websites Court records Internet […]
Researching Individuals and Experts There are many sophisticated online tools for conducting research on individuals. The range of digital investigative tools is visualized in this resource, The Open Source Intelligence Framework. Click on any category in the outline and see a wide array of options. Online Research Tools and Investigative Techniques by the BBC’s Paul Myers […]
Online Search Strategies We’ll get to specific tips and tools on searching the internet in a minute, but the first suggestion is to consider carefully what you want to know. This is essential to effectively framing your search. It is usually best to start online searches with a few keywords. After seeing the results, try […]
This chapter provides advice on ethical behavior for citizen investigators, and on how to work safely and securely. On both topics, we draw from the experience of the journalism world while trying to make it relevant for non-journalists. Ethics Codes of journalistic ethics are behavioral norms with value for citizen investigators. Such ethics codes are […]
Investigation: A Learnable Skill Journalists have to learn how to conduct investigations. Citizens can learn, too. Citizen investigators often begin with a very important advantage – motivation. Their drive may be based on a particular irritation, a suspicion, or a special interest. Whatever the source, having a goal is an advantage. Another plus for citizen investigators is […]
Titles Don’t Matter, Investigate! Curiosity fuels investigations, and there’s no monopoly on who can be curious. Citizens can investigate, and they do. GIJN provides some great examples below. This GIJN guide aims to help non-journalists investigate even more. The sections teach the techniques used by investigative journalists. Our guide will help with: Planning and carrying […]
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from September 9 to 15 finds ProPublica open-sourcing its collaborative reporting software; CityLab interviewing Mark Monmonier, author of “How to Lie With Maps,” on Donald Trump’s deceptive hurricane map; Al Jazeera surveying South Sudan’s citizens on displacement; and Reuters visualizing just how bad the Earth’s problem is in terms of single-use plastics.
Looking to learn a new programming language or improve your spreadsheet skills? These online vendors offer free or low-cost online courses and video tutorials on a variety of topics and languages. Check GIJN’s YouTube page for the free webinars. The Social Data School, led by Cambridge Digital Humanities in association with the Minderoo Centre for […]
There are a plethora of programs available for data visualization. Some are very simple to use and require no coding, while others are more difficult to learn but offer greater flexibility and interactivity. Here are some of the most popular options for journalists. ArcGIS online is a tool from Esri to create and share online […]
