29 Journalists Graduate from GIJN’s Third Digital Threats Training Course

GIJN’s six-week, tuition-free online program, which took place from April 29 to June 6, 2024, provided selected reporters with the expertise needed to deliver cyber and digital threats investigations across a range of beats and topics. The 29 journalists in the third cohort were selected from more than 250 applications and come from more than 26 countries across the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Participants come from independent media organizations and larger outlets with local, regional, and international reach.

“With the way digital threats keep evolving and impacting citizens around the world, our program aims to support journalists who are interested in investigating them,” said GIJN Executive Director Emilia Díaz-Struck. “We are immensely grateful to our experienced instructors, and are looking forward to future investigations related to digital threats this third cohort will work on after the course.”

Our third cohort was led by investigative reporter Craig Silverman from ProPublica, and offered online classes that also featured experts such as freelance journalist Jane Lytvynenko (Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Harvard Shorenstein Center); online security specialist Etienne “tek” Maynier from Human Rights Watch; and independent researcher Luis Assardo, also with Reporters Without Borders (RSF). We also worked with Gisela Perez de Acha, an open source investigative reporter teaching at the University of California, Berkeley.

“Our global fellows learned a range of new tools and techniques to help them investigate disinformation, trolling, and the digital environment,” said ProPublica’s Craig Silverman. “Now they get to apply their new skills to expose harm and bring accountability to the digital ecosystem.”

Participants had access to office hours throughout the program to help develop final reporting pitches.

“Working with a diverse group of journalists from all corners of the world has been truly inspiring. Cohort three participants now will join our alumni group, which will also strengthen cross-border collaborations in key areas such as disinformation and online manipulation,” said Andrea Arzaba, GIJN’s Digital Threats project director.

The full, five-chapter version of GIJN’s Digital Threats guide was released at the 2023 Global Investigative Journalism Conference. You can access the guide here. It is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, and Bangla.

Recruitment for GIJN’s fourth training cohort will begin in the coming months. To receive updates about the program, please register for our newsletter here.

Andrea Arzaba is GIJN’s Spanish editor and also serves as director for its Digital Threats project. As a journalist and media professional, Andrea has dedicated her life to documenting the stories of people in Latin America and Latinx communities in the United States. She holds a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and a BA in Communications and Journalism from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Her work has appeared in Palabra, Proceso Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, Animal Politico and 100 Reporters, among other media outlets.