Methodology Reporting Tools & Tips
Tips to Amplify Investigative Impact
Impact experts say there are several ways to help direct the attention of change-makers — as well as other media — to your key findings, and even nudge them to action.
Stories
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10 Questions
Lessons Learned from Mexican Investigative Journalist Anabel Hernández
Anabel Hernández is one of the most prominent investigative journalists in Mexico. With more than 30 years of experience, she has dedicated her career to investigating organized crime and the complicity of politicians, the military, and businessmen in the war on drugs in Mexico and beyond.
Data Journalism Data Journalism Top 10
Data Journalism Top 10: Organ Donations, EU Drug Use, Layoffs Language, and Russian Censorship
GIJN’s weekly curation of the most popular data journalism stories on Twitter features a look the impact of changes to organ donation rules in the US, drug usage in Europe based on wastewater analysis, a text analysis of layoff memos written by tech industry chief executives, and an examination of protests across Russia in 2022.
Reporting Tools & Tips Safety & Security
The Latest on Coping with Internet Shutdowns and Online Censorship
The National Press Club recently hosted a panel of cybersecurity and digital experts to discuss the latest in government internet shutdowns and online censorship — and how journalists can work around these challenges.
Reporting Tools & Tips
Testing the Potential of Using ChatGPT to Extract Data from PDFs
Converting text documents like PDFs to spreadsheets is tedious and expensive work. To see how well AI tool ChatGPT can extract data from PDFs, data journalist Brandon Roberts wrote a Python script to convert two document sets to spreadsheets.
Data Journalism News & Analysis
Honoring the Best in Data Journalism: Winners of the 2023 Sigma Awards
Winning entries at this year’s Sigma Awards focused on the war in Ukraine, air pollution, rising sea levels, political candidates, and road accidents involving schoolchildren, and used data, satellite imagery, gaming techniques, and 3D imagery to create compelling stories.
News & Analysis Sustainability
Mastering the Rollout: Increasing the Impact of Your Investigative Story
GIJN social media editor Holly Pate looked into best practices for increasing impact and audience engagement of investigative stories, gathering real-life examples from journalism sites around the world.
Data Journalism Data Journalism Top 10
Data Journalism Top 10: Climate Crises, Tech Layoffs, Border Fences, and Banned Books
This week our top ten in data journalism features stories digging into the link between Ebola outbreaks and deforestation, on the stark impact of global warming on everything from crop yields to species loss, and the undeniable increase in the number of hot nights in Singapore.
How to Report Under a Dictatorship: Lessons from Nicaragua and Beyond
Veteran Nicaraguan journalist and editor Carlos F. Chamorro delivered the memorial lecture at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. His speech reveals how press freedom has been eroded in Nicaragua, and the challenges of producing journalism under the ‘totalitarian regime’ of President Daniel Ortega.
News & Analysis
How a Team from Reuters Investigated Child Labor Abuses in the American South
A Reuters investigation uncovering how large corporations use child labor for chicken processing and auto supply manufacturing was a finalist for the 2023 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. Here the reporters give insights to other journalists who want to explore illegal labor practices in their coverage areas.
Case Studies Member Profiles
Danwatch: How a Danish Investigative Site Exerts Global Reach
GIJN member Danwatch was launched in 2007 by civic groups in Denmark with a focus on both research and journalism. Danwatch has since grown to have one of the largest specialized investigative journalism teams in Denmark, with 13 reporters, one of them based in South America.
Reporting Tools & Tips
New Investigative Tools for Monitoring Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms are among the most difficult sites to scrape for data across the internet. A recent session at NICAR23 unveiled several dynamic new tools — including Junkipedia, a possible CrowdTangle replacement — that can perform a wealth of social media monitoring tasks, from tracking down who is behind harmful ads to identifying conspiracy groups or influencers spreading disinformation.
Data Journalism Data Journalism Top 10
Data Journalism Top 10: Gendered Street Names, Remote Work, Heating the US, Oscars History
In the week in which International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide, data teams around the world took the opportunity to explore issues related to women, whether mapping streets named after women in Europe, analyzing leisure spaces they are able to enjoy in Southeast Asia, or the distances needed to travel for abortion access in the US.
How They Did It
Tracking Far-Right Suspects Across Continents: A 10-Year Hunt for Spanish Fugitives
As Spain transitioned to democracy, a series of attacks were carried out by the far-right. In some cases, the culprits were never found. To provide some measure of accountability, two journalists from El País have worked for a decade tracking down fugitives in cases forgotten or closed by the authorities.
Case Studies News & Analysis
Travel Woes: The Challenges Investigative Reporters Face When Crossing Borders
In an era where corruption, financial crime, and illicit trade routinely span the globe, so too must the investigations that uncover them. But one of the least discussed and often unexpected obstacles in that pursuit involves the difficulties investigative journalists can face when traveling and physically crossing borders.
Press Freedom
Independent Media Rebuilds Inside and Outside Myanmar After Violent Coup
Three years after the Myanmar military’s violent coup, journalists continue to struggle with press freedom and are trying to rebuild independent media voices in support of democracy both inside and outside the country.
Methodology Reporting Tools & Tips
10 Simple Data Errors That Can Ruin an Investigation
At the 2023 NICAR conference, GIJN talked with several data journalism experts and learned 10 simple data journalism errors to avoid that could ruin your investigation.
Data Journalism Data Journalism Top 10
Data Journalism Top 10: Algorithm Bias, Mapping Femicide, India’s Deadly Cold, Bisexual Superman
GIJN’s weekly round-up of the best in data journalism looks into algorithmic bias in welfare investigations in Rotterdam, mapping the rise of femicides in Europe, and the deadly impact of cold temperatures in India.
GIJN Webinar: Making an Impact: Measuring and Increasing the Effects of Investigative Journalism
In this GIJN webinar we bring together an expert in impact strategy and senior journalists with broad experience in building audiences and ensuring that investigative stories make impact both during and after publication.
Document of the Day News & Analysis Press Freedom
Freedom House: Global Freedom Declines for 17th Year
The 2023 edition of the Freedom in the World report, produced by US nonprofit Freedom House, was released today. This is the 50th year of the study, which tracks global trends and compiles individual country reports on political rights and liberties.
News & Analysis
Editor’s Pick: Best Stories from GIJN Women
From birth control disinformation to cross-border surrogacy, from high-level sexual harassment to the brutality of “everyday” violence against women, 2022 was a year marked by a number of noteworthy investigations into stories with a gender angle.
News & Analysis
What to Watch: 2023 Oscar-Nominated Documentaries
From a film investigating the attempted murder of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny to a stark cautionary tale about how climate change is playing out on the Arctic coast, see the Oscar-nominated documentary shortlists.
Data Journalism Data Journalism Top 10
Data Journalism Top 10: A Year of War in Ukraine, Russian Casualties, Trans Identities, Unexpected NBA Performances
GIJN’s weekly look at the best in data journalism examines one year of war in Ukraine, Russian casualty totals, trans coverage in the French media, and the most unexpected performances in NBA history.
News & Analysis
David Kaplan on the Future of Investigative Journalism: ‘We’re Just Getting Started’
As co-founder and inaugural executive director of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, David Kaplan has led the organization from an initiative with a few hundred followers in 2012 to a “network of networks” spanning some 244 groups in 90 countries. WAN-IFRA sought his insights on the future of investigative journalism in a divided world.
10 Questions
What I’ve Learned: Lessons and Advice from a Veteran of the Panama Papers Investigation
Several years ago a whistleblower reached out to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung with an enticing message: “Hello, this is John Doe… Interested in data?” That story would become the Panama Papers, the first in a number of international collaborations for investigative reporter Frederik Obermaier. Read his tips and advice about investigative reporting.
Case Studies How They Did It
How They Did It: Tracking Phosphate Smuggling From Syria Into Europe
SIRAJ founder Mohammad Bassiki collaborated with OCCRP and Lighthouse Reports to investigate the illicit smuggling of sanctioned Syrian phosphates into Europe.
Methodology Reporting Tools & Tips
New Reporting Tools to Archive Videos, Find QAnon Networks, and Track Targets via Online Reviews
These new reporting tools and apps, which recently debuted at two Bellingcat Hackathons, can help journalists easily archive videos, locate satellite imagery, and track people via online reviews.
Teaching & Training
Digital Threats: A Cyber Investigations Training Course
GIJN is offering a unique cyber reporting training program specifically tailored for investigative reporters. The course is free and limited to 20 participants. It will take place each Monday and Thursday for six consecutive weeks at 10 am EDT, starting on May 08, 2023. Apply here.