Despite China’s growing secrecy and media crackdown, the country’s global footprint opens new ways to report on Chinese affairs, according to panelists at a Nov. 4 session at the 12th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC21).
Data journalism has evolved from simple spreadsheet analysis of local government data to the spectacular tracking of the hidden wealth of oligarchs, autocrats, and corporate leaders from gigantic datasets. In a session at GIJC21, leading data journalists looked at this transition but also, at what is next.
When the Taliban seized control of Kabul, international news outlets focused their attention on what was happening at the airport. But experts told the GIJC21 this was symptomatic of how the West failed to understand – and report – the real story during the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan.
In a GIJC21 session on business models for investigative journalism, panelist Claudia Urquieta from Chile’s CIPER shared how the investigative outlet started a membership program from scratch, what it takes to make this model work, and how its partners saved CIPER from an uncertain future.
Cross-border collaborations allow newsrooms to pool resources and overcome financial hurdles. On the fourth day of GIJC21, journalists based in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia offered tips for conducting successful collaborative reporting projects.
A panel of Asia experts at GIJC21 unanimously agreed that press freedom in the region faces a bleak future, as governments increasingly use digital platforms to manipulate communities and increase hostility towards journalists.
Wildlife crime doesn’t just impact wildlife, it undermines security, promotes corruption and other illegal cross-border activities, but it remains under-covered. In a session at the GIJC21, a team of experienced wildlife crime journalists explained why more focus should be given to these crimes, and offered tips on how to go beyond the stories on iconic species such as elephants.
It is vital for journalists to shield their sources, and at a dedicated workshop at GIJC21, two security experts gave practical examples of how reporters can reach out to sources in a way that protects the individuals and wins trust for both journalists and their organization.
Spending time with vulnerable communities and focusing on systems of exploitation were the central takeaways from a #GICJ21 panel on covering inequality, in which journalists based in three of the world’s most unequal societies — Brazil, South Africa, and the United States — shared tips on how to tackle this global crisis.
At GIJC21, Washington DC-based nonprofit C4ADS introduced Icarus Flights, a comprehensive new system that helps journalists track and investigate nearly any aircraft around the world.
