Digital security may seem a little daunting at first, but increased security will help investigative journalists build trust with — and protect — current and future sources.
Fact-checking takes apart the reporting to ensure it is solid, accurate, and fair, a critical task for newsrooms.
Featuring advice on fact checking, digital security tips, interview techniques, and guidelines for editors.
Following the money is a complex set of techniques that allow reporters to track the flow of money across the world.
This chapter looks at various types of interviews, approaches, and techniques for getting the most out of contact with sources, both friendly and antagonistic.
Investigations have underlying principles, elements, and rigorous requirements for evidence, accuracy, and fairness. They also require strong and detailed planning.
Sourcing starts with thinking about our goals for a story. This chapter shares a step-by-step guide for finding sources for investigations.
The rewards of collaborating can be huge for investigative journalists: greater visibility of your story, increased potential for impact and in some cases better protection.
This chapter guides you through advanced research techniques, including the use of open source intelligence tools and verification methods.
As the use of the internet spread and increasing amounts of data emerged, the term “data journalism” arose to describe reporting powered by data and analysis.
Featuring the advice of university professors and leading investigative reporters who also teach, here are ten tips on how to excel in the field of watchdog reporting.
From cold-pitching to collaborating, and from promoting your work to getting top commissions, being a freelancer brings a whole series of challenges, especially for investigative journalists.
Watchdog reporting makes a critical contribution to society by exposing wrongdoing, fighting corruption, and promoting accountability. But how do we measure this, and explain the value of investigative reporting to a skeptical public (and donors)? At a time of unprecedented attacks on the press, a broken financial model, and low public trust, it is critical […]
More than half of the world’s countries have laws that require officials to supply public documents on request. These laws offer valuable windows for reporters, even for those outside of a country’s borders. But there are almost always tricks to targeting and expediting these disclosures, and this panel brings deep experience in how to do […]
A raft of new tools are helping journalists track shipping and aircraft around the world. The numerous ways to track ships and planes open a whole new range of stories for journalists to investigate, from following billionaires’ private planes to uncovering the details of refugee boats capsizing. ———————– The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an […]
Freelancing is a tough job; investigative freelancing is even harder. But it also brings independence and the ability to pick your projects. Here are tips from journalists from four countries with decades of experience in working on their own. ———————– The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an international association of journalism organizations that support the […]
In this presentation, we will methodically guide you through the investigative process and show how to succeed with your project without getting lost along the way. Swedish journalists Emma Johansson and Jessica Ziegerer bring years of experience in investigative projects, both as reporters and editors. They work at the regional newspapers Helsingborgs Dagblad and Sydsvenskan, […]
One of the great spin-offs of the digital age is that journalists can tap into crowds and communities in ways unimaginable only a few years ago. Local communities are reporting impactful stories, providing tips and resources, and bolstering the finances of watchdog media around the world. Here are journalists from remarkably diverse environments — Malaysia, […]
This hands-on class will deepen your reporting skills by using QGIS, a free, popular mapping program. More than pretty pictures, mapping programs help you uncover stories and discover important patterns. Crime, health, and environment are just some beats that benefit by knowing mapping skills. In this class you will get familiar with using QGIS and start doing fundamental analysis using real-life data.
The best historians and investigative journalists share a great deal: they go after primary sources, they follow the trails of money and accountability, and they put events in a broader context that the public can understand. Often those events look shockingly different just 20 or 30 years later, based on documents, data, and interviews.
This workshop might just emerge as the one that changes your life as a watchdog journalist. Misinformation and disinformation on “closed” social media networks — such as WhatsApp and Telegram – have already had devastating consequences for democratic processes in places like India, Nigeria, Russia, and Brazil.
Think there’s no data in your story? Create your own. Journalists can use polls, physical surveys, documents, or even monitoring devices to create their own data. We’ll give you examples of how these techniques are used and some best practices for doing it yourself. ———————– The Global Investigative Journalism Network is an international association of […]
This session will address how to convert unstructured data (documents) into structured data that can be filtered, summarized, and visualized.
This session will provide an overview of social network analysis, which is used to visualize and analyze such things as the connections between companies and individuals in organized crime and money laundering, the paths and progress of infections in pandemics, interlocking directorships of corporations, and the structure of terrorist organizations.
Whistleblowers – insiders who expose corrupt or illegal activities – are an important source of information for journalists everywhere. From their position inside governments, companies, and other organizations, they can provide crucial leads, evidence, and sometimes “smoking guns” that expose everything from fraud and waste to criminal conspiracies and war crimes. It’s important for journalists […]
Investigative projects are often likened to marathons. But, every now and then, watchdog reporters need to sprint. In a recent IRE23 conference session, experts shared tips on how to unearth background facts about little-known people on short notice.
Required disclosures by public officials about their income and assets can be invaluable to investigative journalists. And information about wealth and its sources can play a vital role in uncovering corruption. Official filings are often the starting point for classic follow-the-money stories. However, disclosure laws have gaps, so the public records don’t always reveal the […]
We need to talk about Google! The world’s most popular search engine tries to please as many people as possible. But for journalists, the quality of results has rapidly declined. What is the issue and what can investigators do about it? GIJN is pleased to announce a hands-on session with search guru Henk van Ess, […]
