GIJC13

After Rio: Check GIJN.org for Latest on Global Investigative Journalism

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Thanks to everyone for an extraordinary conference. The eighth Global Investigative Journalism Conference brought in a record 1350 people from 93 countries. We had a great time, playing host to a phenomenal mix of reporters, editors and producers, data and security experts, hackers, professors and students, and staff from NGOs and nonprofits.  

For ongoing coverage of investigative journalism around the world, be sure to check out our regular site, GIJN.org. You’ll find resource pages on data journalism, freedom of information, grants and fellowships, nonprofits, and more.

ARIJ

Arab Muckrakers Flock To Rio

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Journalists from across the Middle East and North Africa flocked to Rio for the Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC13), joining more than than 1,300 colleagues from 90 countries. Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) brought its largest-ever delegation to the global conference with 16 fellows and members speaking and networking on covering conflict, terrorism, fraud, and more.

News

Greenwald Decries Western Journalism as “Corrupted”

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The journalist responsible for, perhaps, the biggest story of a generation had strong words Monday for Western media outlets and journalists who bow to those in positions of power.“Journalism is corrupted,” Greenwald, a Brazil-based reporter and blogger, told hundreds of journalists at the 2013 Global Investigative Journalism Conference showcase event on “Surveillance and Secret Government,” Monday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro.

New Nieman Report Released on Cross-Border Muckraking

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Dear Investigative Journalists and Editors:

In conjunction with the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Rio de Janeiro, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University has published a new e-book, Muckraking Goes Global: The Future of Cross-Border Investigative Journalism, that may be of interest to you and your colleagues. The publication includes a number of articles that address many of the challenges faced by watchdog journalists worldwide today. It was produced in collaboration with Stefan Candea, director of the Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism; conference organizers Fernando Rodrigues, a reporter and columnist for Folha de S. Paulo; and Guilherme Alpendre, executive director of Abraji, who all contributed to the book. We are grateful for their assistance and to the conference sponsors, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN); the Latin American Conference on Investigative Journalism (COLPIN); and the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji). In order to share the information with as wide an audience as possible, we are offering the e-book free of charge in both English and Spanish.

News

Biting Into the Food Industry, Investigating Agribusiness

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The global food industry and, more generally, agribusiness are rich veins for investigative reporting, which deserve more attention. For example, “Olive Oil: The Green Gold Rush,” a new report from the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI),  explores “food fraud” in the Mediterranean olive oil industry. It highlights fraud in the way olive oil is produced, distributed and marketed, exposing consumers to the industry’s gross manipulation of a regional commodity. Cecilia Anesi of IRPI spoke about a pending case against Azienda Olearia Valpesana, one of the biggest olive oil traders in Italy. Last year, four Valpesana executives were arrested on charges including fraud and forming a criminal network.

News

Video: Investigando Crimen Organizado con Datos Abiertos

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Giannina Segnini, jefa de la unidad de Investigación de La Nación de Costa Rica – y una de las panelistas más prolíficas de la Conferencia Global de Periodismo de Investigación (GIJC13) – brindó el taller “Investigando Crimen Organizado con Datos Abiertos”. A continuación, un video de sobre su sesión con grandes secretos y trucos para periodistas de investigación, producido por Mariana Santos, Knight International Journalism Fellow.

News

Global Shining Light Award Winners Announced

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Journalists from Azerbaijan, South Africa, Pakistan, Honored for Investigative Reporting under Threat
The winners of the fifth Global Shining Light Award were announced and presented at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference tonight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The prize honors investigative journalism conducted in a developing or transitioning country, done under threat, duress, or in the direst of conditions. The award drew 65 submissions from 28 countries. An international panel of judges considered eight finalists and selected this year’s winners, and found the competition extraordinary. “The quality of entries this year shows how great investigative journalism has spread around the world,” noted David E. Kaplan, director of the award’s sponsor, the Global Investigative Journalism Network.

News

Challenges Face Investigative Reporting on Fracking

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Pablo is a journalist who is moved by environmental exploitation of gas extraction and it’s impact on the native people in a particular region of his country. After months of pressing his editors to cover the issue, they finally relent. Extractive industries, especially oil, are increasingly becoming a contentious issue in countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Argentina, Brazil or Mexico, given that oil revenues can comprise profits for government, the  private sector, and consequently, the important role this plays on infrastructure and national services. Aware of how big an issue extraction has become, Pablo eagerly proceeds conducting research and travels to the heart of the action where they’re extracting oil, gas, mining, fracking, you name it. Upon arrival, he attempts to interview people working for the enterprise, but nobody is willing to cooperate.

News

Crowdfunding Investigative Projects Turns Readers into Editors

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In a search for cash to finance investigative journalism projects, an independent Brazilian news agency is trying to turn readers into editors. The idea was greeted with great interest during a panel discussion this week at the four-day, semi-annual Global Investigative Journalists Conference (GIJC2013) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The idea is simple: those who help finance the agency can choose what journalists should investigate. With this concept, Agência Pública raised almost $30,000 from 808 backers for a project called Reportagem Pública (Public Report).

News

Oil Industry’s Relationships with Governments Vexed by Complications

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Journalists willing to take on their governments and investigate oil production must be fearless by necessity. But a session at the Global Investigative Journalist Conference (GIJC2013) this past Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlighted the complexities facing muckrakers trying to extract meaningful data from national governments and titans of industry, despite requirements for transparency. During the session, panelists discussed the glut of data that is simultaneously making investigations into the global extractive industries around the world easier, yet more difficult.