Telia Sonera: How to track corruption across borders
This case study in international cooperation was a collaboration between Swedish Public TV and numerous journalists abroad, revealing how telecom giant Telia Sonera bribed hard-line dictatorships to get access to new virgin markets in Eurasia. Millions of dollars were paid to front companies for the dictators families from Telia Sonera and their competitors. To date more than one billion dollars have been traced to the deals — one of the biggest corruption cases in history now investigated by police in over ten countries.
How To Expose a Tax Haven
It is a story that shook Europe. LuxLeaks exposed in a systematic way how Luxembourg operates as a tax haven in the heart of the continent helping multinational companies avoid billions of dollars in taxes. Team members explain how with the help of digital tools, data mining, and tax experts they transformed 28,000 pages of nearly incomprehensible accountancy lingo into stories that triggered a “tax storm” in Europe and beyond.
How to handle documents
Documents have long been a mainstay of the best investigative reporting around the world. This session will explore how to find obscure reports and documents on persons, institutions, companies and programs – valuable information that is often otherwise unattainable. It will also offer practical guidelines on how to analyze documents and reports to unleash their full investigative power.
Investigating in the Middle East: Focus on ISIS/Daesh
A panel discussion with focus on the latest developments in the Middle East. How are journalists able to find reliable sources when investigating extremist groups such as ISIS/Daesh?
How can reporters increase their knowledge about ISIS/Daesh? What stories are not being told, now that refugees and spectacular acts of violence are dominating the news?
TV investigations in the Arab world
Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), the region’s leading media support organization promoting “accountability journalism” among a new generation of journalists, media professors and students, has over the past year produced edge-cutting TV investigations. One has been aired on Al Jazeera English documenting continued abuse inside Tunisian jails four years after the revolution toppled the dictatorship of Zine El Abdine Ben Ali. Another is being readied for BBC Arabic. And the rest have been aired on leading Arab broadcasters. In this session, a group of ARIJEANS take you on a journey through their compelling investigations, share tools of the trade, discuss cultivation of sources and dangers of going under-cover to document abuses in a region where media repression and muzzling of free speech continues unabated.
Whats happening in Russia
It’s the big bear in the room. Russia is one of the most powerful countries on earth and yet it is also one of the least understood. Find out from three long-time reporters from Russia exactly what is happening in that country. How much control does Putin really exercise and what are his plans for media and his neighbors? Can independent media really survive?
Working with whistleblowers
Whistle Blowers are becoming increasingly important sources for investigative journalists. But protection by journalists and esteem in society for whistleblowers do not reflect that importance. Journalists often thrive and build a reputation based on material coming from whistleblowers. But in many cases whistleblowers, when identified, lead miserable lives after they have performed their duty for society. Loss of job opportunities, endless litigation, financial depravation, depression and disrupted family life, leading to isolation or even divorce. These are common “rewards” for whistleblowers.
How to turn your investigation into a game
Pirate Fishing is a groundbreaking interactive web game that allows users to act as journalists exposing the multi-million dollar illegal fishing trade affecting West Africa’s poorest people. Developed by Italy’s Altera Studio team and Al Jazeera, the project is set in Sierra Leone, where journalists film South Korean trawlers fishing illegally in protected areas and stealing fish from local fishermen.
How to investigate arms trade
Two of the central people behind exposing South Africa’s big arms and corruption scandal share their insights. They are joined by Kristoffer Egeberg from Norway’s daily Dagbladet, who investigated how the Norwegian Defence Ministry illegally sold an entire fleet of naval ships to paramilitary forces in Nigeria. Egeberg this year won SKUP’s top award for his reporting on the story. Paul Holden and Andrew Feinstein played important roles in exposing the South Africa’s big arms and corruption scandal.
How other investigators do it
Journalists are part of a larger ecosystem of investigators who track and document wrongdoing. We’re familiar with the investigative journalist’s toolkit. But how do other investigators prove wrongdoing? And can journalists learn from them? Learn from Joe Davidson, a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Jim Mintz will share tips from the world of private investigators and Anne Koch Director of Europe And Central Asia for Transparency International.
Journalists and programmers: A Crucial partnership
Journalists and programmers can do magic together. Meet members of data teams who have worked together in successful investigations. They will talk in very practical terms about the key aspects of their relationship; the problems they solve; the different and complementary mindsets and skills they bring to an investigation; and the expectations they have of each other. Learn how the award-winning data investigation Swiss Leaks could not have been possible without multidisciplinary teams and more.
Reporting on Money Laundering
Money laundering is not only one of the hardest financial crimes to prove, it’s also one of the toughest stories to investigate. But it is a crime you will find everywhere in the world. What are the signs of money laundering and how do you report on it? What makes something money laundering? Here’s a look at some of the most significant cases proven by journalists.
Data Track: Best Practices for Using Data in News Stories
Journalists around the world are harnessing the power of data journalism for news. In this session, we’ll take a global tour of the latest in investigative and data-based stories, highlighting innovations in analysis and presentation. We’ll also offer practical tips to help you make your next data-driven story memorable and bulletproof.
Google Search Methods – How To Find What You Didn’t Know Existed
Google is a remarkable tool with incredible capability, but it’s a system with a great deal of depth that’s not widely understood. In this session, Daniel Russel will demonstrate many different methods and techniques for finding things you didn’t think could be found, as well as discussing some of the strategies you can use for online investigations in the years ahead.
