Global Investigative Journalism Network (https://archive.gijn.org/category/profiles/page/4/)
With trust and interest in journalism declining among millennials around the globe, Taiwan’s Reporter is taking a gamble. Its mission: to re-engage the younger generation with in-depth journalism. Will it work?
The Tactical Technology Collective, a Berlin-based group of tech activists, is producing a series of web documentaries on “new forms of investigative journalism.” Its first video, Our Currency Is Information, takes a look at cross-border investigative techniques through the eyes of Romanian journalist Paul Radu. The accompanying website has a transcript of the full interview with Radu, plus a worthwhile resource page with digital tools for research, security, and data visualization.
The idea of “the one percent” has become a popular way to discuss the gap between the fantastically wealthy—the one percent of Americans who control more than 20 percent of the country’s wealth—and the rest of us. But the one percent is not a new phenomenon. Back in 1900, they were known as the Robber Barons, and at the top sat John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. But the Robber Barons had a corrective: Ida Minerva Tarbell.
Newsrooms in Asia have traditionally worked alone, guarding their sources and tip-offs fiercely and keeping their stories and investigations in-house. However, after attending GIJN’s Asian Investigative Journalism Conferences and participating in the global Panama Papers investigation, Indonesia’s top newsweekly and leading investigative outlet Tempo have been inspired to pursue their own cross-border collaborations.
Peter Gosselin at ProPublica has a very different investigative beat: Americans 60 years and older. More specifically: age discrimination and the treatment of older workers. Read how he recently exposed such practices at IBM by leveraging on crowdsourcing.
The boom of internet technology and social media networks have allowed journalists to access information which had previously been out of reach. Apps, sites and devices let ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances become reporters. However, internet research expert Paul Myers cautions that investigative journalists need to be incredibly sensitive when running stories and never expose innocent people to attack and ridicule.
For Ojo Público, the search for new narratives and formats to tell a story is constant. The Peruvian investigative outlet believes in experimenting and betting on new formats to reach new audiences. With this mindset and commitment to innovation, the team has produced stories in an interactive comic format, created an award-winning database and is looking to develop news games this year.
The dependence of Mexican media on official advertising, reductions in newsrooms and the search by media outlets to “fill spaces,” meant that investigative journalism is increasingly forgotten, and the little that is done is failing to create the impact it should. In order to rectify this, reporters Alexandra Xanic, Daniel Lizárraga, Ignacio Rodríguez Reyna and Marcela Turati set up Quinto Elemento Lab – to work with and mentor investigative journalists through the progress of investigations.
Ten media houses and five civil society organizations have come together to form IndonesiaLeaks, a digital platform for whistleblowers. The secure online platform is crucial in Indonesia due to the lack of whistleblower protection schemes. Those who take risks leaking information on offenses happening in their institutions are often prosecuted and intimidated.
While traditional news outlets are migrating to digital platforms, Peru’s Ojo Público is taking the opposite path to reach its goal. It’s utilizing print to grow beyond its digital audience and appeal to people who read physical newspapers, as well as those who like special editions, providing a complementary product to their online publication.