News & Analysis

Investigating Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon

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In the 1990’s when Brazilian investigative journalist Kátia Brasil visited an Indigenous territory in the Amazon biome, the forest was “lush” and intact. But illegal gold mining has led to a surge of outsiders entering the area, and the results have been devastating. Two investigative teams, at Amazônia Real and Repórter Brasil, decided it was time to dig into this secretive industry, to find out who is behind the gold mining that is leaving a toxic scar across the region.

how they did it
Pegasus Project image

Tips from the Pegasus Project: How to Report on Predatory Spyware

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In a collaboration of 16 news organizations, the Pegasus Project revealed that thousands of citizens — including 180 journalists — were selected as targets of commercial spyware by 11 governments. The coordinators of that project told GIJN how the investigation worked, and offered detailed tips on how to investigate while under extreme threat of digital surveillance.

How They Did It

Investigating What Assad’s Regime Did with Money to Rebuild Syria

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The war in Syria has dragged on for a decade, which has led to more than six million people being displaced within the country’s borders, and a similar number have fled the country as refugees. But what has happened to the money raised to help rebuild the country? Journalist Mohammed Bassiki dug deep into the documents and followed the money trail to find out.

How They Did It

How They Did It: Using Trackers to Investigate Where Unwanted Clothing Ends Up

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What happens to the clothes we donate to charity? Or the clothes we buy online, try on, and then return? Two Finnish journalists used tracking devices in order to investigate these post-consumer supply chains, finding that many items make their way on a complex journey to Africa and the Middle East before sometimes ending up in landfill.

How They Did It

Insider Access to Chinese Vaccines: A Case Study in Pandemic Corruption from Peru

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In a scandal known as ‘Vacunagate,’ 487 influential people in Peru, including its president, were secretly inoculated against COVID-19 months before vaccines were approved for the public. Two investigative newsrooms in Peru found that Chinese drug makers had secretly sent thousands of ‘courtesy’ vaccine doses to several countries in South America in addition to the doses needed for clinical trials there. Editors from both told GIJN how reporters can tackle this new form of corruption.

podcasts

How Taiwan’s The Reporter Created a Chart-Topping Podcast

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The Reporter is known in Taiwan for its in-depth investigative stories. The team behind it recently launched a podcast, which surged into the charts soon after it was launched. Here host Jason Liu and producer Lan Wanchen tell GIJN about their experience in making podcasts related to investigative journalism and their tips for making a program that audiences want to listen to.

How They Did It
NYPD CCTV camera surveillance

How Thousands of Volunteers & Amnesty International Mapped New York’s 15,000 Police Surveillance Cameras

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The New York City Police Department has the ability to track people in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx by running images from 15,280 surveillance cameras into invasive and discriminatory facial recognition software, a new Amnesty International investigation reveals. Here’s how thousands of volunteers from around the world participated in the investigation.

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Exposing the Hidden Impact of Police Dog Maulings in the US

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Four news outlets teamed up to reveal that police dogs bite and maim thousands of people a year, an investigation that was one of five finalists for the 2021 Goldsmith Prize. Here the journalists involved explain how they overcame some of the biggest challenges in reporting the series, and give tips for journalists creating databases for their own investigations.