Global Investigative Journalism Conference 2011

From 13-16 October, Kyiv will host the 7_th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC), a platform for journalists and media professionals to exchange experiences, get new contacts, attend workshops, arrange transnational investigations and expand networks. 

More than 500 participants are registered for the conference which presents an impressive programme filled with workshops and sessions on everything from Wikileaks, safety of journalists to data visualisation and undercover reporting. Amongst the speakers are prominent investigative journalists from China, Russia, Pakistan, India, USA, Mexico and Germany. 

The conference is organised by SCOOP, an IMS-supported network of investigative reporters, in close cooperation with several Ukrainian centres for investigative reporting.

Alongside SCOOP, three other similar networks are participating in the conference, the Programme for African Investigative Reporting (PAIR), SCOOP Russia, and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ). Read more about the four efforts to enhance investigative journalism below.

Enhancing investigative journalism

IMS supports investigative journalism through four programmes each covering a specific region in the world. Read more about each of them below.

SCOOP

SCOOP was set up in 2003 by IMS in cooperation with local journalists and the Danish Association of Investigative Journalists, FUJ. Direct support in the form of coaching and financial support enables journalists in  Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to carry out in-depth investigations and bring the results forward to the public.

The approach of the SCOOP model is that by supporting individual investigations, role models and best-practice, examples are created that are instrumental in setting new professional standards, and thereby changing practice.

SCOOP Russia

Whereas SCOOP covers Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, the SCOOP Russia programme covers Northwest Russia by providing training, practical resources and individual awards to enable journalists to conduct concrete investigations and thereby strengthen investigative journalism in Russia. 

Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)

Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) is a regional network of investigative journalists set up by IMS in cooperation with Arab and Danish partners to nurture investigative reporting in the Arab region. ARIJ supports Arab journalists in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out investigative reporting and ensuring the important role of media as society's watchdog.

Programme for African Investigative Reporting (PAIR)

The Programme for African Investigative Reporting (PAIR) works to support and develop investigative journalism in Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. PAIR was developed by IMS and the Danish Association of Investigative Journalism and is carried out in cooperation with West Africa Media Foundation.

About investigative journalism*

Investigative journalism involves exposing to the public matters that are concealed, either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or unintentionally behind a lack of knowledge or control. It requires using both secret and open sources and documents. Conventional news reporting depends largely and sometimes entirely on materials provided by others (such as police, governments, companies, and so forth). It is fundamentally reactive, if not passive. Investigative journalism, in contrast, depends on material gathered or generated through the reporter's own initiative. This significant difference makes investigative journalism an important part of the role of the media as the fourth estate, promoting good governance, accountability and transparency.

Conventional news reporting aims to create an objective image of the world as it is. Investigative reporting uses objectively true material - that is, facts that any reasonable observer would agree are true - toward the subjective goal of reforming the world. That is not a license to mislead for a good cause. It is a responsibility, to learn the truth so that the world can change. In Russia, there is a huge need for further developing and expanding this type of journalism, both in terms of developing the required professional skills, as well as providing opportunities for undertaking such work.

Contrary to what some professionals like to say, investigative journalism is not just good old-fashioned journalism that is well done. Both forms of journalism are focused on the elements of who, what, where, and when. But the fifth element of conventional reporting, the "why", becomes the "how" in investigation. The other elements are developed not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality. The "who" is not just a name and a title, it is a personality, with character traits and a style. The "when" is not the present of the news, it is a historical continuum - a narrative. The "what" is not merely an event, but a phenomenon with causes and consequences. The "where" is not just an address, it is a setting, in which certain things become more or less possible. These elements and details give investigative journalism, at its best, a powerful esthetic quality that reinforces its emotional impact.

*Source: Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) handbook