Prompted by nearly 2 TB of leaked data, a recent collaborative investigation co-run by OCCRP and SVT shed unprecedented light on the inner workings and processes of two major scam call centre networks that conned victims out of at least US$275 million over four years. This session will cover how we approached this leak, which included millions of multilingual audio and video media, among other data formats, and how we made it possible for journalists to search that data like any trove of documents.
Journalists should walk away with a better understanding of the challenges and breakthroughs of modern leaks and the methodologies and tools media organizations can employ today in investigations.
Chemical, pesticide and food companies use refined strategies, abusing scientific channels, to manufacture or maintain doubt about the hazards of their products. They hire academic scientists or consultants with a science degree working for product-defence companies to science-wash their lobbying material by publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals. Learn how to investigate them and, in the process, benefit from expert knowledge and methodologies to help you through your investigation.
Europe's pharmaceutical industry is notoriously opaque – and powerful. Big Pharma doesn't want us to know how they determine the prices of the medicines they market, where they keep their profits or to whom they hand out millions in funding. The Investigate Europe's investigation Deadly Prices revealed that millions of Europeans lack access to medicines that save or prolong lives in other European countries, and in six EU countries one in four of 32 important medicines analysed is not available, often priced out of reach. This presentation will share tips and techniques on how to investigate Big Pharma – and will be transparent about what still remains hidden. From data that can reveal the true costs of critical medicines to public disclosure data that shows where the industry's millions go, we will help you with ideas and case studies on how to scrutinise Europe's secretive pharmaceutical world.
Bluetooth trackers can help you develop interesting investigations. This team started using trackers while following two cars from Germany to Siberia, then a parcel from Prague to Moscow. In late 2024, they tracked more than 230 letters sent within Germany, using up to 80 trackers simultaneously. For almost 18 months they tracked 24 items of electronic waste from Germany to places as far afield as Pakistan.
In this session, the team will share the learnings and the technology behind all these projects and the scraping tools and software behind them. They will also bring some trackers and covers to inspire colleagues to use these devices, and share lessons learnt from ongoing collaborations in various countries where other journalists and newsrooms licensed them to help them move their projects forward.
