Dataharvest 2025 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference: Full Schedule

9:00am CEST

Check-in and Coffee

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CEST

Mediaforum

Come to the front hall and Media Cafe (large space in the lobby) to get your coffee!

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

10:00am CEST

Masterclass: Hack your way into a big dataset with R (Masterclass ticket needed)

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST

Z1.16

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

R is one of the most useful programming languages in data journalism. You may have heard of it, maybe even tried it a little and found the learning curve too steep. If so, this session is for you.

We are going to spend the day looking at European Environment Agency’s EPRTR (European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) data – it’s a lot of data, and some of it is quite messy. It contains dozens, probably hundreds, of potential lines of investigation to be explored – and that’s what we’re going to do.

By the end of the day, you will know how to import data in an R environment, filter it, reshape it, and interrogate it. You will be able to make some basic graphs. Above all, you will be on the way to finding stories in the day’s chosen data, and be able to take your script away and use it again, or adapt it to other datasets. And, we hope, you will have the beginnings of a story idea.

We will assume that you are familiar with spreadsheets, but that you have no knowledge of R. You will not need to install anything – everything will be run on cloud instances of R.

If you’re already advanced with R, it is still worth coming along to use and share what you know, to support others, and to learn something new.

(If you already have a dataset you want to work with – bring that too!)

Speakers

Leopold Salzenstein

Data Coordinator, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Investigative data journalist

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST
Z1.16

Data skills, Master class

10:00am CEST

Masterclass: Follow the Money to detect corrupt practices (Masterclass ticket needed) FILLING

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST

Z3.02

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

Peer into the murky underworld of financial crime in this masterclass on how to detect corrupt practices and laundered bribes. Using practical examples, we will explore how to approach different types of corruption investigation and some of the key techniques and datasets you’ll need to develop these stories, including:

– Common origins of corruption and money laundering investigations

– Key sources of data and where to find them

– How to read the telltale signs of corruption and laundered kickbacks

– How to avoid the dangers and pitfalls of these types of investigation

While investigating corruption and money laundering can take a lifetime to master, this class will introduce you to the skills you need to hold the world’s rich and powerful to account. You’ll need a laptop and your brain!

Speakers

Simon Bowers

Investigations Editor, Finance Uncovered

Caroline Henshaw

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST
Z3.02

Investigative method, Master class

10:00am CEST

Masterclass: Spatial analysis with QGIS (Masterclass ticket needed) LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST

Z1.14

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

Whether you’re investigating deforestation, (illegal) mining activities in nature-protected areas, or nature loss, QGIS is a great tool to add to your investigative toolkit. Participants will learn where to find different types of geospatial data, including satellite imagery from open sources, and how to open, visualize, and manipulate them using QGIS to reach their investigative goals. Participants will work on real data from previous investigations done by the Pulitzer Center’s Data and Research Team. No particular knowledge of QGIS is needed to participate in this masterclass, and it is suitable for those who have not used QGIS before or know only the basics. Before coming to the session, please install QGIS on your laptops and make sure it works. Download from: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html

If you encounter issues during installation, this guide might be helpful: https://www.qgis.org/resources/installation-guide/

Speakers

Fernanda Buffa

Federico Acosta Rainis

Data Specialist, Pulitzer Center

Federico Acosta Rainis is a data specialist at the Pulitzer Center's Environment Investigations Unit. Previously an IT consultant, he transitioned into journalism a decade ago, working with La Nación in Argentina, where he has contributed to award-winning projects. Federico received... Read More →

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng is the data editor for the Pulitzer Center, where he supports investigative journalists of the Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) and Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) to achieve their investigation goals. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Keng is a digital journalist... Read More →

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST
Z1.14

Investigative method, Master class

10:00am CEST

Masterclass: Take your research skills to the next level with OSINT tools (Masterclass ticket needed) LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST

Z3.05

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

How do you find people and information online, verify an event’s geolocation, detect AI deepfake images and audio, or identify disinformation? This masterclass will help you identify the best OSINT tools and methods to help you in your investigations.

Speakers

Marcus Lindemann

Lea Weinmann

Investigative reporter, Süddeutsche Zeitung

Lea Weinmann is an investigative reporter with Süddeutsche Zeitung. She specializes in online research, employing methods commonly referred to as Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). Her reporting focuses on war and conflict zones, cybersecurity, abuse of power and #MeToo. Before joining... Read More →

Thursday May 22, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Master class

12:00pm CEST

Lunch LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm CEST

Mediaforum

Lunch served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area)

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

1:00pm CEST

Masterclass: Hack your way into a big dataset with R (Masterclass ticket needed)

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z1.16

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

R is one of the most useful programming languages in data journalism. You may have heard of it, maybe even tried it a little and found the learning curve too steep. If so, this session is for you.

We are going to spend the day looking at European Environment Agency’s EPRTR (European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) data – it’s a lot of data, and some of it is quite messy. It contains dozens, probably hundreds, of potential lines of investigation to be explored – and that’s what we’re going to do.

By the end of the day, you will know how to import data in an R environment, filter it, reshape it, and interrogate it. You will be able to make some basic graphs. Above all, you will be on the way to finding stories in the day’s chosen data, and be able to take your script away and use it again, or adapt it to other datasets.

We will assume that you are familiar with spreadsheets, but that you have no knowledge of R. You will not need to install anything – everything will be run on cloud instances of R.

If you’re already advanced with R, it is still worth coming along to use and share what you know, to support others, and to learn something new.

(If you already have a dataset you want to work with – bring that too!)

Speakers

Leopold Salzenstein

Data Coordinator, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Investigative data journalist

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z1.16

Data skills, Master class

1:00pm CEST

Masterclass: Follow the Money to detect corrupt practices (Masterclass ticket needed) LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z3.02

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

Peer into the murky underworld of financial crime in this masterclass on how to detect corrupt practices and laundered bribes. Using practical examples, we will explore how to approach different types of corruption investigations and some of the key techniques and datasets you’ll need to develop these stories, including:

– Common origins of corruption and money laundering investigations

– Key sources of data and where to find them

– How to read the telltale signs of corruption and laundered kickbacks

– How to avoid the dangers and pitfalls of these types of investigation

While investigating corruption and money laundering can take a lifetime to master, this class will introduce you to the skills you need to hold the world’s rich and powerful to account. You’ll need a laptop and your brain!

Speakers

Simon Bowers

Investigations Editor, Finance Uncovered

Caroline Henshaw

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z3.02

Investigative method, Master class

1:00pm CEST

Masterclass: Spatial analysis with QGIS (Masterclass ticket needed) LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z1.14

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

If you’re investigating deforestation, (illegal) mining activities in nature-protected areas, or nature loss, QGIS is a great tool to add to your investigative toolkit. Participants will learn where to find different types of geospatial data, including satellite imagery from open sources, and how to open, visualize, and manipulate them using QGIS to achieve investigation goals. Participants will work on real data from previous investigations done by the Pulitzer Center’s Data and Research Team. No particular knowledge of QGIS is needed to participate in this masterclass, and it is suitable for those who have not used QGIS before and those who know only the basics. Before coming to the session, please install QGIS on your laptops and make sure it works. Download from: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html

If you encounter issues during installation, this guide might be helpful: https://www.qgis.org/resources/installation-guide/

Speakers

Fernanda Buffa

Federico Acosta Rainis

Data Specialist, Pulitzer Center

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z1.14

Investigative method, Master class

1:00pm CEST

Masterclass: Take your research skills to the next level with OSINT tools (Masterclass ticket needed) LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z3.05

Speakers

Marcus Lindemann

Lea Weinmann

Investigative reporter, Süddeutsche Zeitung

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Master class

3:00pm CEST

Coffee break LIMITED

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area) and on the third floor.

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

3:30pm CEST

Masterclass: Take your research skills to the next level with OSINT tools (Masterclass ticket needed)

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 3:45pm CEST

Z3.05

Speakers

Marcus Lindemann

Lea Weinmann

Investigative reporter, Süddeutsche Zeitung

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 3:45pm CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Master class

3:30pm CEST

Masterclass: Hack your way into a big dataset with R (Masterclass ticket needed)

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm CEST

Z1.16

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

R is one of the most useful programming languages in data journalism. You may have heard of it, maybe even tried it a little and found the learning curve too steep. If so, this session is for you.

We are going to spend the day looking at European Environment Agency’s EPRTR (European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) data – it’s a lot of data, and some of it is quite messy. It contains dozens, probably hundreds, of potential lines of investigation to be explored – and that’s what we’re going to do.

By the end of the day, you will know how to import data in an R environment, filter it, reshape it, and interrogate it. You will be able to make some basic graphs. Above all, you will be on the way to finding stories in the day’s chosen data, and be able to take your script away and use it again, or adapt it to other datasets.

We will assume that you are familiar with spreadsheets, but that you have no knowledge of R. You will not need to install anything – everything will be run on cloud instances of R.

If you’re already advanced with R, it is still worth coming along to use and share what you know, to support others, and to learn something new.

(If you already have a dataset you want to work with – bring that too!)

Speakers

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Leopold Salzenstein

Data Coordinator, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Investigative data journalist

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm CEST
Z1.16

Data skills, Master class

3:30pm CEST

Masterclass: Follow the Money to detect corrupt practices (Masterclass ticket needed)

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm CEST

Z3.02

A separate ticket is required to attend this masterclass. If you would like to attend but haven't yet purchased a ticket, please contact us at info@dataharvest.eu

Peer into the murky underworld of financial crime in this masterclass on how to detect corrupt practices and laundered bribes. Using practical examples, we will explore how to approach different types of corruption investigations and some of the key techniques and datasets you’ll need to develop these stories, including:

– Common origins of corruption and money laundering investigations

– Key sources of data and where to find them

– How to read the telltale signs of corruption and laundered kickbacks

– How to avoid the dangers and pitfalls of these types of investigation

While investigating corruption and money laundering can take a lifetime to master, this class will introduce you to the skills you need to hold the world’s rich and powerful to account. You’ll need a laptop and your brain!

Speakers

Caroline Henshaw

Simon Bowers

Investigations Editor, Finance Uncovered

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm CEST
Z3.02

Investigative method, Master class

3:30pm CEST

Masterclass: Spatial analysis with QGIS (Masterclass ticket needed)

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm CEST

Z1.14

Speakers

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Federico Acosta Rainis

Data Specialist, Pulitzer Center

Fernanda Buffa

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:30pm - 5:00pm CEST
Z1.14

Investigative method, Master class

9:00am CEST

Check-in and Coffee

Friday May 23, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CEST

Mediaforum

Front hall and Media Cafe (large space in the lobby). Register for the conference, pick your name tag and get a coffee.

Friday May 23, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

10:00am CEST

Opening of the conference

Friday May 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:30am CEST

Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

The opening of the conference will take place in the Aula Hanswijk (Z1.13, on the first floor), and will be streamed into the Aula Donche (Z1.15, first floor).

Friday May 23, 2025 10:00am - 10:30am CEST
Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Organisational

10:30am CEST

Networking welcome

Friday May 23, 2025 10:30am - 11:15am CEST

Mediaforum

Friday May 23, 2025 10:30am - 11:15am CEST
Mediaforum

Networking

11:15am CEST

Keynote conversation: From Gaza to Ukraine - Collaboration when investigating conflicts

Friday May 23, 2025 11:15am - 11:30am CEST

Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

*The keynote will take place in the Aula Z 1/13 (Auditorium Hanswijk, 1st floor) and will be streamed to Aula Donche (on the first floor).

As a cross-border community of investigative journalists interested in collaboration, how can we contribute to documenting and telling the story of conflicts with our work? With the wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza, journalists are both victims and witnesses of these conflicts. Israel’s war on Gaza has become the deadliest conflict ever for journalists, and journalists have been threatened, killed, and tortured while documenting Russia’s war on Ukraine.

This year, the Dataharvest keynote conversation is with Laurent Richard, founder and executive director of Forbidden Stories, whose mission is to support and/or continue the work of journalists who are killed, injured, threatened, or whose work is restricted in another way. Laurent will present and discuss Forbidden’s Stories’ work on the Gaza and Viktoriia projects.

Laurent will be joined in conversation by Ulla Sätereie, chairperson of the Swedish Association of Investigative Journalism. They'll discuss how the investigative journalism community can engage with the coverage of these wars, how to coordinate collaborative investigations from afar, and how to do so while keeping journalists safe. They will talk about the peculiarities of both projects and the reception they've had in France and beyond. After their conversation, there will be time for questions and discussion

Moderators

Ulla Sätereie

Chairperson, Föreningen Grävande Journalister (FGJ) -- Swedish Association of Investigative Journalism

Program coordinator of MIJ, the international master's program in investigative journalism. Chairman of Grävande Journalister (Investigative Reporters in Sweden). Former head of department at JMG and director of studies for the journalism education.

Speakers

Laurent Richard

Forbidden Stories

Friday May 23, 2025 11:15am - 11:30am CEST
Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Cross-border, Presentation

12:00pm CEST

Lunch

Friday May 23, 2025 12:00pm - 1:15pm CEST

Mediaforum

Lunch is served in Mediacafe ground floor, lobby area), and on the first floor (Z1.06 and Z1.07). Vegan food and special meals (gluten free, diary free, all allergies and special dietary requirements) are available on the first floor only.

Friday May 23, 2025 12:00pm - 1:15pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

1:15pm CEST

Using AI to identify suspects, verify sources, and analyse locations: Latest AI-OSINT techniques

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing investigative journalism. Whether you're identifying perpetrators, verifying sources or fact-checking, AI-powered OSINT opens up new possibilities for journalism. Examples such as precise ChatGPT prompts for Overpass Turbo or AI-driven automated satellite image analysis demonstrate the immense potential of these technologies. We will look into techniques and tools AI can help us with, from leveraging the AI to analyse geographic data, reconstruct movement patterns and pinpoint locations, to using AI tools to create perpetrators' profiles, verify sources and analyse digital traces. This hands-on presentation will showcase how AI can be integrated into journalistic workflows to enhance efficiency and accuracy. Join us to explore the latest methods in data-driven investigations.

Speakers

Ben Heubl

Investigative Journalist

Munich-based investigative journalist at Süddeutsche Zeitung, data/stats nerd, who worked previously at the Economist and the FT, OSINT enthusiast.

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

AI, Presentation

1:15pm CEST

Investigating the role of consulting, PR and advertising firms in corporate influence campaigns

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

The session will highlight methods to uncover the activities of consulting, PR and advertising firms, taking attendees through the steps that DeSmog and ARIA took to build an evidence base for their investigations into these sectors, how they landed this work in mainstream media, and the impact of that work so far.

The panel will also walk the audience through the methods, tools, and partners they used, and show them how they might replicate that work in other jurisdictions. They will also briefly touch on the different ways that DeSmog and ARIA operate in the media ecosystem.

The PR, advertising, and consulting sectors have long been fundamental enablers of corporate activity, often overlooked because their work is carried out behind closed doors, and protected by NDAs. It is therefore important that journalists have the necessary tools to investigate their activity and hold these firms accountable for their actions.

Attendees need no previous knowledge or expertise, except for a curiosity in the workings of the PR and consulting sectors.

When attendees leave this session, attendees they should have a better understanding of the tools available to them to identify the activities and clients of the PR and consulting sectors in their own countries, putting them on a strong foundation for future investigations into this space.

Moderators

Zeynep Sentek

Project director, Climate Network, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Zeynep Sentek is a Turkish investigative journalist specialising in corruption, human rights, and the environment. She is now leading the climate network of Arena for Journalism in Europe. In this network, Arena facilitates journalists to do cross-border climate investigations and... Read More →

Speakers

Rachel Sherrington

Reporter, DeSmog

Isaac Freeth

Analyst, ARIA

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Cross-border, Presentation

1:15pm CEST

Investigations coordinator - one title, multiple realities

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z3.05

Cross-border collaborative investigations are now an established practice in journalism. As this field evolves, the role of investigation coordinators has become better defined, even moving towards professionalisation. With the proliferation of organisations and journalists working on cross-border investigations, various coordination models have emerged, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities.

Some organisations have staff coordinators, with a focus on coordinating team members, while they are supported in handling admin, logistics, and finance. In other cases, the coordinator is a freelancer, managing all aspects of work independently, or a newsroom staffer receiving limited assistance from their newsrooms. In this session, three experienced coordinators will discuss the different challenges and opportunities that come with their role.

Moderators

Elisa Simantke

Senior Investigative Editor, Paper Trail Media

Elisa Simantke ist eine investigative Redakteurin und Journalistin. Bei Paper Trail Media hat sie die Co-Rechercheleitung mit Bastian Obermayer und Frederik Obermaier inne, außerdem ist sie Vorstandsmitglied von Netzwerk Recherche. Bis 2023 war sie Editorial Director von Investigate... Read More →

Speakers

Alessia Cerantola

Alessia is editorial director with Investigate Europe. Previously she worked as a coordinating editor with OCCRP. She has worked as a producer and reporter in Rome for Report, RAI. Since 2007, Alessia has reported about environmental and social issues, sex crimes, corruption, and... Read More →

Stéphane Horel

Journalist, Le Monde

Stéphane Horel is an investigative journalist at Le Monde. Author of several documentaries and books, she specialises in corporate harm, toxic industries and scientific disinformation, as well as in innovative investigation methodologies. In 2023, she supervised the European map... Read More →

Lorenzo Di Stasi

Journalist and reporter, Freelance

I'm an independent journalist covering EU affairs, migrations and human right. Here to improve my investigative skills and team-up for the next investigative story,

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z3.05

Cross-border, Panel

1:15pm CEST

Farm subsidies: get the new data, find stories about the biggest EU money pot

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z1.14

The EU hands out over a third of its budget to the agricultural sector every year. Under EU law data on subsidies are publicly available via the individual member states. However, the information is often difficult to access, analyze and compare across borders. The Farmsubsidy.org website contains fresh and searchable data on farm subsidies, obtained from national government agencies. In this session, you will learn:
- what's in the farm subsidy data ,- how to look through millions of recipients of farm subsidies; - crossmatch with other data to find story leads; - how to classify types of recipients (person/company/etc.) using machine learning models.

Speakers

Leopold Salzenstein

Data Coordinator, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Investigative data journalist

Simon Wörpel

Director of Technology, Data and Research Center – DARC

Simon leads the investigative tooling development, including OpenAleph, at the Data and Research Center (DARC). In mid-2023, Simon founded DARC's predecessor, the independent tech organization investigativedata.io. Prior to that, he helped various newsrooms and research teams across... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z1.14

Data buffet, Hands on

1:15pm CEST

Dataviz: make sure users understand your charts

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z1.16

When dealing with large amounts of data you may want to try something more elaborate than your typical bar, line or pie chart. But how well does your audience understand bubble charts, small multiples or heatmaps? What should you consider when choosing a chart type? What can you do to help get the most out of them?

This interactive session blends insights from professional experience and academia. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of what audiences (including you) see in data visualizations, and what you might need to do to make your message clearer.

Moderators

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Speakers

Gianna-Carina Gruen

Head of Data-driven Journalism, DW

Gianna-Carina Grün is a data journalist and leads the data-driven journalism unit at DW that she founded in 2017. In her day-to-day she produces and edits visuals and data-driven stories and as a ddj trainer spreads enthusiasm for coding in journalism.She has a bachelor in Life Sciences... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z1.16

Data journalism, Presentation

1:15pm CEST

Beyond the pixels: the power of raster data in QGIS

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z2.08

Manipulating and analyzing raster data can be intimidating, as it often appears more complex than vector data. However, raster data—such as satellite imagery or forest loss information—is essential for environmental and geographic storytelling. For example others, it enables journalists to assess vegetation health, visualize floods or droughts, and calculate deforested areas, even when true-colour satellite imagery is obscured by clouds.

In this hands-on session, participants will learn the key functions in QGIS needed to work with raster data. This includes loading raster layers, managing projections, setting band combinations (such as false color) for analysis, styling raster layers to enhance visibility, and performing raster calculations.

To attend this session, participants should have basic QGIS skills.

Before the session, please install QGIS on your laptops and make sure it is working properly. Download from: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html

If you encounter any issues during installation, this guide may help: https://www.qgis.org/resources/installation-guide/

Speakers

Federico Acosta Rainis

Data Specialist, Pulitzer Center

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z2.08

Data skills, Hands on

1:15pm CEST

Mapping independence: why and how newsrooms should host and style their own maps

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z2.09

Tired of Google Maps' branding and tracking? In this session, we’ll explore how newsrooms can host their own map tiles using open-source tools such as Protomaps and OpenFreeMap. We’ll look at how to reduce costs, protect reader privacy, and gain full editorial control — alongside a hands-on workshop on customizing map styles with Maputnik. No prior knowledge is required for the workshop, though some experience working with maps will be a bonus, especially for the self-hosting part. The workshop takes place entirely in a browser. After this session, attendees will be familiar with alternatives to commercial map providers and know the foundations of map styling and self-hosting, empowering them to create maps that better serve their reporting and storytelling.

Speakers

João Antunes

Software designer

I'm a software designer, with a career that spans design and engineering, focused on human-computer interaction, data and visual journalism.

Rui Barros

data journalist, Público

Portuguese data journalist currently working at Público.

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

1:15pm CEST

🤖 How LLMs can classify thousands of records in minutes

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z2.10

You find yourself staring at a dataset with tens or hundreds of thousands of rows. Maybe you want to get up-to-date FOIA contact details for all government departments in your country, or to find out which political donors have links to the fossil fuels industry. What do you do?

Large Language Models (LLMs) can help journalists automate simple research and classification tasks that would take an unreasonably long time to do manually.

In this session, we'll outline how Global Witness has used LLMs, search engines and web scraping to help us identify fossil fuel lobbyists at COP29. These techniques can be applied to other investigations and research tasks.

The workshop will cover:

- An interactive classification demo
- Some basic tips on setting up a research/classification project
- The challenges of doing AI research at scale and how to address them
- Using more advanced tools

After attending this session, you will be able to take an existing dataset and automatically augment it with new data, opening up the potential for new stories and investigations.

If you want to follow along with the classification demo, you'll need to be able to run Jupyter Notebooks on your device or have a Google account. A basic understanding of Python would be useful, but we won't be writing any new code.

Speakers

Nicu Calcea

Senior Data Investigator, Global Witness

I’m a journalist with 14 years of experience in media, specialised in data reporting. Currently based in London.

Teodora Ćurčić

investigative journalist & multimedia producer, Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS)

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

1:15pm CEST

Investigating international far-right: uncover Neonazi groups and campaigns against abortion

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z0.10

Far-right and other extremist networks in Europe organise themselves and coordinate their activities across borders by using different technological and strategic means, and pursuing different social and political goals. In this session, three journalists will explain the diverse methodologies they employed to investigate how powerful hardliner networks operate in Europe.

Brecht Castel and Gaëtan Gras will describe how he and his colleagues used OSINT techniques to uncover how Active Clubs – which mix fitness and martial arts with far-right ideology – recruit and radicalise their members online. And Gabriela Keller will explain how they and her colleagues investigated how the international religious right has built cross-border alliances with civil society and political actors, with the aim of influencing policy and restrict women's reproductive rights.

By attending this session, you will learn different approaches to think of and plan a collaborative investigation into the activities of extremist networks.

Speakers

Brecht Castel

Journalist, Knack

Journalist and factchecker for the Belgian medium Knack.

Gaëtan Gras

Lecturer/ Investigative Journalist (datajournalism - Osint - Fact checking), IHECS

Gabriela Keller

Senior Reporterin, Correctiv

Gabriela ist Senior Reporterin bei Correctiv und recherchiert schwerpunktmäßig zu den Themen rechte Netzwerke, Finanzkriminalität und Gewalt gegen Frauen. Zuvor war sie im Investitativteam der Berliner Zeitung und als Reporterin bei der taz tätig. Nach ihrem Volontariat lebte... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z0.10

Investigative method, Presentation

1:15pm CEST

The EU deregulation wave and the corporate agenda – tips and stories to investigate

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z3.04

The new European Commission's focus for the next five years will be on boosting industry's "competitiveness". This entails a radical deregulation agenda for rules that industry perceives as burdensome. Von der Leyen's deregulation agenda was heavily inspired by corporate lobbying campaigns. Last year, the chemical industry led on the Antwerp Declaration, a wish list of industry to slash regulations. This is now followed by the 'Clean Industrial Deal' which is pushing fossil gas for hydrogen, and ignores the other planetary crisis: pollution and biodiversity decline. CEO has compiled an initial list of more than 15 different tools for systemic deregulation. These create more hurdles for new progressive EU regulation, and create escape routes allowing companies to avoid regulation, as well as new hurdles for national level regulation. A good example are the Omnibus proposals, the first of which diluted sustainability reporting rules that had only recently been agreed. We'll share our insights on these new developments in the deregulation agenda, assess what's at stake, and how to build stories around them, at the European level and in your country.

Speakers

Olivier Hoedeman

Research and Campaign Coordinator, Corporate Europe Observatory

Olivier Hoedeman is research and campaign coordinator at Corporate Europe Observatory - exposing the power of corporate lobbying in the EU.

Nina Holland

Researcher and campaigner, Corporate Europe Observatory

Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and their lobby groups in EU policy making.As part of the CEO Environmental Justice team, I focus in my research on corporate... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z3.04

Investigative method, Presentation

1:15pm CEST

Tracking assets and people: A day in the life of an investigative researcher

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z3.02

How do you track down a hidden asset or find someone who doesn't want to be found, starting with almost no information? This session walks through real examples where investigative journalists needed support tackling these kinds of challenges. Rather than focusing on one specific method, we'll look at how researchers approach complex problems creatively when information is limited and subjects are trying to stay hidden. The goal is to share practical ways of thinking through obstacles and to inspire new ideas for your own investigations.

Speakers

Karina Shedrofsky

Director of Research, Data and Research Center

Karina enables impactful investigations as DARC's Director of Research, driven by a passion for tracking elusive individuals and leveraging open-source data to uncover hidden connections. Before joining DARC, Karina spent eight years at OCCRP, where she co-led the research and data... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z3.02

Investigative method, Presentation

1:15pm CEST

Pathways to collaboration with scientists: networking roundtable about cross-disciplinary collaboration

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

In recent years, cross-border investigative projects have increasingly seen scientists and scholars not just as interviewees but as active collaborators throughout the investigative process. Such collaborations, while powerful, require careful design from the start. For example, scientists and journalists often have diverging agendas, timelines, and constraints. There is an inherent imbalance between scientific expertise and the ability of journalists to critically evaluate the validity of a specific scientific approach, leaving journalists reliant on scientists' judgment and at risk of losing control over the direction of the investigation. To address these and other challenges there is a need for structured guidelines, recommendations, and potentially a code of conduct to ensure independence, equity, and effective use of resources. In this networking session, the participants will discuss what those guidelines might look like and co-create a practical blueprint for fostering respectful and productive collaborations between journalists and scholars. The session's outcome will be a co-created roadmap of suggestions, insights, and practical recommendations.

Speakers

Elisabetta Tola

Founder and editor-in-chief, Facta

Elisabetta is a science, data, and investigative journalist.She is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Facta.eu, an Italian independent media outlet that applies the scientific method to journalism and promotes science journalism as a cornerstone of democratic participation.She... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

2:30pm CEST

Coffee break

Friday May 23, 2025 2:30pm - 3:00pm CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area) and on the third floor.

Friday May 23, 2025 2:30pm - 3:00pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

3:00pm CEST

How to track AI extractivism practices through data annotators

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z3.04

Large language models and other AI systems sometimes only work because there are thousands of people labeling and classifying information that is then used in training the models. Journalistic investigations are discovering rights violations and misdemeanors by large outsourcing companies, who offer jobs below the minimum wage. In some cases, workers are forced to go through datasets of disturbing data that can affect their mental health. However, tracing this labour chain is not easy. Big Tech companies often turn to underdeveloped countries where they can take advantage of economic conditions and labour needs to employ this activity; scammers take advantage of this under-supervised process. How can you track this outsourcing chain when you are sitting at your desk somewhere in Europe? Journalists who attend this session will learn how to investigate large tech companies and follow the traces of their activities, as well as uncovering labour and human rights violations along the AI supply chain. They will also learn how to contact the right sources and approach workers who are in sensitive situations.

Moderators

Naiara Bellio

Reporter, AlgorithmWatch

Naiara covers the topics automated decision-making systems and digital rights at AlgorithmWatch. She also conducts research on the use of algorithmic systems by administrations and tech at borders for organisations such as Fair Trials, EuroMed Rights and AlgoRace. Before, she coordinated... Read More →

Speakers

Michael Bird

Freelancer, Freelance

Michael Bird is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer based in Bucharest, Romania and London, UK. Recently, he’s been investigating AI supply chains for AlgorithmWatch, and is the writer and co-producer of Bears Uncovered. His work has appeared in publications such as The Independent on Sunday, Vice, Mediapart, Tagesspiegel, EU Observer and Business Insider, had he has contributed to BBC Radio and Deutsche Welle... Read More →

Nathan Schepers

Software Engineer

Software Engineer with 20y experience in organizations of various types and sizes. Generalist.

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z3.04

AI, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

How to track supply chains and money flows in Europe that contribute to environmental destruction in the Global South

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

The choices made by consumers, corporations, and financiers in the Global North ripple across borders, often shaping the lives and environments of communities in the Global South. From sourcing raw materials to funding large-scale projects, some decisions result in exploitative practices, environmental degradation, and corruption in vulnerable regions. Journalism can play a critical role in unveiling these hidden connections by tracing supply chains and financial flows. The data and research team from the Pulitzer Center will share the techniques, data and tools they used to help journalists uncover the supply chains and financial enablers behind commodities and projects that contributed to environmental degradation and human rights abuse in the Global South. This session will dive into the reporting methodologies behind environmental investigations on rainforest and ocean issues that the team has conducted. The team will provide participants with an investigative framework and introduce them to both the open and private databases and tools used for such investigation. The purpose of this session is to allow participants to replicate the methodologies for their own investigations and to have practical guidelines to kickstart such investigations.

Speakers

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Fernanda Buffa

Gustavo Faleiros

Environmental Investigations Editor, Pulitzer Center

Gustavo Faleiros is the Director of Environmental Investigations for the Pulitzer Center, where he coordinates the Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN). Based in São Paulo, Brazil, he is an environmental journalist and media trainer specializing in data-driven journalism. In 2012... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Cross-border, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

The EU corporate sustainability law: what's in it for you?

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z3.02

From spring 2025, large companies in the EU are legally required to disclose their impact on climate, the environment and human rights. These 'sustainability reports' contain a wealth of new data. Lobbyists did a lot to water down the directives, and the reports are full of jargon and legal language. Luuk Sengers, a seasoned climate and business journalist, has studied them, so you don't have to! In this session, he will show you where to look, what to look for, and what stories you can find in the data.

Speakers

Luuk Sengers

Journalist, trainer en mentor, Luuk Sengers Journalistiek

Luuk is an independent investigative journalist, lecturer, trainer and mentor. For the leading Dutch magazine De Groene Amsterdammer he writes about the effects of corporate power on our environment and climate, based on data-analysis. He also teaches research skills, data journalism and interview techniques to professionals and students and helps media and NGOs organise and carry out investigative projects. He... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z3.02

Data buffet, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

Find the Eurostat data you want - using an API

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z1.14

Getting European data from EUROSTAT, the statistical office of the European Union, can be tricky, clicking through ever-increasing menus and confusing download buttons - but there is an easier way. Instead of manually downloading spreadsheets, we will learn how to use the API provided by Eurostat. Once you know how this works you will be able to adapt your knowledge to query data from other organizations including the OECD and the World Bank. We'll also learn how generative AI can help simplify querying data in this format by ensuring we use the correct syntax. Bring your own laptop: we will be using some Python: you will need a gmail account in order to access a copy of the script for the session. No other software is required.

Moderators

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Speakers

Marina Caporlingua

Data developer, Lab24 - IlSole24Ore

Fellow of the JournalismAI Program at the London School of Economics. Winner of the Code for Earth competition by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z1.14

Data journalism, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

AI in code editors: save time when writing code

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z2.08

In this session we will explore AI assisted code editors, and go over the obscure but necessary features that enable you to write web scrapers easily. We'll walk through examples of how to approach unfamiliar pages and web technologies, and how it's already being used to speed up development substantially.

To get the most out of this session, you should have basic knowledge of web scraping in Python.

Speakers

Klil Eden

Director, Vandelay Analytics

I work with organizations to develop robust, data-intensive investigative software and tech capacity for strategic projects, including digital defense. I've worked in public benefit technology in many roles -- engineering, product leadership, infosec, and analytics. My work supports... Read More →

Max Harlow

Bloomberg News

Max Harlow is a data reporter at Bloomberg News in London. He uses data and documents to cover topics including money in politics, corporate sleaze and international trade. He formerly worked at the Financial Times. He also runs Journocoders, a community group for journalists to develop... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z2.08

Data skills, Hands on

3:00pm CEST

Browser puppetry: Playwright for dynamic website scraping

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z2.09

Playwright is a next-generation browser automation tool that allows you to use Python or JavaScript to scrape almost any web page. It can assist in downloading pages of government documents, capturing tweets before they get deleted, or simply breaking past the cookie consent banner. Beyond the basics, it can also easily take screenshots, monitor and log network requests, and even fit right into your traditional BeautifulSoup scraping approach.

We'll look at:

- Installing Playwright
- Accessing elements on the page
- Interacting with web pages (clicking, navigating, filling out forms)
- Taking screenshots
- Sending pages to traditional scraping tools like BeautifulSoup
- Common patterns including pagination and CAPTCHA breaking

For those of you familiar with tackling similar problems using Selenium: Playwright is a similar tool with a better interface, better install/upgrade process, and ten times the usability. It might be time to upgrade!

Participants should have a basic knowledge of Python and HTML, but we'll also cover how to breeze past those basics with AI assistance. To fully participate, participants should have Jupyter installed. Additional software and installation tips will be available at https://github.com/jsoma/dataharvest25-playwright-scraping

Speakers

Nicu Calcea

Senior Data Investigator, Global Witness

I’m a journalist with 14 years of experience in media, specialised in data reporting. Currently based in London.

Jonathan Soma

Professor, Columbia University

Jonathan Soma is Knight Chair in Data Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, where he directs both the Data Journalism MS and the summer intensive Lede Program. His courses there cover everything from basic Python and analysis to ai2html and machine learning. Right now he's very... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

3:00pm CEST

Cracking the code: how to use RegEx in your investigations

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z2.10

When you unlock the power of regular expressions (RegEx) you supercharge your spreadsheet!

Participants will learn how to extract hidden patterns from text, clean messy datasets, and automate repetitive tasks using the RegEx formulas within Google Sheets (but this session is also a good intro if you want to apply it in other code).

Through practical examples—like extracting donations, cleaning salutation-heavy lists, and extracting postcodes—you will leave with the confidence to apply RegEx in your day-to-day data work.

Attendees will receive a RegEx cheat sheet (customisable for their own use) and a practical demo spreadsheet to take their skills to the next level. No prior experience of RegEx is required, but you should be comfortable writing formulas in Google Sheets/Excel. I will be sharing a Google Sheet containing the data for which you will require a Google account.

Speakers

Pamela Duncan

Data Projects Editor, The Guardian

Pamela Duncan is the acting editor of the Guardian’s Data Project team, producing high quality and exclusive data stories. She can usually be found at her desk poring over spreadsheets, translating non-machine readable PDFs into a usable format and using coding skills - most often... Read More →

Rob Gebeloff

Reporter, New York Times

Robert Gebeloff has worked as a data projects reporter for The New York Times since 2008 and has taught data journalism for many years in newsrooms and at conferences. He was co-winner of the George Polk Award in 2015 and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in both 2015 and 2016 for projects... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

3:00pm CEST

Public interest journalism – where does Europe go?

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z1.16

Independent newsrooms are sprouting up all over Europe. They counter the decline in traditional media and the rise of misinformation, but they are still outnumbered and face significant challenges to their survival.
For the first time, we now have knowledge and data about this new sector: The Journalism Value Project (JVP) has over the last two years made a survey of 174 independent newsrooms on 31 countries, produced a 25-episode podcast series about their main challenges and published a white-paper aimed at politicians and funders about the need for public service journalism and the needs, these newsrooms have.
The project has put the spotlight on the societal value of independent journalism and the challenges it faces. Join this session to hear about the state of public interest newsrooms in Europe and hear how the newsrooms and the funders look at future possibilities. Is there a place for these media? Are they a priority for funders or for politicians at national and EU level? Must the newsrooms find their own ways to become sustainable?

Moderators

Brigitte Alfter

Director, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Brigitte Alfter is a senior German-Danish journalist and director for Arena for Journalism in Europe. Having practiced journalism for more than a decade on local, national and European level, she realised the need for collaborative journalism and for structures to support not least... Read More →

Speakers

Malte Werner

Projektleiter Helpline, Netzwerk Recherche

Malte Werner ist gelernter Agenturjournalist und war viele Jahre freier Reporter. Jetzt hegt und pflegt er das zarte Pflänzchen des gemeinnützigen Journalismus im Grow-Greenhouse, dem Zentrum für gemeinnützigen Journalismus und Medienvielfalt von Netzwerk Recherche. Bei NR hat... Read More →

Ebru Akgün

Public Interest Programme Manager, Adessium Foundation

Ebru, currently in the role of Public Interest Programe Manager, joined Adessium Foundation in November 2021. Adessium Foundation is a private and independent grant making foundation, based in the Netherlands. It aspires to a society that encourages people to live in harmony with... Read More →

Marijn Duijvestein

Policy Officer - Media Support Programmes, European Commission

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z1.16

Entrepreneurial, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

Taking OSINT to the archive: using data, OSINT and (a little bit of) AI for historical investigative journalism

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

In a world where history may sometimes seem busy repeating itself, the ability to find your way around traditional paper archives is increasingly useful. Whether it’s war, genocide, the Cold War or the environment: historical stories are becoming more and more – well – current.

In this session we’ll show you how to transfer data and OSINT skills to working with paper and historical records. We will explain how to find stories in the material and how to find both historical and current sources. We’ll show you some – hopefully – inspiring examples, and we’ll discuss why it’s not smart to accidentally download 500,000 records from the National Archives.

No previous knowledge and no additional materials (e.g. laptop) are required for this session.

Speakers

Ernst Arbouw

Journalist

Ernst Arbouw is a writer and journalist from the Netherlands. He works as a freelancer for de Volkskrant, where he writes about science, history, climate and - somehow - beached whales.In his book H.W.R. was hier ('H.W.R. was here', published 2021), he combined investigative journalism... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Instant inspiration, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

How do you investigate an oligarch? Take a trip with us through an offshore maze

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z0.10

We all know that oligarchs, gangsters and shady politicians use shell companies and trusts in offshore jurisdictions to hide their ill-gotten gains. Just because they hide their cash doesn't mean we can't find their companies! This session will show you the tools available to help you crack open those nests of shell companies.
Come join us on this wild ride through an offshore maze

Speakers

Jelena Cosic

Training Manager and Eastern European partnership coordinator, ICIJ

Jelena Cosic is ICIJ's training manager and Eastern European partnership coordinator.She prepares and implements training programs on ICIJ platforms, new materials, and documentation, both internally and across the organization’s global reporting network.Prior to joining ICIJ, she... Read More →

Karrie Kahoe

Deputy Head of Data & Research, ICIJ

Karrie Kehoe is ICIJ's deputy head of data and research.She started working with ICIJ on the Fatal Extraction project in 2015 and joined as a full-time data journalist in 2018.Karrie has worked on many of ICIJ's investigations over the years including Pandora Papers, Uber Files, Ericsson... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z0.10

Investigative method, Presentation

3:00pm CEST

Keep calm and coordinate: Networking Roundtable about coordinating collaborative investigations

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Cross-border collaborative investigations are now an established practice in journalism, and the role of coordinator is gaining a clearer definition. Yes, many questions about the coordinator's role and work remain open, as each investigation is different and presents different challenges. While some organisations specialise in hosting and coordinating collaborative projects, there are also many cross-border investigations coordinated by individual journalists in an ad-hoc manner. In this session we'd like to consider the possibility of developing a cross-border editorial framework and mindset that would help us decide which topics to investigate from the beginning of a collaboration. We will look at ideas on how to best manage diverse, cross-border teams who have varying cultural and journalistic backgrounds; how to work remotely across different time zones with freelancers and staffers, newcomers and veterans, data journalists and writers. When it comes to publishing partners, how do you navigate the varying requirements of legacy media and independent newsrooms? Whether you have experience coordinating cross-border investigations or you'd like to get some experience in the field - join the discussion!

Speakers

Alessia Cerantola

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

3:00pm CEST

Up your digital security game

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z2.02

Digital hygiene, security awareness and understanding how and where data (including personal data) is exposed is more important than ever. In this session, we will give you the tools and knowledge you need to up your digital security game.

We will start the session by checking your own current digital security in a fun and interactive way. We will look at what your answers tell us and share practical tips to improve your security game and better secure your computer(s), encrypt confidential information, or communicate securely with your team.

After this session you will have a better security profile and will be able to do your investigative work more securely. You will also receive a tip sheet in order to go on implementing the measures at your own pace.

Speakers

Benedikt Hebeisen

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Benedikt coordinates the IT at Arena for Journalism and manages the development of the Collaborative Desk, where he supports cross-border teams with tools, workflows and secure environments. He focuses his work on the intersection of investigative journalism and technology, with a... Read More →

Deborah Meibergen

IT Coordinator and Security Awareness trainer Collaborative Desk, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Deborah is an IT coordinator and security awareness trainer at Arena for Journalism in Europe. Self-taught, she has worked in the arts, digital rights, information security, cyber security and open-source technology sphere for 20+ years. As an activist, she is vocal about defending... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z2.02

Safety, Hands on

3:00pm CEST

From page to stage: bringing journalism to life

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST

Z3.09

Live journalism is emerging as a powerful global trend, reconnecting audiences with journalism in an engaging, interactive way.

In this session, participants will explore how journalism can transcend traditional formats and captivate live audiences. After an introduction to the genre — its evolution, impact, and the key players worldwide — we’ll dive into Headliner’s unique approach in Germany, showcasing Reporter Slam (a fast-paced, entertaining format) and JIVE (a magazine on stage), alongside inspiring international examples.

Then, we’ll break down the core principles of live journalism, analysing curated clips from live shows to identify what makes them work. Participants are encouraged to bring a story (printed or digital) that they believe could be adapted for the stage. Through hands-on guidance, they will learn to:
✔ Select the appropriate format and tone
✔ Identify visual and auditory elements to enhance storytelling
✔ Structure a compelling narrative arc for a live audience

No prior experience required!

By the end of this session, participants will have a good grasp of different live journalistic formats and first practical tools to start re-imagining their own stories for the stage.

Speakers

Christine Liehr

Co-founder, Headliner gUG

Christine Liehr ist studierte Betriebswirtin und Journalistin und hat einen Hang zur Bühne. Im Frühjahr 2023 hat sie Headliner gUG mitbegründet, die erste gemeinnützige Organisation in Deutschland, die Journalismus und Kunst in Live-Shows verbindet. Sie lebt in Berlin und teilt... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm CEST
Z3.09

Storytelling, Workshop

3:00pm CEST

EU transparency and the right to information: discussion with the EU ombudswoman

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z3.05

The European Ombudsman investigates cases of maladministration within EU institutions, acting on their own initiative or in response to complaints from EU citizens - often journalists. In this session, the new European Ombudswoman, Teresa Anjinho will share her position on transparency issues, and will discuss, with three experienced journalists working on EU-related topics, a wide range of pressing issues. How will journalists’ concerns related to the treatment of the freedom of information requests be addressed? What are possible solutions to the loopholes in the current EU Transparency register? How can the transparency of EU spending be improved, including oversight over RRF money and the proposed Defence fund? Come to the session and join the discussion!

Speakers

Jean Comte

Reporter, MLex

I am a Brussels-based journalist, currently covering financial regulation for the financial newswire MLex.I spent several years before that writing about transparency, ethics and lobbying in the EU institutions. I published a book on lobbying in 2023, that was reedited this year.I... Read More →

Alexander Fanta

Follow the Money

Alexander Fanta is an investigative reporter with Follow the Money. He writes about tech companies and their lobbying in the European Union. Alexander was part of an international team of journalists who investigated the corruption allegations against Chinese tech giant Huawei.Alexander... Read More →

Elena Sánchez Nicolás

Journalist, EUobserver

Elena is the EUobserver's editor-in-chief. She is from Spain and has studied journalism and new media in Spanish and Belgian universities. Previously, she worked on European affairs at VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE.

Teresa Anjinho

European Ombudsman

Teresa Anjinho was sworn in as European Ombudsman on 27 February 2025, following her election by the European Parliament in December 2024. As European Ombudsman, she is responsible for investigating maladministration within the institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies of the European... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 3:00pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Roundtable

4:15pm CEST

Coffee break

Friday May 23, 2025 4:15pm - 4:45pm CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area) and on the third floor.

Friday May 23, 2025 4:15pm - 4:45pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

4:45pm CEST

Watching the watchers: investigating AI, surveillance & the loopholes of Europe’s AI Act

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z3.02

With the EU’s new AI Act introducing a historic regulatory framework, there are high hopes for greater oversight of artificial intelligence. But significant loopholes remain — especially when it comes to surveillance, policing, and the algorithmic control of workers.

In this session, journalists will share how they’re reporting on AI systems hidden in plain sight — from biometric surveillance to algorithmic monitoring in the workplace. Through these cases, they’ll show how the AI Act opens doors for investigation, while also leaving dangerous blind spots.

Participants will leave the session with practical strategies for reporting on AI and power: how to trace lobbying and regulation, use FOI requests, and uncover the real-world impact of automated systems — even when those in charge prefer to keep them invisible.

Speakers

Nico Schmidt

Investigate Europe

As part of the European journalist team Investigate Europe, Nico Schmidt works together with colleagues from several EU countries. In recent months, he has researched the unequal availability of essential medicines in the EU, the role of AI in the EU election campaign and how Western... Read More →

Clément Pouré

Clém Pouré is a freelance journalist based in Paris who covers the intersection of technology and social issues. They have focused their reporting on surveillance in public spaces, publishing dozens of stories in French investigative outlet Mediapart and other news media. Deepening... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z3.02

AI, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

Risk and rewards: how to hunt for sanctions evasion in customs data

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Customs records and open-source databases are a goldmine, but they can also be overwhelming. With so much data, where do you begin looking for stories? How can you be sure that what you're seeing is what you think it is? And how should you organise your findings once you have a good lead?

At a time when international sanctions affect everything from oil to aircraft parts, this presentation offers insights into investigating sanctioned goods, sharing information on the databases and tools and techniques useful for finding original supply chain stories. We will be drawing on our experience of tracking shipments of aircraft parts from western facilities to Russia via India (see: https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/boeing-airbus-russia-sanctions-aircraft-parts-india-intermediaries). We will explain how we trawled through thousands of transactions to find what we were looking for – and how we turned rows of data into actual stories.

Speakers

Ella Joyner

Chris Matthews

Investigations Editor, Investigate Europe

Chris Matthews is the investigations editor of Investigate Europe, a cross-border investigative journalism consortium. Previously, he worked on climate investigations for an environmental nonprofit, with a particular focus on commodity-driven deforestation and global supply chains... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Cross-border, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

Find your way through the data maze of European "illegal" border crossings

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z1.14

The frequency of irregular migrant crossings, and dangers faced by thousands of people continues to attract headlines across Europe. In this session we will take a deep-dive into the best data sources to use, what they show, how they differ, their publishing schedules and their limitations. We will also look at how to access the data efficiently, to visualise it, and to combine it with other sources to produce data-driven stories. The session is for those just starting to look at this topic, or veterans looking for inspiration for new story ideas. There will be some mention of scraping in R and google sheets, but no knowledge of these is required to attend.

Speakers

Rob England

Data Journalist - BBC Verify, BBC News

I am a data journalist with BBC Verify covering a broad range of news topics.Recently I have been focussing on producing data-driven stories and fact checks about migration to the UK and beyond.I'm happy to talk about anything, but am particularly keen to geek out with others working... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z1.14

Data journalism, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

The power of bad data: How a media monitor from Northern Macedonia learned to understand its role in information disorder

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z3.09

Today, bad data holds the power to distort reality, spread misinformation, and manipulate public opinion. This session dives deep into how inaccurate, incomplete, and even deliberately manipulated data fuels the growth of information disorder. Participants will learn how to spot and verify flawed data, understand its far-reaching impact on trust in the media, and explore practical strategies to combat its spread.

Moderators

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Speakers

Despina Kovacevska

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z3.09

Data journalism, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

World of pain: how to understand Big Pharma - and find data in an information desert

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z0.10

The opioid crisis and the role of Purdue Pharma might seem like a US-based story. But there is much profit being made from pain in Europe, and new addicts are being created in the process. Paper Trail Media, in collaboration with The Examination, uncovered the opioid business on this side of the Atlantic, leading to a documentary aired by ZDF in Germany, and a front page story in the Washington Post. Find out how they did it – and how the story is still being uncovered in an area where data is sparse.

Speakers

Maria Christoph

Senior Investigative Reporter, paper trail media

Maria Christoph is a crossmedial investigative journalist. In 2020, she was awarded the German "Reporter:innenpreis" in the category "podcast". In 2022, her work was honored with the Axel-Springer-Prize. For her research into abuses of power in star gastronomy she is nominated for... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z0.10

Data journalism, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

Data Magic made simple: three ways to crunch numbers in spreadsheets

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z2.08

We know that thousands of lines in a dataset can be intimidating, especially if you’re not a programmer. Spreadsheets can do the heavy lifting — and mastering them is easier than you expect!

In this session, we will walk you through three different ways to dive into data using nothing but spreadsheet tools. Along the way, we’ll show you how to cross-check your calculations, ensuring your findings are accurate and reliable. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have already used spreadsheets in your work, you’ll leave with practical skills to handle data confidently without ever touching a line of code. Bring your laptop and join us to discover how easy and powerful data analysis can be!

Speakers

Pamela Duncan

Data Projects Editor, The Guardian

Alina Yanchur

Data and Investigative Journalist

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z2.08

Data skills, Hands on

4:45pm CEST

Finding connections: transform your document collections into a graph visualisation

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z2.09

A high level overview of the GraphRAG ecosystem. We aim to show:
- What GraphRAG is, and how it works
- How to prepare your documents
- How to build your own graph.
- How to interface with your graph using Python

These techniques can be used to gain a visual overview of the contents of document sets, and to find information in the documents without having to rely on keywords. Put simply, it enables you to make sense of large amounts of documents without having to read them all.

In the session you'll be making a graph from arbitrary documents, visualizing it, and using it to answer questions.

It will help if you've heard of RAG before, but this is not a prerequisite. To follow along, all you need is a browser and an e-mail address.

Speakers

Lasse Edfast

Documentary producer and data researcher, Freelance

Documentary producer, researcher and data journalist. I'm be happy to help you with your Python project.

Johan Schuijt

Freelance Full Stack / Data developer

I help teams make sense of their data with small sharp custom software tools that save time.

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

4:45pm CEST

Investigating British royals' wealth using geospatial tools 👑 : learn the basics of PostGIS

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z2.10

Working with geospatial datasets is often critical to investigations dealing with where things are located, where an event occurred, land ownership, and the environment.

In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of using PostGIS to query and join geospatial datasets using the Guardian's Cost of the Crown series as a case study.

We’ll run through a brief overview of PostGIS, the spatial data types, indexes, and functions it adds to Postgres, and a few of its strengths and weaknesses as a tool.

Participants will connect to an existing database containing the data used in the investigation. They'll be guided through writing queries to reproduce the investigation's results.

To take part in this workshop, participants should feel comfortable writing basic SQL queries. Participants should bring their laptops with either DBeaver or their favorite SQL client tool installed.

Speakers

Zeke Hunter-Green

Software Developer, The Guardian

Zeke Hunter-Green is a software developer and computational journalist on the Guardian’s Digital Investigations team which develops investigative tools and contributes to journalism projects.

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

4:45pm CEST

From journalist to manager - how to make the transition

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z1.16

One month, you are a reporter in the field working with editors and fact-checkers and with your editor in chief. The next month, you find yourself as a manager, a director or editor yourself and realize that what you’ve learned by being a reporter is not enough any more. You have to deal with legal affairs or staff disagreements, and you must make decisions about other reporters. Listen to two journalists-turned-directors telling how they handled the transition.

Moderators

Elisabetta Tola

Founder and editor-in-chief, Facta

Speakers

Alessia Cerantola

Daniel Howden

Managing Director, Lighthouse Reports

Founder and lead journalist at Lighthouse Reports, an award-winning European investigative nonprofit. Responsible for building an innovative investigations team working with some of the world's leading media on far-reaching, high impact stories. Lead on strategy, fundraising and recruitment.Experienced... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z1.16

Entrepreneurial, Panel

4:45pm CEST

[SESSION CANCELLED] Protecting your newsroom against legal threats

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Dear participants,

This session has been cancelled due to the speaker's illness. We are sorry for the inconvenience!

One of the biggest threats to a small newsroom is being faced with legal claims or lawsuits that will block publication, soak up all your energy and potentially empty your bank account. Claims may allege violations of privacy, defamation, or breach of confidentiality. In recent years attention has focused on SLAPPs (Strategic Legal Action against Public Participation) that aim to stop you in your tracks, prevent lawful investigations and halt discussion of matters of public interest.
How can you prevent this tactic and be prepared if it's used against you? Where can you go for support and help? Senior legal advisor Flutura Kusari from the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, who has advised media and journalists pre- and post- publication, gives her advice and takes your questions.

Moderators

Elisa Simantke

Senior Investigative Editor, Paper Trail Media

Speakers

Flutura Kusari

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Entrepreneurial, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

How to use privacy rules as an investigative tool

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z3.04

Privacy rights under GDPR are often seen as an obstacle to investigative journalism. In this session we focus on the great opportunity to access information which GDPR gives us.
While national laws on the right to access information are for everyone, GDPR is about individual control over information. When you learn to make use of this regulation, you can access information from big tech companies, from consumer clubs, and even religious sects.

Speakers

Tarjei Leer-Salvesen

Project manager Innsyn.no, Faktisk.no

Tarjei Leer-Salvesen spent six months at Reuters Institute in Oxford i 2023 to write about cross-border use of the worlds different RTI laws. He is also interested in environmental information and GDPR as a tool for journalism. In Norway, he is a freelance journalist while also maintaining... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z3.04

Investigative method, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

The vertical perspective: best practices for using satellite data in journalism

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Satellite data has become a powerful resource in investigative journalism — but using it effectively comes with technical, ethical, and practical challenges. This session draws on several recent investigations to highlight how journalists are incorporating satellite imagery and geospatial data into their reporting.

We’ll explore how radar-based analysis was used to document destruction in Ukrainian cities, and how satellite-derived location data revealed movement patterns of German intelligence service employees. These examples show not just what’s possible, but also what can go wrong — and how journalists adapted when it did. From sourcing the data to picking the right tools and interpreting results responsibly, the session offers real-world insights into the craft of satellite-aided investigations.

No technical background is required. This isn’t a hands-on workshop, but a behind-the-scenes look at how satellite data fits into newsroom workflows.

Speakers

Michael Anthony

Co-Founder, Vertical52

Michael has co-founded Vertical52 to built tools for journalists so they can better access and analyse geospatial data. Michael has started out as a journalist with Welt am Sonntag, Spiegel Online and other outlets and has founded the journalists.network institute. He has worked with... Read More →

Polina Uzhvak

Journalist, IStories

I work as a data and investigative journalist for IStories, a Russian independent media outlet. I used to investigate social problems and injustice by combining a data-driven approach with field reporting. After the full-scale war in Ukraine began, my colleagues and I were forced... Read More →

Robert Schöffel

Team Lead BR Data, BR

Robert Schöffel is team lead at BR Data, the data journalism team of Bayerischer Rundfunk. He is responsible for journalistic projects and data- and document-driven research, often with an investigative focus.

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Investigative method, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

Unveiling Europe's arms industry lobbying: what are the main actors, trends and impacts?

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z3.05

The arms industry is one of the most opaque sectors in Europe — and one of the least scrutinised. This session will offer a detailed look into the recent history and evolving strategies of the arms industry’s lobbying efforts, both at the EU institutions and bodies, and at national governments that control export licenses.

The session will explore how the industry has adapted and expanded its influence in recent years, especially in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency and his open scepticism of NATO.

Attendees will learn:

Who the key arms industry players and lobbyists are, and how they operate at the EU level.
The strategies used by the arms lobby to influence European institutions, defence policies, funding programmes.
What legislative files and funding mechanisms they are currently targeting and why.
Who the most relevant policy-makers in this field are.
How journalists can track lobbying events, funding decisions, and defence deals that often remain under the radar.
What stories are being missed and where journalists should be looking next.

The speakers will assume that attendees have at least some basic knowledge of the EU functioning and decision making-process, and of the recent ReArm Europe plan and EU White Paper for defence.
A booklet on EU militarisation main steps until 2021 is also available in German, English, French, Italian and Spanish (ENAAT and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung)

Moderators

Hans-Martin Tillack

Investigative Reporter

Hans-Martin Tillack is an investigative reporter, based in Berlin. Until 2025 he was a senior reporter in the investigative team of "Welt" and "Welt am Sonntag". Before that, he was responsible for investigations in the Berlin office of "Stern" magazine. From 1999 to 2004, he was... Read More →

Speakers

Laëtitia Sédou

EU project manager, ENAAT

I have been working since 2016 as the EU project manager at the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT), an informal network of 20 national and international peace movements across 14 European countries.The EU project addresses the militarisation of the EU, focusing in particular... Read More →

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

Independent tech infrastructure vs big tech? Old debate, new urgency and relevance

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

The debate in journalism about the use of independent technology infrastructure vs. big tech and its cloud has been going on for years. Yet, the issue has become even more urgent with recent political developments and the current dominance of big tech companies. What does this mean for investigative journalism, and how can we deal with the erosion of trust in big tech solutionsmas the need for cloud resources grows? On the other hand, a growing community is developing independent services and tools and and new networks are being set up. In this networking roundtable, we want to discuss different strategies and share experiences, hurdles, and possible solutions with journalists and tech experts.

Speakers

Benedikt Hebeisen

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Deborah Meibergen

IT Coordinator and Security Awareness trainer Collaborative Desk, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Friday May 23, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Safety, Roundtable

6:00pm CEST

Nerd Jam: bring your software projects, scripts and tools

Friday May 23, 2025 6:00pm - 8:00pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

The Nerd Jam is all about showing each other our software projects, our exploratory scripts, or interesting use cases for established tools. It's a session to learn and be inspired by others who use code to wrangle data and support their work.

Join this session if you're comfortable with scripting or building software. The jam is all about building on each other's work, finding solutions to problems that stump us, and maybe even building collaborations to last beyond Dataharvest.

This event is only open to Dataharvest participants.

If you'll be joining us, fill out the form below with your name, email, and area of interest. Additionally, if you have short (< 15-minute) session ideas, please share them.

https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/zlj+KzpAsVJeC2jml0sj0HD5yRyzjxIxtqbJIA7cU6U/

Speakers

Alex Ștefănescu

Senior Developer, http://darc.li/

Alex is a senior open-source developer. She has worked on civic technology and tools for activists and journalists. She is currently proud & happy to be part of the Data and Research Center. She is involves in digital rights advocacy in Romania as a member of apti.ro - the Association... Read More →

Klil Eden

Director, Vandelay Analytics

Friday May 23, 2025 6:00pm - 8:00pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking

6:30pm CEST

Walking tour: Historical Mechelen (sign up here)

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm CEST

Schepenhuis - Grote Markt, Vleeshouwersstraat 6

Max 25 participants - FULL
Did you know that Mechelen played an important political and economic role in the fifteenth century, when the city was under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy? Many historical buildings testify to this: St. Rumbold's Cathedral, the former palaces of Margaret of Austria and Margaret of York, the Palace of the Grand Council, etc. etc. The Historical City Walk now also takes in the newly discovered fourteenth-century wall paintings in St. John's Church. Follow your guide through historical Mechelen.

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm CEST
Schepenhuis - Grote Markt, Vleeshouwersstraat 6

Networking

6:30pm CEST

Walking tour: Women of Mechelen (sign up here)

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm CEST

Schepenhuis - Grote Markt, Vleeshouwersstraat 6

Max 25 participants - register here
This walk looks at the power of women and their influence on the city, from the highest ranks to the lowest, from the distant past through to the present day. Among other things, you will visit Margaret of Austria's palace and what are now the law courts. You will also be able to view the exterior of Margaret of York's palace, now the home of the municipal theatre.

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm CEST
Schepenhuis - Grote Markt, Vleeshouwersstraat 6

Networking

6:30pm CEST

OSINT Challenge kick-off

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 8:00pm CEST

Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Back by popular demand (yes, really!) The OSINT treasure hunt gives Dataharvesters a chance to have some fun, test their OSINT skills and lateral thinking, and get some fresh air on the streets of Mechelen. Either come as a team (3 is a good number) or find other team members at the beginning of the session.

Speakers

Marcus Lindemann

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 8:00pm CEST
Z1.13 - Aula Hanswijk

Networking, Hands on

6:30pm CEST

Live journalism: Investigative Journalism on stage

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 8:00pm CEST

Mediaforum

Telling stories live to those around us, using our voices, is probably the oldest storytelling format of all. Live Journalism, on the other hand, is a more recent but fast-growing phenomenon, with new groups emerging in different countries every year. While there's no single definition of Live Journalism, most often it involves journalists taking their reporting on stage to perform and do their storytelling in front of a live audience.

This year, Dataharvest is showcasing a Live Journalism performance, produced with Christine Liehr, co-founder and managing director of Headliner, where we'll experiment with ways of bringing to life journalistic investigations done by the Dataharvest community.

This will not be like the sessions we attend during the day, which focus on sharing methodologies and tools. Instead, this event invites you to experience journalism in a different way: as a live, on-stage, storytelling act.

The performance will feature two investigative journalists from the Dataharvest community, who will showcase the story revealed by a big cross-border investigation they recently worked on along with colleagues from other European countries.

Come to enjoy this experimental production — and to get inspired about how you too could organise a Live Journalism event back in your city!

Note: light snacks and drinks will be served before and after the performance.

Moderators

Jose Miguel Calatayud

Freelance journalist and writer

I am a freelance journalist and writer based in Berlin, focusing on feature writing and investigative journalism, mainly about Europe. As of mid-2025, I’m working on The Guide to Corporate Influence in Europe, a series of articles on how big companies act very strategically to... Read More →

Christine Liehr

Co-founder, Headliner gUG

Speakers

To be announced at the performance

Friday May 23, 2025 6:30pm - 8:00pm CEST
Mediaforum

Storytelling, Hands on

9:00am CEST

Coffee

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area)

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

9:30am CEST

How to investigate AI: beginner level

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

AI has moved from niche tech coverage to leading headlines worldwide. Opaque algorithms make life-changing decisions about millions across the continent in health, banking and social security systems. Meanwhile, Big Tech increasingly uses Europe as a base for the resource-guzzling data centres that power modern generative AI development. So where do you start? This hands-on session will walk through a framework for different story archetypes and an understanding of how to generate and pursue story leads. Then, we'll home in on a specific story and how to build an AI accountability investigation from scratch — including following the money behind digital infrastructure, using freedom-of-information laws and collaborating with data scientists to uncover algorithmic bias. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of how to investigate automated systems even when access to code is difficult. Participants who want to go deeper can attend the Level 2 session.

Speakers

Naiara Bellio

Reporter, AlgorithmWatch

Gabriel Geiger

Investigative Journalist, Lighthouse Reports

Gabriel is an investigative journalist with Lighthouse Reports. He specializes in surveillance and algorithmic accountability reporting and most recently was the lead reporter on Lighthouse Reports' Suspicion Machines investigation. His work often combines traditional reporting methodologies... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

AI, Hands on

9:30am CEST

The JuicyFields story - investigating the largest cannabis fraud of all time

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.03

Russian gangsters, fake counts, golden Ferraris and shell companies in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Investigating the JuicyFields case meant plunging into a wild maze of deception, false leads and spectacular turns. Hundreds of thousands of people were deceived by a group of serial scammers. They claimed everybody could become rich by investing in virtual cannabis. With losses amounting to more than half a billion dollars, the JuicyFields scam is one of the largest pyramid schemes ever investigated by European authorities. Gabriela Keller (Correctiv) and Elisa Simantke (Paper Trail Media) were part of an international team of journalists that uncovered how a bunch of criminals from Russia went on digital raids targeting Europeans again and again. In this panel, Gabriela and Eilsa will explain how they built up sources, what they learnt from OSINT and police documents, how they tracked the path of the criminals from St.Petersburg to Berlin, Switzerland and South America. They will also talk about how they analysed company structures – and learned how to avoid the traps set for them by the criminals. Because, as the investigation built up momentum, the fraudsters were trying to lure the reporters into their network of illusions. And while the JuicyFields website is now defunct, the masterminds behind it are setting up new scams. The business of the fraudsters continues in several countries – as is the international investigation. That means reporters can still learn how to carry on investigating in their own country.

Moderators

Eurydice Bersi

Reporter, Reporters United / Investigate Europe

I love investigating unaccountable power structures and their impact on people and the environment. Most recently, I took part in the #ForeverPollution project and the #Wasteland, #Untaxed, #SilentDeath, #Derailed investigations. In my previous life, I was a staff writer at the foreign... Read More →

Speakers

Gabriela Keller

Senior Reporterin, Correctiv

Elisa Simantke

Senior Investigative Editor, Paper Trail Media

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.03

Cross-border, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Unmasking a scam empire: leak processing at scale for collaborative investigations

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z0.10

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.

Speakers

Eric Barrett

Data Director, OCCRP

Eric Barrett joined OCCRP in 2019 and is the data director, co-leading the research and data team. He oversees the management and use of data while leading a team of journalists and developers to acquire and analyze data for investigations.Prior to joining OCCRP, Eric managed data... Read More →

Eiliv Frich Flydal

Reporter, VG

Eiliv Frich Flydal works on investigative projects at VG, Norway’s largest media outlet.

Malina McLennan

Data Journalist, OCCRP

Malina McLennan joined OCCRP in 2024 as a data journalist. She coordinates our team of regional data journalists, working closely with the our research and data team, reporters, and editors, developing data storytelling strategies and coordinating data-driven investigations. Prior... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z0.10

Cross-border, Presentation

9:30am CEST

How to find and use up-to-date beneficial ownership data to reveal the real owners of companies

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z3.05

Understanding how companies are owned, controlled and managed is crucial for investigations. To reveal the real human owners with the right to share in a company’s income or assets, or the ability to control its activities, you need beneficial ownership data. Open Ownership drives the global shift towards beneficial ownership transparency and in this session we will share where to find and make use of up-to-date data on company ownership. We will also explain how journalists can find such information in unstructured data in a range of places.

Speakers

Stephen Abbott Pugh

Independent technical consultant, Understand beneficial ownership

Beneficial ownership transparency, data and standardisation expert offering technical guidance and consultancy support https://www.beneficialownership.co.uk. Former product owner of the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, the world's leading open standard for structuring and exchanging... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z3.05

Data buffet, Hands on

9:30am CEST

Exploring extreme heat: satellite imagery and spatial analysis in R

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z3.04

Satellite imagery is a powerful tool for data-driven investigations, but getting started can be tricky. In this session, you'll learn how to navigate the U.S. Geological Survey's portal to access free satellite imagery from around the world - as well as common limitations when working with the data format. Then, using the *terra* package in R, you'll be guided through loading and analysing this data to identify urban heat islands. You will leave with practical skills, fresh inspiration and the confidence to tackle your own spatial analysis projects.

Participants who want to follow along should ideally have a working knowledge of R.

We will be using a cloud instance of RStudio accessed via your browser, so you won't need to install any software or download any files. If you want to use another language, or have RStudio installed on your computer already, then we will share any necessary data on a stick.

If you are interested the source for the data is USGS Earth Explorer portal.

Moderators

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Speakers

Max Donheiser

Data Journalist, CORRECTIV

Max is an investigative data journalist based in Berlin. Originally from the U.S., they have been working for the German non-profit newsroom CORRECTIV since 2019.

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z3.04

Data journalism, Hands on

9:30am CEST

From source to chart 📈 : Using free tools to automate your data flows

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.04

For monitoring purposes and to inform our reporting, it’s helpful to keep an eye on trends over time in some datasets, for example when tracking the progress of an mpox outbreak, monitoring pre-election polls or investigating migration trends.

This is where automation comes in handy: with the data being automatically grabbed from the source, reconfigured and channeled into a chart for visualization, allowing data journalists and their colleagues to notice report-worthy trends early on.

To establish such a workflow, we have been relying on free tools like Datawrapper and Github Actions to run a Python script.

Participants will be guided through setting up such a workflow step-by-step.

🚀 In this session you will learn how to...
- collect data from a url
- parse the data into the needed format using Python's `pandas` library
- use Python's `datawrapper` library to create a chart
- set up the script to run automatically on Github Actions

🔍 Prerequisites & Tools:

- required: Laptop
- required: Datawrapper API token
- required: Github Account (if you want to automate the chart update)
- optional: Code text editor (if you prefer working with your own code for automation), such as Atom or Sublime Text
- optional: Distill browser plugin (if you want to update on click)
- optional: basic understanding of Python/coding helpful, but not required

Materials of this session will be available at: https://github.com/dw-data/dataharvest25-automate-source-to-chart

Speakers

Gianna-Carina Gruen

Head of Data-driven Journalism, DW

Jonathan Soma

Professor, Columbia University

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills, Hands on

9:30am CEST

Python Without the pain: write code with LLMs

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.09

In an age where data is an important part of impactful storytelling, journalists need tools that enable them to work with it effectively. Python is a powerful resource for analyzing and visualizing data, but it can be intimidating for those without a technical background. This workshop breaks down those barriers, showing how AI tools like ChatGPT can make coding basics approachable and accessible. By equipping journalists with these skills, the workshop aims to empower them to create richer, data-driven stories and visualisations without relying heavily on external technical support.

The session will start with an overview of Python and how AI-assisted coding works, showcasing how these tools can simplify technical challenges, followed by real-life examples. Afterward, participants will dive into a hands-on session using Jupyter Notebook to practice running and adapting Python scripts. By the end, they’ll feel more confident tackling technical problems independently.

Participants are encouraged to have Python (with Jupyter Notebook) installed on their devices, or a Google Collab environment ready. You will also need a ChatGPT account set up before attending. While familiarity with Python is helpful, it’s not required.

Speakers

Joseph Smith

Staff Software Engineer, The Guardian

Joseph Smith is the engineering lead of the Guardian's Generative AI team, which is exploring how this new technology might be safely used for journalism.Before that, he spent four years working on investigative and data journalism projects at the Guardian and building software to... Read More →

Teodora Ćurčić

investigative journalist & multimedia producer, Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS)

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

9:30am CEST

Teaching LLMs to build your Machine Learning Models

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.10

In this practical session, participants will learn how LLMs like ChatGPT can assist in writing machine learning code for journalistic investigations.

We’ll start by prompting ChatGPT to generate code for analyzing a small dataset. Then, we’ll apply the code to a larger dataset locally. After attending this session, participants will be able to train and use this machine learning model on their own.

This method was used by Frontstory.pl to analyze thousands of messages on Telegram and reveal the scale of drug trafficking activity in Poland.

To follow along, participants should be comfortable using Python and Jupyter Notebook.

Speakers

Klil Eden

Director, Vandelay Analytics

Anastasiia Morozova

Data and investigative journalist, Frontstory.pl/ Reporters Foundation

I’m a data and investigative journalist with a background in tracking Russian influence, desinformation operations and sanctions evasion in Europe. I’m especially interested in projects where I can combine data analysis and visual storytelling to expose hidden networks or financial... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

9:30am CEST

Impact 101: how newsrooms around the world measure their echo

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z3.09

As the gap between journalists and the public continues to grow, how can investigative newsrooms convince people that they still matter? “Impact journalism” may be one solution.
For six months, Disclose and Rembobine, two independent news organisations from France, have been collecting best practices to understand how newsrooms around the world monitor, assess and evaluate the echoes of their investigations. This brand new guide to impact journalism, based on 30 interviews with researchers, editors and impact producers, will be presented for the first time at Dataharvest.
Impact provides not only room for hope, but also a promising approach to increasing reader loyalty and foundation support.

Speakers

Pierre Leibovici

Journalist, Disclose

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z3.09

Entrepreneurial, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Uncovering court records - a beginners guide to hunting for legal data

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z3.02

Court records can be a true treasure trove, containing vital nuggets that can jumpstart your investigation or judgements primed for reporting. It can be tough enough to access court documents in our home countries, but how do you find records abroad, sometimes in secretive jurisdictions? This session will show you how to find legal judgements from arbitration courts to property disputes in places like Russia, UAE and the UK. We will show you how to access them (VPN may be needed), how we found stories in them, and will get you started on your quest for legal leads.

Speakers

Karrie Kahoe

Deputy Head of Data & Research, ICIJ

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z3.02

Investigative method, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Welcome to the Brussels bubble: tips on how to investigate the EU

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z1.14

Many journalists get lost trying to find information and data quickly in the institutional labyrinth that is the European Union. Finding specific amendments, understanding the issues surrounding a piece of legislation, establishing the position of specific member states in negotiations or the approach of the European Commission... so much information is unknown or inaccessible to the layperson - who will easily become discouraged from pursuing their EU investigation.

In this session, we will will use concrete and practical examples to show you how to navigate the institutional triangle (Commission, EU Parliament and the Council), as well as the Court of Justice of the European Union. We'll explain how to track the European legislative process, quickly find the relevant players, information and data you need. This won't be an ex-cathedra lecture, but a practical deep dive session, with, as a take away, a list of useful links organised according to journalistic needs. After the session, you are also welcome to join us in the EU Cafe corner for a further discussion or get your specific EU questions answered.

Speakers

Jean Comte

Reporter, MLex

Pascal Hansens

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z1.14

Investigative method, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Working with whistleblowers

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z1.16

Whistleblowers can be vital sources for journalists, and their information has initiated some of the biggest investigations. But whistleblowers are running big risks – from personal safety to legal threats. What do you do as a journalist if you are approached by a whistleblower? How do you get and verify the information you need while still keeping your source secret and safe? And what protection exists for these people who shed light on conditions that were meant to be kept hidden? Join this conversation between a journalist with long experience of working with whistleblowers and secret sources and a specialist in the protection and legislation around whistleblowing.

Moderators

Staffan Dahllöf

Reporter, Investigative Reporting Denmark

Eager to discuss any matter related to EU-reporting, especially FOI/Wobbing-issues. Have taken part in cross border project Farmsubsidy.org, the Facebook arrests, the MEP's Project, Chlorpyrifos (the most dangerous pesticide you've never heared of), Illegal pesticide, Covid 19, Asbestos... Read More →

Speakers

Nick Aiossa

Director, Transparency International

Hans-Martin Tillack

Investigative Reporter

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z1.16

Investigative method, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Journalism educators unite - inspiration and skill sharing

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

In this session, we will share our best practices on helping participants in our courses to embrace data journalism. We'll present the results of the Crossborder Journalism Campus project, where two cohorts of 75 students from three journalism education institutions in Germany, France and Sweden collaborated on a European topic. We will also share examples of exercises, workshops, and assignments that data educators might use. The session is for practice-oriented journalism educators who want to share tips and be inspired by each other.

Moderators

Brigitte Alfter

Director, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Speakers

Ulla Sätereie

Chairperson, Föreningen Grävande Journalister (FGJ) -- Swedish Association of Investigative Journalism

Sandra Foresti

Lecturer, University of Gothenburg

Lecturer, Department of Journalism and Communication at University of Göteborg, Sweden. I teach data journalism and investigative journalism at bachelor and master level. Background as researcher, investigative journalist and data journalism at different Swedish media organisati... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

9:30am CEST

Beyond bars and pie charts: creative and interactive data storytelling

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.02

Data and visualisations are now everpresent in journalism, and particularly in investigations (which rely more and more on obtaining and publishing data) and in cross-border collaborative projects (where often "data" is the common language spoken by all media partners). Additionally, diverse software and platforms provide us with different opportunities to reach our audiences, who are also more and more used to seeing data visualisations. Visual storytelling helps to reach people beyond traditional media, opening up social media and artistic platforms to journalistic narratives, and sparking curiosity in younger audiences.

In this session we'll ask how we can keep innovating and be creative in how we produce and publish data visualisations, and how we can benefit from developing interactive visualisations and even simple online games that push the boundaries of data storytelling, creating more engaging and playful experiences.

Come to this session to get inspired and learn and get to think of creative and innovative ways to publish and present data from your investigations. And bring your own ideas and questions, so that we all can learn together!

Speakers

Adrián Maqueda

Data Analysis, Dataviz & Front-end, Civio

Carmen Torrecillas

Data visualization, Civio

Toon Vos

Freelancer

Toon Vos is a multimedia journalist and educator focused on data visualization and creative storytelling

Saturday May 24, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.02

Storytelling, Presentation

10:45am CEST

Dataharvest cafes: Come and chat with us about Security, Fundraising & Finance, and the EU & FOI

Saturday May 24, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am CEST

Mediaforum

Use your coffee break to come and chat with our experts in one of the Dataharvest "cafes"!

Here you can ask experts' advice on security, fundraising or drafting a budget, obtaining documents from the EU (or investigating the EU in general), or help in coding. You’ll find these “cafes” in the main lobby area (Mediaforum, where coffee breaks and lunches take place on the ground floor). To locate the cafes, just look for roll-ups with the corresponding name!

Security cafe

Come to the security cafe to assess your digital hygiene habits! Our privacy enthusiasts will assess them, and advise you on how you can improve your privacy/security. Also, if you have a specific question about a security issue you've encountered during your investigation or need a risk assessment, come by too!

Experts: Filip Milošević (SHARE Foundation, Serbia), Andrijana Ristić (SHARE Foundation, Serbia), Henrik Chulu (Technology Advisor, Global Focus), Deborah Meibergen (Arena for Journalism in Europe)

Finance & Fundraising cafe

Do you want to learn how to translate your ideas into budgets, explore different financial scenarios, draft budgets for grant applications, improve your financial reporting, or learn where to start fundraising for your new project? Join the finance and fundraising cafe to ask anything you’ve always wanted to know about journalism finance—but never dared to ask.

Please note: in order for us to be better prepared to answer your questions, please submit them beforehand via this form: https://tables.journalismarena.eu/form/tQI7RY8vSYqhBlmz0xwe_7qmC531fwqJzjEeb4OAo6E

Experts: Brigitte Alfter (Arena for Journalism in Europe), Cora Maria Moyano (Arena for Journalism in Europe)

EU & FOI cafe

Do you need help drafting an FOI request, writing a complaint about your FOI request being rejected, or understanding EU legislation? Are you looking for specific EU databases, experts, and sources? Come to the "Eu Cafe" for advice!

Experts: Alexander Fanta (Follow The Money), Jean Comte (MLex), Pascal Hansens (Investigate Europe)

Speakers

Deborah Meibergen

IT Coordinator and Security Awareness trainer Collaborative Desk, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Henrik Chulu

Brigitte Alfter

Director, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Pascal Hansens

Cora Maria Moyano

Finance Manager, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Happy to share and learn about finance, business models, fundraising, processes, systems, and transparency in nonprofits. It doesn't need to be boring or terribly serious ;)

Alexander Fanta

Follow the Money

Jean Comte

Reporter, MLex

Filip Milošević

Digital Forensics / Threat Lab, SHARE Foundation

I am a digital native privacy enthusiast with some knowledge and experience in countering mass and targeted surveillance.

Andrijana Ristić

Researcher, SHARE Foundation

I am a political scientist for international affairs and a researcher at the SHARE Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of human rights and freedoms online. My work primarily focuses on researching digital surveillance tools and examining the social implications... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am CEST
Mediaforum

Networking, Hands on

10:45am CEST

Coffee break

Saturday May 24, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area) and on the third floor.

Saturday May 24, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

11:15am CEST

#ChinaTargets: How ICIJ investigated China's transnational repression and its abuse of Interpol and the U.N.

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z3.02

In this session we will talk about how to make the most of victims' testimonies, court filings and other data to document the scale of state-sponsored threats, identify patterns of abuse across several countries and expose flaws in law enforcement systems and intergovernmental institutions.

Speakers

Scilla Alecci

Reporter, Coordinator for EU & Asia, ICIJ

Scilla Alecci is an investigative reporter and video journalist for ICIJ. She is also partnership coordinator for Asia and Europe.

Jelena Cosic

Training Manager and Eastern European partnership coordinator, ICIJ

Maria Christoph

Senior Investigative Reporter, paper trail media

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z3.02

Cross-border, Presentation

11:15am CEST

#Forever Pollution & Expert-reviewed journalism: experimental investigations with scientists

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

How can you benefit from the knowledge and methodologies of experts to help you in your investigation? Are there any ‘recipes’ for creating a safe space of knowledge with scientists? Are there dos and don'ts? How do you navigate the different relationships to time? Come and listen as journalists from the Forever Pollution Project share their experience of brainstorming with 5 to 18 experts, including environmental chemists, toxicologists, social scientists and lawyers (and survived).

Speakers

Raphaëlle Aubert

Data journalist, Le Monde

I'm a Data Journalist at Le Monde, always keen on learning more about data-driven stories, data analysis, and data-visualization techniques. Bonus points if they're in any way related to maps/GIS, help investigate environmental pollution and climate change. My most recent cross-border... Read More →

Stéphane Horel

Journalist, Le Monde

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Cross-border, Presentation

11:15am CEST

EU's defence spending frenzy: where to find the data

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z3.05

As global tensions continue to rise amid shifting security dynamics, the need for transparent, reliable, and impartial data has never been greater. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has been at the forefront of independent research on conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament since its founding in 1966. Its comprehensive datasets serve as essential tools for policymakers, researchers, and analysts seeking to understand military spending patterns, arms industry developments, and their broader geopolitical implications.
In this session, SIPRI's researcher will share the methodology, scope, and significance of SIPRI's data on Military Expenditure and Arms Production. Understanding the databases reveals trends and stories within two of the most topical subjects of the past years.

Speakers

Lorenzo Scarazzato

Researcher - Military Expenditure and Arms Production, SIPRI

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z3.05

Data buffet, Hands on

11:15am CEST

Harnessing the power of OpenAleph: a look at its new features and how to use them to find the data you're looking for

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.02

OpenAleph is an open-source investigative tool, developed and maintained by the Data and Research Center, based on the original software created by the OCCRP. In the last month, Alex and Simon (https://dataresearchcenter.org/) have developed new features for search, including making new file types searchable. OpenAleph allows users to upload large quantities of documents and makes them fully searchable in several languages. In this hands-on session, we will show attendees ways of using the search feature as power users.

Speakers

Simon Wörpel

Director of Technology, Data and Research Center – DARC

Alex Ștefănescu

Senior Developer, http://darc.li/

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.02

Data journalism, Presentation

11:15am CEST

How to be an effective data editor (and build a data-friendly newsroom for international investigations)

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z1.16

Data is the beating heart of many cross-border investigations. But how do you build a data team capable of delivering groundbreaking work?
In this panel, we will discuss how to manage complex, multinational collaborations, juggle deadlines, and push back on unreasonable demands. We'll also explore best practices for leading data-driven investigations across multiple jurisdictions while navigating technical and editorial challenges.
This panel will also explore the relationship between a data editor and their team, as well as their role in embedding data journalism in newsrooms of different sizes.
This session is geared toward data journalists, editors (of all stripes), newsroom decision-makers, and cross-border organisations seeking to explore new investigative data stories or strengthen their existing offerings.

Speakers

Pamela Duncan

Data Projects Editor, The Guardian

Karrie Kahoe

Deputy Head of Data & Research, ICIJ

Malina McLennan

Data Journalist, OCCRP

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z1.16

Data journalism, Roundtable

11:15am CEST

Make your own investigative application with minimal code

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.04

Getting the most out of your investigative data requires more than ad-hoc scripting. Deep research requires a persistent state, data model, user tagging, collaboration, access management, and automatic updates. In short, you need a research application. In this session, you'll learn to use an open source, low-code application to turn a simple ETL into a complex app.

To follow along comfortably, you should be familiar with basic python scripting and REST APIs.

Speakers

Klil Eden

Director, Vandelay Analytics

Johan Schuijt

Freelance Full Stack / Data developer

I help teams make sense of their data with small sharp custom software tools that save time.

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills, Hands on

11:15am CEST

Making maps with code

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.09

Data journalists have traditionally thought of maps and spatial calculations as a job for special mapping software, like QGIS. But it's often more efficient to do GIS work in the script in which you perform the rest of your analysis.

In this class, you will see how easy it is to work with maps within your code.

The class will be taught in R, so some familiarity is recommended, but the skills are generic to all languages.
Anybody that wishes to code along will just need to sign up for a free account on https://github.com/

Speakers

João Antunes

Software designer

I'm a software designer, with a career that spans design and engineering, focused on human-computer interaction, data and visual journalism.

Rob Gebeloff

Reporter, New York Times

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

11:15am CEST

More than just the Wayback Machine: how to investigate deleted and archived content

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.10

Even among investigative journalists, web archives tend to be underrated – and undertaught. This hands-on session introduces journalists to powerful techniques for using web archives.
Participants will learn how to recover deleted or hidden content and archive key material from platforms like Instagram and X.
Using real-world examples, we’ll demonstrate how these skills can strengthen reporting across a wide range of stories, from everyday reporting to investigative longreads.
After this session, you will be able to retrieve archived content, recover deleted posts (not necessarily the same things!), and preserve online material using advanced web archiving tools and techniques. We will teach participants how to tweak the URL and use the asterisk, and we will demonstrate why the "Golden Hour" of archiving is so important in breaking news situations.
No prior experience is required—just an interest in digital sleuthing and a willingness to explore new tools.
Please bring a laptop with you, preferably with the Chrome browser installed.

Speakers

Jasmine Jacot-Descombes

OSINT-Journalist (Video), Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Jan Ludwig

Team Lead OSINT, Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

11:15am CEST

Let's build the impact strategy of your next investigation

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z3.09

This is probably one the most common nightmares for any journalist: you’ve been working for months on an ambitious investigation and, once published, it results in… nothing. To mitigate this, it’s time to develop effective impact strategies, tailored to your newsroom and your resources. During this participatory workshop, inspired by popular education techniques, we will collectively build a realistic impact plan for your next investigation. Whether it involves partnering with stakeholders, getting support from activists or building new editorial formats, we’ll look at several techniques for maximising the reach of your revelations and ensuring they produce impact in the real world.

Speakers

Pierre Leibovici

Journalist, Disclose

Timothée Vinchon

Journalist & co-founder, Rembobine

Timothée is the co-founder of Rembobine, a French media outlet that fights against the obsolescence of information by tracking and analysing the impact of investigative journalism.

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z3.09

Entrepreneurial, Workshop

11:15am CEST

Let’s talk about fundraising!

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.03

Funding journalism is a recurring issue. In recent years, we’ve focused a lot on the ’how’: How to phrase an application, how to develop a realistic budget, how to reach out to potential funders. And we’ll continue with that, of course: but the question of how to fund public interest journalism has, if possible, become even more urgent. But we also need a deeper understanding, a shared terminology and fora to discuss these questions.
Brigitte Alfter will talk about the freshly released Arena Paper on fundraising. She is also the author of a GFMD paper on public funding to journalists and has been a speaker at ’Saving Journalism’ events at Columbia University, an annual conference on a wide variety of funding sources and funding models for journalism in our time.
The session will be followed by a fundraising café with advice on your project or for your organisation.

Moderators

Tim Large

Director of Independent Media Programmes, IPI

Timothy Large is head of independent media programmes at the International Press Institute (IPI) in Vienna. He is an award-winning journalist, editor and media development specialist who runs the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme. Every year, IJ4EU provides more... Read More →

Speakers

Brigitte Alfter

Director, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.03

Entrepreneurial, Presentation

11:15am CEST

Find the spy tech: How to Spot Invasive Technologies in Public Procurement

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z1.14

This session will teach journalists how to filter procurement data, map companies dealing with invasive surveillance equipment, and identify highly indicative tenders for spy tech.

In this session, you’ll learn key principles of how invasive surveillance technologies are procured and operated, which will help you boost your research by using the right keywords, official terminology, and industry slangl, and help you uncover specialized surveillance tools hidden in plain sight. You will also learn about other resources and tools that can help you find information on the surveillance industry, and how to turn these leads into an investigative story on state surveillance.

In the session, we'll discuss how to use tools like web scraping, AI-powered data analysis, and semantic search techniques that can significantly speed up your investigation process, but no knowledge of data analysis or programming is needed to attend the session.

Speakers

Aleksa Tešić

Investigative Journalist, BIRN Serbia

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z1.14

Investigative method, Presentation

11:15am CEST

Investigating corporate lobbying — tips and tools

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z0.10

In this session, we will share tips on tracking lobbyists and understanding how the PR campaigns and people behind them influence public policy. We will look into the available databases, registries and other methods that allow us to track lobbyists, their networks, topics they work on and their influence and the EU level and beyond. Lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory will introduce you to the Brussels lobby scene and show you how available lobby data can help you to nail your stories. Rachel Sherrington from De Smog will talk how to investigate corporate influence through the PR industry. It's an industry which is loosely regulated and yet influences the wider public conversation, ensuring some topics are kept off the agenda, while affecting other policies and their implementation.

Moderators

Nikolia Apostolou

Resource Center Director, GIJN

Nikolia is GIJN's Resource Center director since 2021. Prior to that, Nikolia wrote stories and produced documentaries from Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey for more than 100 media outlets like the BBC, The Associated Press, AJ+, The New York Times, The New Humanitarian, etc. In the past... Read More →

Speakers

Rachel Sherrington

Reporter, DeSmog

Marcella Via

Press Officer, Corporate Europe Observatory

I am Marcella Via, Corporate Europe Observatory's press officer. Part of my work is raising awareness about corporate capture in EU policy-making, and I am part of a Belgian anti-mafia organisation called Basta!.Before moving to Brussels, I worked as a photo reporter in Santiago de... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z0.10

Investigative method, Presentation

11:15am CEST

Transparency talks: Networking roundable for journalists working with FOI

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

This informal session is intended to bring together journalists who use access to documents procedures within European Institutions and member states. It is the first (in person) meeting of the informal network of these journalists since it was launched at Dataharvest 2024, but it is open to all journalists and researchers with knowledge of the right to information & access to documents anywhere in Europe. During the meeting, we’ll exchange tips and best practices, and if there is interest, we will try to create, together, a knowledge repository that would identify and compile useful strategies, tactics, and sources for obtaining documents all over the EU.

Speakers

Jean Comte

Reporter, MLex

Alexander Fanta

Follow the Money

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

11:15am CEST

Get off the screen, look me in the eye: offline and in-person journalistic storytelling

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z3.04

Journalism is almost never delivered live. These days, always there seems to be a screen between the journalists and the audience. But before the online and digital world swallowed everything, journalism reached people through the pages of a newspaper or magazine, on a TV screen, or on a crackling radio (if you are too young to know what we're talking about, ask your parents).

It doesn't have to be like that — even today, when most people start feeling sick and anxious at the mere thought of being away from their smartphones for a few hours.

There are offline and in-person ways for us to present, deliver and disseminate our investigations and other reporting. And there seems to be a growing appetite among audiences and (some) media organisations to explore ways to get together and experience journalistic storytelling live.

In this session, three journalists and a moderator who've been experimenting with different offline and in-person ways of journalistic storytelling will share their experiences, the lessons learnt, and how it feels to have your audience look you in the eye and talk to you in person as you present or deliver your story.

Moderators

Christine Liehr

Co-founder, Headliner gUG

Speakers

Marc Engelhardt

Director, CORRECTIV CrowdNewsroom

CORRECTIV.Switzerland is the Swiss branch of the investigative media house, CORRECTIV. My team and I cover stories all over Switzerland. We also run the CrowdNewsroom, CORRECTIV's digital platform for crowd based investigations. We're based in Berne, but have also facilitated crowd... Read More →

Sara Manisera

Journalist, FADA Collective

Sara has worked extensively in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, North Africa and Italy. Her research focuses on environmental conflicts, gender issues and food supply chains. Her feature stories and investigations have been published by Al Jazeera, Libèration, El Pais, The Guardian, Irpi Media... Read More →

Lise Witteman

Lise Witteman (1987) werkte jarenlang als politiek verslaggever in Den Haag voor onder meer DPG Media Privacy Gate , Omroep WNL en De Telegraaf. Sinds 2018 woont ze in Brussel en duikt ze in EU-zaken voor o.a. De Groene Amsterdammer en Follow the Money. In 2021 verscheen haar boek Sluiproute Brussel - De Europese lobby voor de bv Nederland. Hetzelfde jaar zette ze met Follow the Money de EU-ond... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z3.04

Storytelling, Presentation

12:30pm CEST

Dataharvest cafes: Come and chat with us about Security, Fundraising & Finance, and the EU & FOI

Saturday May 24, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CEST

Mediaforum

Use your lunch break to come and chat with our experts in one of the Dataharvest "cafes"!

Here you can ask experts' advice on security, fundraising or drafting a budget, obtaining documents from the EU (or investigating the EU in general), or help in coding. You’ll find these “cafes” in the main lobby area (Mediaforum, where coffee breaks and lunches take place on the ground floor). To locate the cafes, just look for for roll-ups with the corresponding name!

Security cafe

Finance & Fundraising cafe

Experts: Brigitte Alfter (Arena for Journalism in Europe), Cora Maria Moyano (Arena for Journalism in Europe)

EU & FOI cafe

Experts: Alexander Fanta (Follow The Money), Jean Comte (MLex), Pascal Hansens (Investigate Europe)

Speakers

Deborah Meibergen

IT Coordinator and Security Awareness trainer Collaborative Desk, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Brigitte Alfter

Director, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Pascal Hansens

Cora Maria Moyano

Finance Manager, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Happy to share and learn about finance, business models, fundraising, processes, systems, and transparency in nonprofits. It doesn't need to be boring or terribly serious ;)

Alexander Fanta

Follow the Money

Jean Comte

Reporter, MLex

Filip Milošević

Digital Forensics / Threat Lab, SHARE Foundation

I am a digital native privacy enthusiast with some knowledge and experience in countering mass and targeted surveillance.

Andrijana Ristić

Researcher, SHARE Foundation

Saturday May 24, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CEST
Mediaforum

Networking, Hands on

12:30pm CEST

Lunch

Saturday May 24, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CEST

Mediaforum

Saturday May 24, 2025 12:30pm - 1:45pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

1:45pm CEST

How to investigate AI: advanced level

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z1.14

Investigating algorithms is not just about obtaining code. On the contrary, there's so much we can learn from an automated system – whether Al-driven or rule-based – by looking the impact it has on individuals, minorities and marginalized communities. We can examine the people involved in its development and deployment; the companies who profit; the data it generates; and the weight given to the parameters it relies on to make decisions. How do we find this data and approach the investigation? This session is aimed at journalists with previous experience in reporting about automation and AI and those who attended our beginner level session (Saturday, 0930). In this practical workshop we will explore two real, successful cases of investigative algorithmic accountability reporting. These investigations uncovered how automated systems are used for welfare allocation in different European countries. This will be a hands-on session – don't expect ready-made answers. Instead, all participants will start with the same, limited information about the case. Together, we will explore the different methodologies and approaches we can use to uncover how an algorithm works, even when we have little data to start with. During the workshop, we will aim to obtain as many techniques and methods as possible and inspire new investigations.

Speakers

Soizic Pénicaud

Observatoire des algorithmes publics

Gabriel Geiger

Investigative Journalist, Lighthouse Reports

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z1.14

AI, Hands on

1:45pm CEST

Investigating the business of outsourced war crimes prosecutions in Europe

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z3.02

For the past decade, EU countries have been falling over themselves to prosecute suspected Syrian war criminals hiding in Europe, relying on ‘Universal Jurisdiction’ laws. Among the most prevalent are Germany, France and Spain.

Globally, there are dozens of organisations that claim to hunt down former regime agents, ISIS fighters, and military officials accused of committing serious war crimes before slipping into Europe. These organisations raise millions in government funding and garner significant praise from the world's media.

Behind the scenes, however, we find a nontransparent, shadowy alliance between police, prosecutors, and intelligence, with some NGOs blurring the lines between activism and policing. The result is an enthusiastic but deeply flawed application of universal jurisdiction, with a growing trail of ill-fated prosecutions built on flimsy evidence and unreliable witnesses. These have been collected by inexperienced investigators with questionable procedures — and much of this activity is hidden from public view.

There are currently around 120 universal jurisdiction cases across Europe. The fall of the Syrian regime in December 2024 will only increase the need to understand the intricacies of war crimes cases and how to report on prosecutions in Europe.

This session proposes to provide journalists with the tools and prompts to examine cases in their own countries critically. We will tell the journalists exactly how to do this, how to find information and sources, and how to avoid traps, not be drawn in by PR, but to see and assess evidence for what it is.

Moderators

Jose Miguel Calatayud

Freelance journalist and writer

Speakers

Craig Shaw

Journalist/editor, theblacksea.eu

Craig Shaw is a journalist and the Director of The Black Sea Foundation. As a journalist, he has worked on human rights, political corruption, financial and organised crime reporting, and transnational investigative projects.His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z3.02

Cross-border, Presentation

1:45pm CEST

Scientific laboratory analysis applied to journalism: what you need to know

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z3.04

Journalists are increasingly using laboratory analyses as part of their investigations. However, they often approach laboratories without fully understanding what this entails. In general, laboratory analyses can be used to trace the origin of goods (food, lumber, or steel) through methods such as DNA or isotopic analysis. They can also be used to analyse environmental matrices, such as water or soil, to detect pollutants. But how exactly does this process work? What are the right “research questions” to ask before contacting a laboratory? Which laboratory should you choose? How much does it cost? How long does it take to get results? And how relevant are these results to a journalistic investigation? These questions are often overlooked. It turns out that laboratory analysis is not a magic wand that can instantly solve an investigation.By the end of the session, participants will have learned simple but essential rules to ensure that laboratory analysis becomes a key component of their investigations—not just a superficial add-on.

Speakers

Hazel Healy

UK Editor, DeSmog

Hazel Healy is UK Editor-in-Chief of award-winning environmental investigations outlet DeSmog. She specializes in climate and food politics stories that uncover conflicts of interest, double-dealing and greenwashing.

Elisabetta Tola

Founder and editor-in-chief, Facta

Gianluca Liva

Journalist

Gianluca is a science journalist specializing in environmental crimes, toxicology, and the societal impacts of pollution. His investigative work has been featured in leading national and international outlets, including La Repubblica, L’Espresso, Le Scienze (Scientific American... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z3.04

Cross-border, Workshop

1:45pm CEST

Unveiling the tracks behind Lebanon's pager explosions

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z3.05

On September 17, 2024, pagers exploded in big numbers in Lebanon, aimed at Hezbollah, and killing and wounding dozens of people. During the research, it turned out that the pagers were bought by a company in Bulgaria, owned by a Norwegian citizen. Come and hear how the Norwegian newspaper VG's news department collaborated with journalists across borders in the search for answers.
Who was the Norwegian citizen, originally from India, but with a company in Bulgaria? In this session, participants will learn how to search databases and get tips on other creative methods – including getting help from colleagues – to get answers abroad.
Some of the methods used are research in international company registers, AI verification of faces, flight databases, social engineering and feet on the ground.

Speakers

Ola Haram

Journalist, Verdens Gang

Ola Haram, Norway, is a journalist at VG specializing in espionage, terrorism, and financial crime.

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z3.05

Cross-border

1:45pm CEST

Extract all relations in Game of Thrones using AI and Python

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z2.04

AI-models are great tools for structuring unstructured data, especially if you know some basic Python. Those language models can be used to find and classify all arguments in a bunch of documents, make statistics of political debates or hunt for greenwashing in corporate reports. In this session we will extract all relations in the Game of Thrones series and plot them as a network map. Come along if you want to know who slept with whom! (Here is an example of what it looks like: https://lasseedfast.se/got/ ). After this session, you will be able to use AI in combination with Python to systematically extract pieces of information from a large volume of data.

To follow along, participants need a basic understanding of Python.
Install Ollama and download one of the models to follow along on your own laptop.

Speakers

Lasse Edfast

Documentary producer and data researcher, Freelance

Documentary producer, researcher and data journalist. I'm be happy to help you with your Python project.

Johan Schuijt

Freelance Full Stack / Data developer

I help teams make sense of their data with small sharp custom software tools that save time.

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills, Hands on

1:45pm CEST

Spreadsheets with superpowers: LLMs for data extraction and classification

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z2.09

Lots of data and investigative journalism takes place in spreadsheets. Frequently, we want to perform a task for every row in our spreadsheet. For instance, we may have cells containing:

- Quotes from a speech by a European politician that we want to classify into “Pro-EU”, “Anti-EU” or “Neutral”

- Company annual reports from which we want to extract the ultimate controlling party

- Political ads which we want to sift according to whether they mention immigration, directly or indirectly

In this session, participants will learn to write a custom AppScript function in Google Sheets that will enable them to apply Large Language Models (LLMs) from OpenAI and Anthropic to their spreadsheet data.

By the end, attendees will be able to write a formula like =LLM(A1, “gpt-4o”, “Is this text about immigration?”), then drag it down to apply it to hundreds of rows at once. This will enable us to apply the astonishing natural language capabilities of LLMs en masse to cells within our spreadsheet.

Attendees will acquire the following skills:

- Using AppScript to write custom functions in Google Sheets

- Using LLMs via APIs

- Some basic LLM prompting techniques and tips

- Understanding when an LLM is likely to be reliable (when its output is based entirely on data within the spreadsheet) and when it is more likely to hallucinate (when its output draws on its own limited knowledge of the world)

Speakers

Joseph Smith

Staff Software Engineer, The Guardian

Alina Yanchur

Data and Investigative Journalist

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

1:45pm CEST

Together at last: R and Python united in the Positron IDE

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z2.10

For years datajournalists have been forced to choose between learning R or Python in order to do data analysis with a scripted language. This meant the choice of IDE (integrated development environment – the app for writing and managing scripts and files) was always a defining decision.

R users mostly turned to RStudio to maintain R and run scripts, make plots etc. Python users have had a variety of options – Google Colab, Jupyter, Anaconda etc to manage their scripts and projects.

Now there’s a program built to handle both languages in parallel (but not quite simultaneously!) - it's called Positron.

In this session we will introduce you to the Positron program. We will show you the interface, and how to get started with your usual coding language, before working through some scenarios where being able to move quickly from one language to the other is desirable. (And if you have examples of times when you’ve needed this facility, please bring them to this session)

You will ideally have some experience of R or Python, and some appetite for using the other language, perhaps even on deadline. If you want to follow along in the session, install Positron beforehand from https://positron.posit.co/

Speakers

Adrián Maqueda

Data Analysis, Dataviz & Front-end, Civio

Jonathan Stoneman

Arena for Journalism in Europe

Former BBC journalist, turned datajournalist, trainer, consultant. Works with Arena as Masterclass Coordinator for the Climate Arena fellows.

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

1:45pm CEST

Going beyond traditional media and truly engaging with communities

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z2.02

What can journalists do to break the mould of traditional media and build connection with audiences and communities? FADA Collective is experimenting with new ways to report and connect — through open-air exhibitions, theatre journalism, and community assemblies in marginalised areas and news deserts. This session will explore how journalism can be a tool for civic participation and systemic change.

At a time when trust in the media is declining and polarisation is rising, reaching the margins, geographical and social, is more urgent than ever. This session will showcase how journalism can foster informed communities and drive real impact.

Who is this workshop for? No prior expertise is needed — this is for anyone interested in alternative ways of storytelling and civic engagement.

You will take away a new perspective on journalism as a process rather than just a product, along with concrete examples of how media can work hand-in-hand with communities to challenge dominant narratives and create lasting change.

Speakers

Sara Manisera

Journalist, FADA Collective

Anna Toniolo

Journalist, FADA Collective

Anna Toniolo is an Italian freelance journalist. She works on disinformation, inequality, gender issues, and the climate crisis in Italy and abroad, mainly through reportage andinvestigations. She is also interested in the consequences that things that happen on the Internet have... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z2.02

Instant inspiration, Workshop

1:45pm CEST

Oligarchs and media ownership: Diving into registries

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z2.03

Solomon's investigation, "Who Owns the media", mapped the media owned by the top 10 oligarchs behind the biggest media conglomerates in Greece and, more importantly, it mapped the oligarchs' broader businesses. We identified more than 800 companies in sectors such as shipping, energy, sports, banking, and real estate, and searched business registries in more than 30 countries. The data were published in an interactive network diagram and a dedicated website.

We will present the methodology for dealing with large amounts of data, how to find companies of the same owner, and investigate business registries all over the world. We will work on case studies of specific companies and deal with the possible difficulties involved. The plan is to give attendees the tools to take this investigation and apply it to other countries.

Speakers

Eliza Triantafyllou

Journalist, Inside Story

Eliza Triantafyllou is an investigative journalist based in Athens. She reports mainly on financial and business issues. She works for Inside Story, an independent online media outlet, and is a member of the investigative journalism outfit “the Manifold.” Formerly, she worked... Read More →

Danai Maragoudaki

Journalist, Solomon

Danai Maragoudaki is a Greek journalist based in Athens. She works for Solomon, an investigative and independent media outlet in Greece. Her reporting focuses on transparency, finance, and digital threats.In 2024, she was part of the team that conducted the cross-border investigation... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z2.03

Instant inspiration, Presentation

1:45pm CEST

How to find stories in private finance data

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Private finance data aggregators are a powerful - if often expensive - tool for understanding the investment and ownership structures of the funds or companies that are the subject of your investigation. With the right approach, they can also help generate stories by identifying suspicious or controversial flows of money. This sessions shows you how. We will share a case study from a recent series that revealed supposedly ethical public pension funds held investments in controversial businesses - including tankers for Russian fossil fuels and crypto, all via opaque private equity intermediaries.

Speakers

Michael Hornsby

Impact Manager, Anti-Corruption Data Collective

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Investigative method, Presentation

1:45pm CEST

How to research the arms industry in times of a defence boom

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z0.10

The arms business is booming. Between 2014 and 2023, EU countries have increased their defence spending by more than half, reaching €632 billion annually; the defence budget is set to explode in 2025. With defence budgets surging globally, how can journalists effectively investigate the defence industry? In recent years, two reporters from Investigate Europe have uncovered hidden aspects of the German Rheinmetall Group's operations, including its covert trade in ammunition factories. This workshop will share IE's insights and techniques, demonstrating how to investigate companies, employees, and trade flows in the defence sector. Participants will gain practical knowledge of investigative tools and strategies to uncover concealed practices which drive the arms industry's expansion.

Speakers

Nico Schmidt

Investigate Europe

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z0.10

Investigative method, Presentation

1:45pm CEST

Taking your authorities to court

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z3.09

If you are denied access to information, you can fight for your rights in court. What can you gain, and when is it worth the hassle? Staffan Dahllöf has taken the Swedish state to court for denying access to environmental information, invoking the Aarhus Convention. Eva Belmonte has repeatedly challenged Spanish authorities in court, seeking transparency on multiple fronts: the passengers of official planes, the true cost of government-procured medicines, the identities of public advisors, and most recently, access to the algorithms governing social policy decisions. Alexander Fanta has sued the German government for documents about its support for Ukraine, and inspired a court case in which the New York Times fought for access to text messages between Ursula von der Leyen's and the CEO of Pfizer during the Covid pandemic. Tarjei Leer-Salvesen won an FOI request from the US State Department, when civilian vessels from his area turned up in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy. Hear their thoughts and tactics – and how they use the fight for transparency in their journalism.

Moderators

Tarjei Leer-Salvesen

Project manager Innsyn.no, Faktisk.no

Speakers

Alexander Fanta

Follow the Money

Eva Belmonte

Director, Civio

Eva Belmonte (Spain, 1982) is a journalist specialised in public data treatment and analysis. She gained journalistic experience writing and editing for major Spanish media organisations like El Mundo, where she worked from 2005 to 2012. She is currently Director at Fundación Civio... Read More →

Staffan Dahllöf

Reporter, Investigative Reporting Denmark

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z3.09

Investigative method, Panel

1:45pm CEST

Investigative Tools for the Commons: DARC, OpenAleph, and the Case for a Shared Data Library

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

This informal session brings together investigative journalists and technologists working with OpenAleph or interested in using it. The Data and Research Center (DARC) has committed to keeping OpenAleph open source and wants to collaborate with newsrooms to ensure it continues to serve the community it was built for. We’ll discuss what should come next, and how we can work together to make it happen. The session will also explore the idea of a shared data library: a communal collection of scrapers and structured datasets using the FollowTheMoney (FtM) schema that can plug into OpenAleph instances and make more public data accessible to all.

Speakers

Jan Strozyk

Data and Journalism Projects Director, DARC

Jan's interest lies in the convergence of technology and investigative journalism, where he contributes to shaping the future of reporting as DARC's Director of Data and Journalism Projects. Before launching DARC, Jan served as the Chief Data Editor at OCCRP, where he co-led the research... Read More →

Alex Ștefănescu

Senior Developer, http://darc.li/

Simon Wörpel

Director of Technology, Data and Research Center – DARC

Karina Shedrofsky

Director of Research, Data and Research Center

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

1:45pm CEST

Check your phone for spyware

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST

Z1.16

Android Quick Forensics (AQF) and the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) are tools widely adopted by the community that allow you to check your phones for spyware. In this hands-on workshop, participants will gain basic knowledge on how to install and use these forensic tools on their own systems and devices. We will also share troubleshooting tips for overcoming common challenges.

Speakers

Stephan Heffner

IT Specialist Investigative Journalism, DER SPIEGEL

Coordination of IT-related topics in the editorial environment - investigative journalism, data journalism, information security, IT development and operations. Cross-border cooperations and networking.@salevajo@mastodon.social

Filip Milošević

Digital Forensics / Threat Lab, SHARE Foundation

I am a digital native privacy enthusiast with some knowledge and experience in countering mass and targeted surveillance.

Saturday May 24, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm CEST
Z1.16

Safety, Hands on

3:00pm CEST

Coffee break

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area) and on the third floor.

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

3:30pm CEST

How to use data to investigate Big Pharma — secret medicine prices, industry funding and tax havens

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z0.10

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.

Speakers

Eurydice Bersi

Reporter, Reporters United / Investigate Europe

Chris Matthews

Investigations Editor, Investigate Europe

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z0.10

Cross-border, Presentation

3:30pm CEST

Mix and match: how to benefit from growing interdisciplinarity in our newsrooms

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z2.02

While data journalists in newsrooms are now more the norm rather than the exception, there are more people with other professional profiles now working alongside journalists: lawyers, architects, scientific researchers, computer engineers, impact managers... and people with other particular skills and expertise.

How do different types of newsrooms and media organisations deal with and work to benefit from the fact that they have become increasingly interdisciplinary in the last years?

Join this session to hear about the diverse paths and experiences of different types of newsrooms: The Guardian, Lighthouse Reports and Reporters United.

And be ready to share your own ideas and experiences, so that we all can leave with an informative overview of how different organisations deal with interdisciplinarity; the opportunities, challenges and lessons learnt; and practical tips about how to benefit from working in professionally diverse teams.

Moderators

Zeynep Sentek

Project director, Climate Network, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Speakers

Pamela Duncan

Data Projects Editor, The Guardian

Daniel Howden

Managing Director, Lighthouse Reports

Fanis Kollias

Creative Producer, Spoovio

Founder and creative producer at Spoovio, a one-stop digital content studio for publishers and nonprofits focused on human rights, climate crisis, and democracy issues. We partner with outlets such as Lighthouse Reports, Reporters United, Climate Home News, Anti-Corruption Data Collective... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z2.02

Cross-border, Panel

3:30pm CEST

Protests, TikTok, and more 🎥: analyzing images and videos with AI

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z2.04

Learn how AI can sort through images and video to help you wrangle footage from protests and riots (NYT), analyze trends on TikTok (Washington Post), keep an eye on your local school board meetings (Hearst), measure the effects of congestion pricing (Bloomberg), and a hundred other tidbits for when the cameras might be rolling.

With a little Python and a dash of foundational knowledge, this session will cover downloading videos, building and evaluating transcripts, splitting scenes, categorizing images, and detecting/counting/tracking objects.

Participants will get the most out of this session if they have a working knowledge of Python. To follow along, you should have Jupyter installed on your computer or a Google account to use Google Colab. Additional materials and installation tips will be available at https://github.com/jsoma/dataharvest25-ai-images-video

Speakers

Luc Martinon

Freelance data journalist

Freelance data journalist, based in Berlin. I work on different cross border projects, the last big one being the Forever Pollution Project.Proud member of the CORRECTIV.Europe project.Topics: corporate capture, conflicts of interest, national and EU lobbying, chemical pollution... Read More →

Jonathan Soma

Professor, Columbia University

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

Start looking: finding patterns in data with your eyes 👀

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z2.09

You've just obtained a big dataset. Where do you begin? How do you find the story buried within the rows and columns?

In this session, you will learn how to quickly become familiar with your data by making a series of charts that will illustrate not just the contents of your data but unveil patterns that can help guide your reporting.

This class will be taught in R, so some familiarity is recommended, but the skills are common to all languages.
Anybody that wishes to code along will just need to sign up for a free account on https://github.com/

Speakers

Rob Gebeloff

Reporter, New York Times

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

💡Streamlit for building tools and collaborate with non-coders

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z2.10

With Streamlit, you can set up a web page in just a few lines of Python code to share your findings with your team or your audience – or to collect information from them. Use it to swiftly try out an idea for publication before asking your IT department to develop it, or to let a colleague make use of a Python-scripted tool you've written. Or build yourself a chatbot to help navigate your own research, local and safe on your computer.
In this session, we’ll cover the basics of Streamlit and build a page where users can upload a PDF along with some information, send it to a Python function for processing, and display the results. More advanced users will learn how to build an LLM-powered chatbot.
Streamlit is a Python library, so you should have a basic understanding of Python. You also need to be the admin of your computer, or at least have permission to start a local web server on it. If you want to build a chatbot, you’ll need to install Ollama and download a model such as Gemma3 (ollama.com/library/gemma3) before the session starts.

Speakers

Lasse Edfast

Documentary producer and data researcher, Freelance

Documentary producer, researcher and data journalist. I'm be happy to help you with your Python project.

Gianna-Carina Gruen

Head of Data-driven Journalism, DW

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

Cracking the code: how to sustain your newsroom with mixed funding

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z3.09

With traditional revenue streams under strain, independent media outlets are turning to innovative models that combine grants, memberships, subscriptions, events, and more. But how does this approach work in practice? What challenges come with balancing diverse income sources?
This session explores the ethics, sustainability, and practicalities of mixed funding. How can outlets develop a long-term strategy while navigating financial and ethical dilemmas? Join us to discuss the opportunities and pitfalls of funding independent journalism in today’s landscape.

Moderators

Johanna Pisco

Network Coordinator, Reference - The Independent Media Circle

Media development, safety of journalists, frameworks for collaboration

Speakers

Eva Belmonte

Director, Civio

Anuška Delić

founder, Oštro

Based in Slovenia, Anuška Delić is an investigative reporter and founder of Oštro, a non-profit center for investigative journalism in the Adriatic region. In 2021, Oštro established a sister center in Zagreb, Croatia, effectively creating a unique two-headed micro-regional entity... Read More →

Elisabetta Tola

Founder and editor-in-chief, Facta

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z3.09

Entrepreneurial, Panel

3:30pm CEST

An investigative method to measure content on TikTok

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

In this session, we will show the methodology developed by The Guardian to gather and measure content published on TikTok during the UK election campaign. Using this methodology, we revealed how far-right Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, outperformed all other parties and candidates on the platform. We also exposed the political content shared during the campaign aimed at young audiences.
During the session, we will also show you how to set up accounts located in countries different to the one where the reporting team is based. We will also show the scraper for automatically gathering content associated with particular hashtags at various times over several days. TikTok is relatively hostile to scrapers, forcing us to resort to advanced scraping techniques including residential proxies. We will demonstrate how we identify the main content creators, using some metrics from TikTok as well as the number of videos recommended by the algorithm, and how we used the algorithm manually to find more related videos - and therefore Tiktokkers - similar to those we were investigating.

Speakers

Carmen Aguilar Garcia

Data Journalist, The Guardian

Data journalist at The Guardian Data Project team. I work on a variety of subjects - always finding the data angle in every story. Scraping, cleaning, data analysis, but above all JOURNALISM!

Zeke Hunter-Green

Software Developer, The Guardian

Zeke Hunter-Green is a software developer and computational journalist on the Guardian’s Digital Investigations team which develops investigative tools and contributes to journalism projects.

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Investigative method, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

Skill take away - come and learn four skills/tools in one session

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z3.05

In this session , three speakers present skills or tools that could be valuable in your next investigation.

1) How to create compelling before-and-after visualizations of satellite images using free tools. We'll walk through a basic workflow and share tips to quickly visualize change over time — no prior geospatial knowledge needed!

2) How to reveal metadata and other hidden information in PDF documents. We will walk our audience through the command line tool that can be used to explore PDFs in depth, and address issues that a journalist faces when they upload a PDF to an investigative tool like the open source Aleph and discover that the OCR has produced no text output.

3) How journalists can use AI to build a customized assistant that digs through a large number of documents. In this skillshare, you will get examples of a combination of skills and tools to screen, systematize, and analyse content in a cross-border investigation.

4) AI-powered search through audio - how do you find what you want without falling prey to hallucinations? Using the example audio transcription with Whisper, we showcase the issues of search through audio and how we've solved it in several recent use-cases.

Moderators

Cora Maria Moyano

Finance Manager, Arena for Journalism in Europe

Happy to share and learn about finance, business models, fundraising, processes, systems, and transparency in nonprofits. It doesn't need to be boring or terribly serious ;)

Speakers

Alex Ștefănescu

Senior Developer, http://darc.li/

Simon Wörpel

Director of Technology, Data and Research Center – DARC

Federico Acosta Rainis

Data Specialist, Pulitzer Center

Rune Ytreberg

Journalist, Itromsø

Head the datajournalism lab at the local newspaper iTromsø. We use AI to make new editorial tools and products for 70 newspapers in the Polaris media group ASA.Interested in Agentic RAG, LLM, Nocode AI, Recommender systems. Member of the AI Journalism lab at J+ CUNY. Open for Ai... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

Using the Aarhus Convention to access environmental information

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z1.16

Did you know there is a tool which can get around the protection of commercial secrets? Journalists have used it to access details on Russian bitcoin-mining near a NATO exercise, and to find out about privately owned salmon farms and overseas fracking operations. In this session you will learn about the Aarhus Convention.
The beauty of this tool is not only that it can overrule secrecy of business interests, but also the vague or wide definitions of "environmental information". Come and learn how this can be done, and what arguments to use to open otherwise closed doors.

Speakers

Staffan Dahllöf

Reporter, Investigative Reporting Denmark

Tarjei Leer-Salvesen

Project manager Innsyn.no, Faktisk.no

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z1.16

Investigative method, Panel

3:30pm CEST

Using WhatsApp to crowdsource data

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z1.14

Last summer, Uber and Lyft "locked out" drivers from work in order to game the city's minimum wage law, a labor practice that was "unprecedented" according to economists who created the law. Bloomberg built an automated WhatsApp tipline to gather exclusive data (7,000+ screenshots from nearly 900 drivers) that showed how pervasive, widespread, and financially damaging this phenomenon was for drivers, as well as the impact on consumer fares and the economic gains for the companies. After Bloomberg's findings were published, the Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into Uber and Lyft's alleged antitrust practice of limiting driver pay.

In this session, Bloomberg journalist Natalie Lung will share how they did it, share tips on how to maximize participation from sources through crowdsourcing, validate messy user-submitted data, and how to combine shoe-leather reporting with the affordances of automation.

Speakers

Natalie Lung

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z1.14

Investigative method, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

Investigating arms and defence industry - networking roundtable

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

The EU and the individual European countries are on an unprecedented buying spree for arms and everything else related to the defence sector. An investment in arms of €800 billion is planned, and a European Military Sales Mechanism is going to be set up to promote joint procurement and to help member states pool their demand for defence systems. This is a highly globalised industry, and components are produced in several countries, making production and lobbying difficult to follow. The European arms industry will grow significantly - how can we follow it, and what should we look for? Join this round-table to discuss ideas and network with reporters working on the subject across Europe.

Speakers

Lorenzo Scarazzato

Researcher - Military Expenditure and Arms Production, SIPRI

Nico Schmidt

Investigate Europe

Hans-Martin Tillack

Investigative Reporter

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

3:30pm CEST

Risky research - how to protect yourself when doing sensitive research and reporting in the field

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z3.04

Investigative work can get tricky -- and risky! This 75-minute session is packed with practical tips and tools to help you protect your data, your sources, and yourself while doing sensitive research. We'll cover everything from secure communication and device hardening to smart travel practices and building your own security workflow. Come ready to share, learn, and leave with habits that make your work safer and smoother.

Speakers

Filip Milošević

Digital Forensics / Threat Lab, SHARE Foundation

I am a digital native privacy enthusiast with some knowledge and experience in countering mass and targeted surveillance.

Henrik Chulu

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z3.04

Safety, Hands on

3:30pm CEST

Maps-Not-Maps: visualising qualitative data in investigative journalism

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z3.02

This session explores the powerful potential of visualising qualitative data – interviews, archives, testimonies, police reports, and more – within investigative journalism. We’ll delve into how rich sources, often lacking geographical locations, can be transformed into compelling maps, diagrams, and visual narratives, offering unique insights into complex stories.

Moving beyond traditional hard data visualisation, this approach can reveal hidden patterns and connections within qualitative information and illuminate the human dimension of investigations, adding depth and clarity to narratives that might otherwise remain opaque. We’ll also examine how combining qualitative visualisation using hard data, such as satellite analysis, can strengthen the accuracy and impact of investigative reporting.

During this session, Federico Caruso (editorial coordinator, European Data Journalism Network) and Riccardo Pravettoni (journalist cartographer, Le Monde) will explain the mechanisms and choices involved in creating some of Le Monde’s most impactful visual stories, drawing from examples such as the Mazan trial, Saydnaya prison, and events in Lebanon and Gaza. We’ll examine how they analyse information, select sources, and craft the aesthetic look of these formats.

No prior knowledge or expertise is required to attend. You also won’t need to bring any specific materials.

You will leave this session with a better understanding on how to:
- Identify and extract valuable information from qualitative sources
- Apply various visualisation techniques to represent this data effectively
- Combine qualitative and quantitative data for stronger investigative narratives
- Appreciate the importance of scale and aesthetic choices in visual storytelling
- Gain a practical understanding of the processes involved in creating compelling visual journalism

Moderators

Federico Caruso

Editorial coordinator, European Data Journalism Network - OBC Transeuropa

Speakers

Riccardo Pravettoni

Journalist-cartographer, Le Monde

I am a geographer working as cartographer and journalist at Le Monde with the maps and infographics team since 2018.I work on different subjects and fields, spanning from geopolitics, environment and environmental crimes, climate change, organized crime, conflict and terrorism... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z3.02

Storytelling, Presentation

3:30pm CEST

Taking data to the people: building up and using databases as investigative storytelling

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST

Z2.03

Most investigative journalists have by now become used to getting data and building datasets and databases as part of their research. And that's also very often the case in cross-border collaborative investigations, where data is normally the common language of the journalists and media participating (alongside English).

What is less common is then publishing or making those databases accessible, and using them as part of the storytelling when presenting and disseminating our investigations. And that's a shame, because the databases behind our research can provide us with an opportunity to reach and engage our audiences in interesting and novel ways.

In this session,investigative journalists, from two very different contexts, Serbia and Switzerland, will present how they went about compiling complex databases as part of their investigations, and then making those databases publicly available and accessible to their audiences, as well as using the databases as part of their storytelling.

Come to this session to get inspired and learn how you can compile and use databases, not only as part of your research, but also making them part of the story, increasing the reach and impact of your investigations.

Moderators

Jennifer Steiner

WAV Recherchekollektiv

Jennifer Steiner works as a journalist for the independent Swiss research collective WAV (wav.info), which she co-founded in 2021. She previously worked in local journalism and later earned a PhD in Labor Geography. She particularly enjoys investigating issues related to working conditions... Read More →

Speakers

Balz Oertli

WAV Recherchekollektiv

Journalist and researcher @ WAV Recherchekollektiv

Aleksandar Đorđević

journalist, BIRN Serbia

Investigative journalist and data journalist with over 15 years in the field, specializing in public finance, organized crime, human rights and data-driven storytelling. Proven track record in uncovering complex financial and political stories. I love music and movies, and I dream... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm CEST
Z2.03

Storytelling, Presentation

4:45pm CEST

Coffee break

Saturday May 24, 2025 4:45pm - 5:15pm CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (ground floor, lobby area) and on the third floor.

Saturday May 24, 2025 4:45pm - 5:15pm CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

5:15pm CEST

The Investigative Commons - how to share structured data, document collections and build knowledge collaboratively

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z3.05

The Investigative Commons is a collaboratively maintained repository of datasets and document archives useful for investigative reporting to ensure long-term access to evidence.

Currently, datasets (evidence) for investigative journalism are maintained by several media organizations and journalism networks; because of changing priorities of newsrooms and the specific funding situation of investigative journalism these cannot be considered reliable long-term partners for accessing the data. Furthermore we do not believe organizations involved in investigative research and publishing stories are the ones to take on the burden of providing access to evidence data long term (though it’s appreciated if they can do that for some time).

We want to launch this new project by showing the various available datasets and how everyone can use them. We will also explain how to contribute to this open, community-driven project, and discuss further plans and ideas from the community.

Speakers

Friedrich Lindenberg

Data Librarian, OpenSanctions

Friedrich Lindenberg is a coder and data journalist working on web technology for new narrative and investigative techniques. He's currently building OpenSanctions, a global database of persons of journalistic interest.

Simon Wörpel

Director of Technology, Data and Research Center – DARC

Alex Ștefănescu

Senior Developer, http://darc.li/

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z3.05

Data buffet, Hands on

5:15pm CEST

From Space to Spreadsheet: Analysing flood impact using Copernicus satellite data

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z3.04

Floods are among the most frequent and damaging natural disasters in Europe, yet understanding their true impact remains difficult. As of now, there is no harmonized, official European database that systematically tracks flood damage across sectors and regions. Satellite data from the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) offers a powerful resource for addressing this gap. This session will introduce participants to the methodology developed by the Troubled Waters project to retrieve, clean, and structure Copernicus flood data from 2023-2024. It will show how to calculate flood extent and impact across agriculture, infrastructure, ecosystems, and population areas—and how to link the impacted areas to official EU statistical regions using NUTS classifications. It will also demonstrate challenges in the data, such as overlapping observations and irregular boundaries, and the approach to resolving them. Additionally, the session will explain the process of building a decade-long flood dataset combining inconsistent data from Copernicus, Hanze and EM-DAT. Participants will also receive ready-to-use code for both Python users and those without a coding background. Finally, the session will demonstrate how these insights can be transformed into a visual, scrollytelling story format that helps communicate complex findings to broader audiences.

Speakers

Konstantina Maltepioti

Journalist, Reporters United

Konstantina Maltepioti is a data journalist at Reporters United, an independent network of investigative journalists based in Greece. Her work focuses on political corruption, environmental issues, and human rights. She specialises in open-source investigations, ship-tracking, scraping... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z3.04

Data journalism, Presentation

5:15pm CEST

Advanced AI prompts for investigations

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z2.04

How can can journalists use metaprompting to let AI build system instructions for assistants to empower investigations? Through examples of iterative metaprompting Rune Ytreberg will show you how to master the art of efficient prompting, and use metaprompting to build AI assistants to unlock the black box that is AI.

After attending this session you will be able to use advanced prompting techniques (meta-prompting) to use a large language model (LLM) to make system instructions. These advanced prompts are detailed instructions that customize AI assistants supporting investigations. Among others they are used in Open AI and Anthropic projects, and RAG platforms like Kotaemon or Anything LLM.

You need no special knowledge to attend this session, but if you would like to follow along on your computer you will need some basic knowledge of prompting tools such as Chat GPT, Claude or similar, and will need to have signed up for a paid version of your chosen AI platform before the session.

Speakers

Rune Ytreberg

Journalist, Itromsø

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills, Hands on

5:15pm CEST

AI cookbook 🥧: 6 recipes for the modern journalist

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z2.09

What if you could harness AI to automate repetitive tasks, extract meaningful insights from complex datasets, or even assist in storytelling? In this session, you’ll learn how to create practical, customizable workflows—“AI recipes”—designed to tackle real newsroom challenges.

Drawing inspiration from cutting-edge techniques in AI agent design, we’ll guide you through building tools that can annotate maps, analyze documents, and much more. Whether you’re a data journalist, editor, or simply curious about the potential of AI, this session will provide hands-on insights to integrate AI agents into your work.

Speakers

Rui Barros

data journalist, Público

Portuguese data journalist currently working at Público.

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z2.09

Data skills, Hands on

5:15pm CEST

Scraping the unscrapable: advanced approaches to deal with complex sites and evade anti-scraping systems

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z2.10

Scraped data can often be the backbone of an investigation, but some websites are more difficult to scrape than others. This session will cover best practices for dealing with tricky sites, including coping with captchas, IP blocks, and browser fingerprinting.

This is an advanced session aimed at people who already have experience of writing code to scrape websites and want to move up to the next level: participants will leave with an understanding of how to approach hard-to-scrape websites, plus the tradeoffs and costs of these approaches.

Speakers

Max Harlow

Bloomberg News

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills, Hands on

5:15pm CEST

Supply chain investigations - how to trace ingredients from factory to supermarket shelf

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

In this session, De Smog's journalists will share their experience and tips from a recent investigation that
traced the supply chain of feed used in farmed fish sold in UK supermarkets.

Attendees will gain an understanding of where to obtain data for a supply chain investigation: such as trade data (including via FOI), shipping route data, and information hidden on supermarket packaging. The session will also showcase examples of how to interpret and analyse these data.

Speakers

Brigitte Wear

Researcher, DeSmog

Brigitte is a researcher at DeSmog. She joined in April 2023, and is focusing on the aquaculture sector.

Hazel Healy

UK Editor, DeSmog

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Instant inspiration, Presentation

5:15pm CEST

Effective Investigations on Telegram for Journalists

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z0.10

In recent years, Telegram has evolved beyond a simple messaging application, becoming a platform for audiences to consume information and a tool for journalists to monitor and track conflicts, wars, and other incidents around the world.

However, alongside its general use, Telegram has become a widely used platform for malicious actors to spread disinformation and smear campaigns, spread hate speech and fear, and orchestrate influence operations aimed at shaping public opinion. This session will equip journalists with essential investigative techniques tailored for Telegram, providing a comprehensive guide for effective research. Journalists will learn about the tools and methods available to monitor, collect, and analyze Telegram data effectively.

If you have never conducted an investigation focused on Telegram channels, this session is for you.
It will also be valuable to those who occasionally report on manipulation and disinformation on Telegram. Experienced journalists who have participated in previous editions of this session reported learning at least one new tool, method, or tip for investigating Telegram.

What you will learn:
tools and tips for identifying, monitoring, and investigating public Telegram channels.
methods and tools for collecting Telegram data.
insights into the challenges of working with Telegram data and ways to leverage and interpret it.

If you already have a Telegram account, we will practice exercises together. It is recommended to have relevant API keys if you want to experiment with data collection in real-time.

Speakers

Sayyara Mammadova

Journalist/Researcher, The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab)

Sayyara Mammadova is a journalist specializing in disinformation, fact-checking and OSINT. She is a Research Associate at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), where she investigates disinformation trends and malign influence operations. Sayyara oversees the... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z0.10

Investigative method, Hands on

5:15pm CEST

Pensions for the SS? How we challenged German bureaucracy and found one of the last SS-volunteers

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z3.09

It started with a list. Rumour has it the German embassy in Brussels holds the names of Nazi-perpetrators who still receive pensions from the Federal Republic.

Short answer: There is no list. Long answer: Over decades, Germany paid compensations to former SS volunteers across Europe for having fought in the Waffen SS. In some cases, the (admittedly very old) perpetrators, or their families, still receive money to this day. This still costs the State around five million euros a year.

But: This is nothing Germany wants to publicise or talk about. There are no statistics. Little to no money is directed towards resolving the injustice. And when neighbouring countries ask for information, Germany refuses.

Together with FragdenStaat, we spent months investigating how many pensions Germany paid and still pays to SS-volunteers. We sent numerous FOI requests across Bundesländer and countries, navigated a maze of German public bodies, carried out research in Germany, Sweden and Belgium, dived into old archives and searched for war volunteer associations.

This session will explain how we proceeded in this investigation and how we managed to find the last living SS-volunteer in Sweden. You will learn about the joy and pain of FOI requests, the challenges of working across borders and media, why local historians can be a brilliant source and how Translation tools can save your back. You will also learn how to build a story from FOI requests and manage to come from a: “I have lots of data and info” to to b: “I need to tell an engaging story that people actually want to read.”

Moderators

Gabriela Keller

Senior Reporterin, Correctiv

Speakers

Charlotte Wirth

Journalist, freelance / stern / Médor

Charlotte is an investigative journalist based in Brussels. She focuses on misuse of power and is part of “stern investigativ”.

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z3.09

Investigative method, Presentation

5:15pm CEST

Using Bluetooth in your investigations - lessons learnt and approaches to adopt

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z3.02

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.

Speakers

Claus Hesseling

KI und Daten, NDR / Trainer

Claus Hesseling ist freier Datenjournalist und Trainer. Er ist derzeit "KI Lotse" beim NDR und bringt Menschen Recherche, Daten, Coding und KI bei.

Marcus Lindemann

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z3.02

Investigative method, Presentation

5:15pm CEST

Networking roundtable for AI practitioners

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Are you working on topics of algorithmic accountability? Join this meeting of AI "practitioners” to share tips and ideas from your investigations, discuss common challenges and obstacles, share lessons learned and good practices, and get peer support. (A more detailed description to follow)

Speakers

Naiara Bellio

Reporter, AlgorithmWatch

Fernanda Buffa

Gabriel Geiger

Investigative Journalist, Lighthouse Reports

Federico Acosta Rainis

Data Specialist, Pulitzer Center

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser

Data Editor, Pulitzer Center

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z2.01 - Mediadrôme

Networking, Roundtable

5:15pm CEST

By word of mouth: producing investigative podcasts

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z1.16

In the last decade or so, podcasts have gone from niche to widespread media format and are now a well-established, mature medium. Podcasts bring their own opportunities and challenges and are particularly suited to long reportage and investigations.

In this session, we'll hear from two journalists with experience in producing independent investigative podcasts in two European countries: Portugal and Poland.

How do journalists and newsrooms come up with topics for an investigative podcast? What are the key issues to consider? What are the key pros and cons for independent newsrooms wanting to produce investigative podcasts? How do you conduct interviews about complicated issues and get people to be candid on the record? How do you narrate investigations that rely on documents and can include complex, abstract issues? What lessons have we learned from stories that didn't work out particularly well?

Moderators

Urszula Kifer

Editor-in-Chief, Pismo. Magazyn Opinii

Speakers

Piotr Nesterowicz

CEO, Publisher, Pismo

Piotr Nesterowicz. Creator, CEO and publisher of Pismo, producer of Pismo Investigation. PhD in Management, ex McKinsey Associate Principal and a telecom CEO and COO. Author of essays, reportages, short stories and novels. Nominated to the leading Polish literature and reporting awards... Read More →

Ricardo Esteves Ribeiro

Fumaca

I'm a co-founder and journalist at Fumaça, an investigative journalism podcast focused on injustices and inequalities. We mainly create serialized audio-documentaries. In the past, through sometimes years-long investigations, we have covered the private security sector, European... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z1.16

Storytelling, Presentation

5:15pm CEST

Scrollytelling the low-tech way: creating visual narratives on your own

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST

Z1.14

As investigative journalists, we’re always searching for impactful ways to help readers see what we’ve uncovered. Maps, satellite images, illustrations, and charts often carry the weight of a story more powerfully than text alone. But turning these visuals into compelling stories can feel daunting — especially without a developer on your team. This hands-on workshop is designed for journalists who want to build visual, interactive “scrollytelling” stories using a low-tech, DIY approach.

Together, we’ll use a ready-made HTML template — originally created by Jonathan Soma for beginner coders and further customised by me — to create vertical scrollytelling pieces driven by static visuals. These can include photographs, illustrations, or static maps. You'll learn how to structure your narrative so the visuals take centre stage.

This session is ideal for journalists working in smaller newsrooms or independently, who want to make their stories stand out visually without relying on full-stack developers. By the end of the workshop, participants will walk away with:

A reusable HTML scrolly template you can adapt to your own stories
Practical skills in customising layout and flow with basic HTML and CSS
Tips for embedding your scrolly piece into your newsroom’s website — or publishing it independently
A curated list of tools and resources to keep experimenting and improving

Requirements:

Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS
A laptop with Visual Studio Code installed (it's free and built on open source, and you can download it here)
(Optional but helpful) Familiarity with GitHub

Speakers

Dafni Karavola

Visual Investigator, Reporters United

Dafni is a visual-forensic investigator with a background in architectural engineering and a member of Reporters United. Her work is dedicated to advocating for Romani rights and spatial violence. Additionally, Dafni participates in various projects tackling environmental issues... Read More →

Saturday May 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:30pm CEST
Z1.14

Storytelling, Hands on

9:00am CEST

Coffee

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe (groundfloor, lobby area)

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

9:30am CEST

Data journalism vs corruption - a case study from Serbia

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 9:45am CEST

Z1.14

In Serbia, BIRN's four-year investigation into public fund allocation revealed a network of phantom NGOs embezzling millions of euros, orchestrated by state and city officials. Building a comprehensive database took new journalistic effort, involving activists, IT experts, and journalists. Together, they exposed corruption, leading to award-winning stories that sparked widespread public attention and protests. How did they do it? Come and find out!

Speakers

Aleksandar Đorđević

journalist, BIRN Serbia

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 9:45am CEST
Z1.14

Data journalism, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Automated migration control: tracking dystopian technology and funding across the EU

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z3.02

The EU is increasingly dedicating resources and funding to developing technologies aimed at tracking migration flows. They use biometric and other sensitive data, and monitor borders with dystopian automated systems. These systems often target vulnerable groups, such as migrants, who are surveilled and exploited as data subjects without their consent.

While desk research provides a broad overview of funding flows, it has taken firsthand investigations along the EU's Mediterranean and Atlantic borders to enable us to fully grasp how migration control is being transformed by surveillance and automation. On-the-ground journalistic investigations in Greece, Spain and Italy have revealed that such investments are frequently squandered on automated systems that either fail to function properly or are poorly implemented, resulting in millions of euros wasted. Instead of safeguarding migrants' lives, these technologies often put them at greater risk.

Join this session to learn how to conduct fieldwork research and gather primary-source information on the intersection of migration and technology. Little technical background is required to report on this issue. We will share our findings and demonstrate how to assess this critical topic avoiding EU hype reflected in money flows, public tenders, press notes, etc. while contrasting it with on the ground information.

Speakers

Naiara Bellio

Reporter, AlgorithmWatch

Lydia Emmanouilidou

Freelance investigative journalist | Contributor & fundraising strategist, Solomon

Lydia Emmanouilidou is a freelance journalist and regular contributor to the Greek investigative outlet Solomon. She reports on migration, AI, and surveillance technologies, with work published in The New York Times, NPR, BBC, Al Jazeera, and other international media. Before going... Read More →

Giacomo Zandonini

I am an investigative journalist, with knowledge and expertise in EU and national public policies in the areas of migration, security, demographics, lobbying and surveillance. I am a co-founder of Fada Collective, an Italian nonprofit newsroom that produces multimedia investigations... Read More →

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z3.02

AI, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Sacred Grounds: how to investigate Church property ownership across Europe

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

The Church is one of the most important players in the European property market, yet it remains an opaque institution, hard to investigate. Our collaborative project Sacred Grounds is the first to bring a comprehensive picture of valuable assets the Church owns across European cities and of its investment strategies shaping our cities.

For six months, we cooperated across European media outlets to find out whether Churches manage their land holdings in the spirit of Christianity, in the service of the common good, and in accordance with their own ethical codes. And what is the impact of church property dealings on the affordability of housing and public services? The coordinators of the Urban Journalism Network investigation will showcase major international and local findings, explain how to get data and how to investigate the non-transparent institution that the Church is.

Speakers

Hendrik Lehmann

Head of Innovation Lab, Tagesspiegel

Hendrik Lehmann leitet das Tagesspiegel Innovation Lab und baut den europäischen Rechercheverbund Urban Journalism Network mit auf. Er arbeitet vor allem an investigativen Datenanalysen, Dataviz und interaktiven Anwendungen. Und sein Team versucht, AI für investigative Recherche... Read More →

Gaby Khazalova

Editorial coordinator, Urban Journalism Network

Gaby Khazalová coordinates collaborative investigations within the Urban Journalism Network, a network of local journalists, media outlets and data analysts, that is dedicated to researching common challenges faced by European cities. She publishes her local investigations with the... Read More →

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Cross-border, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Efficient Collaboration? Automate your Google Docs with Python!

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z2.04

Their wide adoption of Google tools makes them a great choice in collaborative contexts like cross border projects. Online documents and spreadsheets can also be used as input for any kind of automated processes, allowing non technical people to participate with tools they are already familiar with. In this hands-on session we will see how to automate Google Docs to make more with it. Think for example how to create, edit, upload or export files, but also perform some search and replace across multiple documents, automating the publishing of a csv as a spreadsheet with headers and filters, etc.

I will briefly present the different options available (Google App Scripts, Python with Gspread or the Google Drive API). Then you will have an opportunity to complete a Hands-On task.

For the hands on task, please set up one of the authenticating methods described here, either OAuth or a service account.

If you have a particular use case in mind, please bring it and we will discuss it together / try to make it happen!

Speakers

Ada Homolova

ARENA / Follow The Money, Austria/ Slovakia

Adriana is a freelance data journalist, trainer and public spending nerd. She coordinates the data skills training track on the Dataharvest conference and investigates the European Union for Follow The Money Bureau Brussel.

Luc Martinon

Freelance data journalist

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills

9:30am CEST

Dead Russian soldiers: How to count hidden numbers with AI

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z1.16

Russian authorities continue to conceal the scale of their military losses in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. IStories found a way to reveal it: with the help of AI, they made an algorithm which helps to count it, combine in the database and update it regularly.
The algorithm is trained to collect all the public messages about Russian soldiers killed or missing in the war in Ukraine and extract all the important info from the post: region, date of birth and death, place of death and other info. Is it possible to make this process less painful and long? Come and hear some of the problems the team had to tackle:

At first, AI thought that actor Alan Rickman had died in the war in Ukraine. How to define the actual war casualties?
We detected more than 105K Russian soldiers died or missing on the war in Ukraine. The data of this scale can easily be corrupted. How to detect fakes among all of these messages?
Time, resources, people: How to manage this kind of projects?
How this experience can be useful for others, who want to reveal something hidden in the depth of social media or other data.

The team will share the database with the session participants and demonstrate how to use it.

Speakers

Katya Bonch-Osmolovskaya

IStories

Head of the data team at Important Stories. After the full-scale war in Ukraine began, I investigate the deportation of children and disabled people from Ukraine to Russia.Awards:The Sigma Awards 2022 (Important Stories)Two-time Redkollegia Award winner (Novaya Gazeta 2021, Important... Read More →

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z1.16

Investigative method, Presentation

9:30am CEST

Investigating climate disinformation: methods for exposing fossil fuel industry influence on policy

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST

Z3.05

How do oil, gas, and coal giants manipulate climate narratives to protect their profits? How does climate disinformation shape government policies and delay urgent climate action? In this hands-on workshop, investigative journalist Liubov Velychko will share the methods and tools used to track and expose disinformation campaigns financed by major polluters, including Shell, ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, Gazprom, and Coal India Ltd.

In this session, you will learn:
- how to map the disinformation system, to track connections between fossil fuel corporations, disinformation agents, and policymakers
- where to find key data sources on corporate lobbying, campaign funding, and PR influence.
- how to analyze financial flows behind disinformation campaign, track disinformation influencers and identify - key figures spreading climate disinformation
- practical techniques for uncovering covert industry-funded research that distorts climate science.

You will leave the session with a toolkit of investigative methods for tracking climate disinformation, a list of reliable databases and sources for following money and influence, practical techniques for fact-checking corporate claims and policy manipulation, and a clearer understanding of how climate disinformation impacts global climate action.

Come ready to dive deep into the mechanics of disinformation and learn how to expose those who profit from climate denial.
No prior experience required—just bring your curiosity and your investigative mindset!

Speakers

Liubov Velychko

investigative journalist

Liubov Velychko is an investigative journalist, a freelancer publishing her articles in the biggest Ukrainian media (LIGA.net, Mind.ua, Slovo i dilo etc.). In cooperation with colleagues from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Network for Reporting... Read More →

Sunday May 25, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am CEST
Z3.05

Investigative method, Hands on

10:45am CEST

Coffee break

Sunday May 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am CEST

Mediaforum

Coffee served in the Mediacafe.

Sunday May 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am CEST
Mediaforum

Organisational

11:15am CEST

Using OpenSanctions for investigative research

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z3.02

OpenSanctions is a global database of sanctioned companies and people; entities that have faced criminal or regulatory action, civil society watchlists, and an archive of global political office-holders.
We'd like to help reporters to integrate this resource into their journalistic toolkit. We will look at what information can be found, how to interpret the results, and how this database can be used in investigations. We will also look at how to use our underlying open source technology for more advanced investigative graph building.

Speakers

Friedrich Lindenberg

Data Librarian, OpenSanctions

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z3.02

Data buffet, Hands on

11:15am CEST

How to start investigating the criminal's safe haven, Dubai. And get stories from the Emirates without leaving home!

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z1.15 - Aula Donche

If you have not yet tried investigating in this part of the world, we will be looking at why it’s worth investigating property owners in Dubai, and how to do it. We will share tools and tricks we used in the Dubai Unlocked collaboration, and also discuss ways of identifying leads and developing a solid story about how the Emirates are used as a safe haven for criminals.

Speakers

Eiliv Frich Flydal

Reporter, VG

Eiliv Frich Flydal works on investigative projects at VG, Norway’s largest media outlet.

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z1.15 - Aula Donche

Data journalism, Presentation

11:15am CEST

RAG: Leveraging AI for document research

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.10

Investigative journalism often involves analyzing vast amounts of documents. In this session, we will demonstrate how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems can help you getting information out of document collections.

We’ll showcase both open-source solutions and a custom-built tools, using real-world examples from recent collaborative investigations. Whether you're dealing with leaked documents, court records, or government reports, this session will equip you with techniques to get insights from your document faster than using an intern.

After attending this session, you will be able to integrate these tools into your investigative workflow, and apply them to large document collections.

No prior knowledge of AI or programming is required

To follow along, bring your laptop!

Speakers

Rune Ytreberg

Journalist, Itromsø

Hendrik Lehmann

Head of Innovation Lab, Tagesspiegel

Johan Schuijt

Freelance Full Stack / Data developer

I help teams make sense of their data with small sharp custom software tools that save time.

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.10

Data skills

11:15am CEST

Reset before you repeat: How automation helps us save time in the data team

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z2.04

Data processes are often repetitive. Download the dataset, clean it, analyze, visualize, publish. What if new data comes in? Start all over again. From Google Sheets to Python, automation can streamline this process — saving time, enabling live coverage, or helping you be first with recurring stories. But is it worth automating everything?

Through real examples — from election coverage to internal requests from other teams — we’ll share our ongoing reflection at El Confidencial’s data desk: how we decide what is worth automating, what has worked (and what hasn’t), and how maintaining a small library of reusable scripts has helped us speed up our workflows and focus more on storytelling. In this practical session, we will take a step back from the daily grind to rethink how automation can help us work smarter, not harder.

Some knowledge of HTML or spreadsheets is desirable, but not required. We will mention Google Sheets, data visualization platforms like Datawrapper or Flourish, and languages like SQL, R or Python, as well. It is recommended to have access to an AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral) in order to participate in some of the examples we will give in the session.

Speakers

Miguel Ángel Gavilanes

Data Journalist, El Confidencial

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z2.04 Z2.04

Data skills, Hands on

11:15am CEST

How to uncover land and property speculation all over Europe

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z3.05

In cities all over Europe, buildings are treated as investments rather than as (increasingly rare) spaces for people to live in. Every year, tens of thousands of former family homes, industrial and office spaces are being vacated and demolished – most of them in order for speculators to build expensive replacements for buildings that could have been renovated much more cheaply.
With the help of the crowd, investigative media house CORRECTIV launched a "demolition atlas" where people share information about planned demolitions and possible speculation. So far this has covered Switzerland, Germany and Greece, working with media partner, Solomon.
In this session, we will show you how we reached thousands of people willing to participate, what kind of stories emerged, and look at how you can do the same in your country – no previous knowledge required.

Speakers

Marc Engelhardt

Director, CORRECTIV CrowdNewsroom

Danai Maragoudaki

Journalist, Solomon

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z3.05

Instant inspiration, Presentation

11:15am CEST

Is my house at risk of flooding? Using cadastral data to track buildings in flood-prone zones of the Mediterranean (and beyond)

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST

Z1.14

In this session, we'll explore the methodology behind Newtral's data-driven investigation of flood-prone buildings and areas in Spain, which allowed the data team to find that at least 200,000 buildings in the country are vulnerable to flooding. The investigation didn't only rely on traditional soil or urban studies to identify flood-prone areas; it also used information from Spain's National Cadastral to gather the data, city by city, street by street, of all the buildings constructed in vulnerable or hazardous zones.
We will share a model that can be replicated or scaled elsewhere in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean region.

Attendees will learn how to source, process, and visualize cartographic data of urban typology to identify threatened areas. This session is suitable for beginners. Attendees should have Python installed, along with a code editor like Visual Studio Code. No coding knowledge is necessary - the code will be shared with you, and you can just follow along. If you use Windows, please install Ubuntu (not necessary for Mac users).

Speakers

Miguel Ros Garcia

Data Journalist, Newtral.es

Sunday May 25, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CEST
Z1.14

Instant inspiration, Presentation

12:45pm CEST

Goodbye - see you next year!

Sunday May 25, 2025 12:45pm - 1:15pm CEST

Mediaforum

Come and say farewell! We'll keep it short and sweet!

Sunday May 25, 2025 12:45pm - 1:15pm CEST
Mediaforum

Networking