We have published a selection of presentations from our annual summer schools and other talks held throughout the year.
Summer School 2011
Phone Hacking – Panel Discussion
Journalist David Leigh Lawyer Gavin Millar and Jeff Katz discuss the the revelations concerning phone hacking and the impact of the scandal on the British media and political landscape.
Libel and Privacy Issues
Andrew Bousfield and Justin Walford discuss libel, privacy and the Press Complaints Commission, looking at how recent cases have affected the law.
Medical Whistleblowers
A panel discussion with Margaret Haywood, Eileen Chubb and Terry Bryan who talk about what it means to be a whistleblower in the medical profession.
Investigative Journalism and Digital Technology
In this talk Iain Overton, editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism looks at how digital media has impacted the field of investigative journalism.
Tame Your Documents with DocumentCloud
DocumentCloud is a free online service that provides a set of tools designed to help journalists analyse and share source documents. In this talk Aron Pilhofer talks you through its core features.
Student Journalists and Data Protection
This workshop, with Richard Orange, provides an easy-to-follow overview data protection legislation, an understanding of the obligations facing ‘data controllers’.
WikiLeaks
Kristinn Hrafnsson is the spokesperson for Wikileaks and brings a close working knowledge of the plans, methods and structures of the organisation.
Mapping and Visualisation for Story Gathering
James Ball shows how free software Tableau can be used to make visualisations a research tool as well as a way of presenting interactive visualisations on any website.
The Secret State and its Control of the Media
Former MI5 intelligence officer Annie Machon looks at how the security services use and manipulate the press.
Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors and One Woman’s Fight For Justice
Former DynCorp officer and US policewoman Kathryn Bolkovac blew the whistle on the UN police who were guilty of sex crimes, forced prostitution and sex slavery.
Understanding Company Accounts
In this talk, Martin Tomkinson shows you how to get the best out of the official Companies House website as well as pointing out what can’t be found here.
The Role of NGOs in Investigative Journalism
A panel discussion that asks whether NGOs and other campaigning organisations are becoming a new home for investigative journalism. And if so what practical and ethical issues does this raise?
Finding a Dictators Loot: How to Find Hidden Assets
In this talk, Robert Palmer looks at how dictators and corrupt politicians use the global financial system to loot government coffers accept bribes and spend the proceeds of corruption on a life of luxury.
Using Twitter and Other Techniques to Collaborate in Hard-Hitting Investigations
Paul Lewis Special Projects Editor at the Guardian reveals how he has used Twitter and other techniques to collaborate in hard-hitting investigations.
Whistleblowing and the Law
Gavin Millar QC and Dr Andrew Scott explain the law surrounding whistleblowing, looking at issues facing journalists pre-publication as well as the legal proceedings which may follow.
Whistleblowing and the EU
In this talk, Hans Martin Tillack looks at problems faced by whistleblowers working inside EU institutions. He examines difficulties that journalists who work with these whistleblowers might face and considers the options for overcoming them.
Talks and Interviews 2011
The Assessment of Iraq’s WMD Capacity – What Went Wrong?
The CIJ talks to Frank Grevil a veteran of the Danish Intelligence service. Grevil contributed to the assessment of Iraq’s WMD capacity and in this interview discusses events in the lead-up to war.
Treasure Islands – Nicholas Shaxton
Nobody can understand the power of the City of London, or of Wall Street, without understanding the offshore system. Few people understand the offshore system, or know that the world’s biggest tax havens are not the exotic islands of the popular imagination, but powerful rich countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Ireland – and Britain is the most important player in the system.
Jack Palladino and Sandra Sutherland
Jack Palladino and Sandra Sutherland are husband and wife lawyers on the Berkeley faculty and the best-known American private investigative team for the past three decades. They have represented high-profile clients that include President Bill Clinton, Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, Hell’s Angel leader Sonny Barger, John DeLorean as well as Russell Crowe, Courtney Love, Mariah Carey, R. Kelly.
Adam Hochschild
Investigative journalist and author, Adam Hochschild talks about how he found and researched his book ‘King Leopold’s Ghost’. He discusses the political amnesia that appeared to set-in, so that by the middle decades of the twentieth century atrocities committed by the former colonial powers had been all but forgotten by the West.
World in Action
Veteran journalist Ray Fitzwalter describes the history development and working practices of the landmark Factual Production series – World In Action
Non-Profit to the Rescue?
The CIJ’s director, Gavin MacFadyen was on the panel discussing not-for-profit models for investigative journalism, at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia. Also on the panel were Luca De Biase editor Nòva24, weekly new media and technology insert Il Sole 24 Ore, Charles Lewis founder Center for Public Integrity and Guido Romeo Wired Italy. You can watch the discussion on the festival website: Non-Profit to the Rescue?
P.Sainath
P.Sainath gives an interview to the cij talking about his work investigating problems within rural communities in India.
Daniel Ellsberg
Probably the most famous whistleblower in US history, Daniel Ellsberg, released a top secret Pentagon history of the Vietnam War. The Pentagon Papers were eventually published by the New York Times and other newspapers and contributed to the disillusionment with the war in the US. In this video, he offers guidance to whistleblowers and his reasons for going public and breaking the law.
summer school 2010
Paul Moreira – Video Investigations
Paul talks about how he found and pursued his leads to find his story about corruption in Afghanistan. He also discusses working in dangerous places.
Georgia Lacatus (Romania), Laszlo Ligeti (Hungary) and Kristina Magdolenova (Slovakia). Chaired by Jake Bowers – Investigating Roma Issues
The panelists discuss the issues and challenges faced as journalists from minority communities. They talk about how they approach investigations within their own communities and how this affects their work and standing.
Wojtek Bogusz – Practical Communication Security and Privacy
How do you marry information and communication technology with the need for security and privacy? Wojtek Bogusz gives practical advice on how to use your computer securely.
Julian Burgess and Jonathan Richards – Visualising News Based Data in Real Time
Data is everywhere, not least in news, where a range of events are spawning real-time data sets that benefit from visualisation. Using a recent case study from The Times – the General Election – this talk shows how to put together the pieces: capture and clean a live, updating data set, merge data from different sources, and visualise them.
P.Sainath – Investigative Rural Reporting
P.Sainath discusses his approach to reporting on hunger, migration, and farmer suicides in rural areas.
P.Sainath – When Famers Die: Inequality, the Agrarian Crisis and the Media
In 2006-08, Maharashtra in India saw 12, 493 farm suicides – the worst three-year period for any State, any time. P.Sainath has researched extensively into why this is happening and talks about his work, as well as how this story is reported by the media.
David Leigh and Paul Farrelly MP – The Inside Story of Trafigura – Old and New Methods
How a combination methods – parliamentary privilege (old-fashioned), cross-border co-operation (innovative) and the internet (new-fangled) – were used to defeat cover-ups by lobbyists and lawyers, and expose the scientific facts.
Luuk Sengers – Story Based Investigation: Scene Setting and Source Mapping.
This talk shows you how to compose a story that hits hard and fast, and builds to a powerful end. The components of an investigative report aren’t quite the same as classic news reportage, and Luuk considers those differences and how to use them.
Nigel Hawkes – Statistics for Journalists
Too few journalists know where to find the data they need, or how to avoid being taken in by artful spinners. This talk is not a guide to statistics but a lesson in becoming street-savvy.
Harold Bolter and Paul Brown chaired by Damian Carrington – Reporting Nuclear Issues
Experts discuss the pros and cons of nuclear energy.
Robert Miller – Understanding Companies House
How to get the best out of Companies House official website; the central registry for all UK registered limited or plc companies.
public talks 2010
Pratap Chatterjee – Dirty Secrets: War Profiteering
A discussion looking into corporate corruption in the US and investigating corrupt military contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
public talks 2009
Raj Patel and Professor Timothy Lang – Food Industry’s Dirty Secrets
A discussion about the shocking realities of the global food industry with Raj Patel and Professor Timothy Lang.
summer school 2009
Ann Pettifor and Tony Hillier – Economic Crisis
Ann Pettifor and Tony Hillier’s talk about how to go about investigating the economic crisis.
Aron Pilhofer – Document Cloud
Aron Pilhofer’s talk about Document Cloud – a way of sharing source documents online.
Chuck Lewis – In Search of Truth
Chuck Lewis’s talk about power, the news media and the public’s right to know.
Chuck Lewis – Emerging New Investigative Journalism Ecosystem
Chuck Lewis’s talk how developments in technology can change they way journalists work.
David Miller – Exposing Spin
David Miller, co-founder of Spinwatch gave a talk about how how to see past the PR spin.
Heather Brooke – MPs’ Expenses
Heather Brooke talk’s about how she used the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the MPs’ expenses story.
Mark Hunter – Managing and Writing Investigations
Mark Hunter’s talk about how to manage your research and present it as an interesting story.
Richard Orange – Town Hall Finance
Richard Orange looks at how to go about investigating local authorities.
summer school 2008
John Pilger – Power and Responsibility
Nick Davies – Churnalism
Nick Davies’s talk about the conventions of churnalism: objectivity, balance and bad journalism.
Mark Schapiro and Michael Warhurst – Global Environmental Power
Mark Schapiro and Michael Warhurst gave a talk about Global Environmental Power in the 21st Century – the EU flexes its muscles.
Solomon Hughes – The War on Terror
Vandana Shiva – Hijiacking the Global Food Supply
David Gordon and Heather Brooke – MPs’ expenses and the FOIA
David Gordon and Heather Brooke talk about how they used the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the MPs’ expenses story (audio only).
Robert Wardle – Serious Fraud Office
Robert Wardle gave a talk about cases investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), including the BAE corruption case (audio only).
summer school 2007
David Leigh – BAE Files
David Leigh gave a talk about how he went about investigating the BAE story (audio only).
Lowell Bergman – Whistleblowers
Lowell Bergman gave a talk about the history of whistleblowing in the US and his own involvement in a number of high-profile stories (audio only).
Mike Davis – Illegal Logging
Mike Davis, from Global Witness, gave a talk about a covert investigation into illegal logging in Cambodia (audio only).
Roman Shleinov The Death of Anna Politkovskaya
Roman Shleinov was interviewed by Tom Mangold about the investigation into the death of Anna Politkovskaya (audio only).