Press Freedom
Nicaragua: Reinventing Journalism in Exile
In this World News Day op-ed, the Latin American journalist and editor discusses the challenges of holding an authoritarian government to account after being forced to leave the country.
This reporting guide helps investigative journalists understand some of the nitty-gritty of the technology underlying AI and to give them a framework through which they can examine it.
The negative effects from higher temperatures can be seen everywhere, offering many opportunities for investigative journalism.
Watchdog reporters should discard the idea that damage from natural disasters is simply due to “acts of nature,” and rather think of it as a mix of hazardous events and human actions.
The open source desktop geographic information system software QGIS can be a powerful tool for investigative journalists. This resource takes you from the basics to advanced data mapping.
There is a central tension facing investigative journalists: the “AI and tech paradox.” Explore our report on the most urgent technology-related challenges facing investigative journalism today.
Featuring advice on fact checking, digital security tips, interview techniques, and guidelines for editors.
A new form of censorship is emerging globally to silence the work of journalists and activists online, targeting their reporting with impostor accounts and fake copyright complaints.

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The Equality Fund is partnering with Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and African Women in Media (AWiM) to “surface the stories of local solutions to global crises,” with a focus on gender. Five five journalists in ODA-eligible countries will be selected for fellowship, which will run from January to September 2027, with a stipend of up to CAD$4,000 (US$2,927) and reporting costs up to CAD$500 covered. Applications are welcome from working journalists on any platform (text, digital, video, audio). Journalists should be reporting on their own communities and geographies. The application deadline is November 8, 2026.
According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) this week South African journalist Micah Reddy, who heads up ICIJ’s Africa program, and local reporter Mohamed Willo Ismael (“Kooki Mahmoud”) were detained in Djibouti, prompting the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to urge Djiboutian authorities to confirm their safety. On Tuesday, September 22, a CPJ update stated that Reddy had been freed and deported to South Africa: "Authorities claim he did not have proper media accreditation. He will return to Johannesburg soon. His fixer, Kooki Mahmoud, is apparently released without charge," CPJ Africa posted on Twitter/X.
The 12th DIG Festival (“Documentari, Inchieste, Giornalismi” or documentaties, investigaitos, journalism), Europe’s premier multimedia investigative journalism festival, will take place September 23-26 in Modena, Italy. Participation and attendance at the festival are free and except certain screenings, do not require tickets or registration. The program includes panel discussions, presentations, DIG Academy — which is offering 12 new, free-to-attend workshops — and the screening of 25 new investigative films shortlisted for the annual DIG Awards. The opening ceremony and awards ceremony will be available for live streaming on DIG Festival’s YouTube channel.
Source: The Henry Nxumalo Foundation
The Henry Nxumalo Foundation, originally set up in 2006 as the Taco Kuiper Fund, provides grants to individuals and organizations to produce public interest investigative journalism on topics relevant to South Africa. Applications can be made on a rolling basis for work in any medium, from individuals, teams, or a publication or broadcaster; the Fund will assign an editor to work with you. Applicants should send a brief proposal (no more than three pages), a CV, and a budget to henrynxumalofund@gmail.com. (The Fund also now makes occasional calls for grant applications that cover multiple African countries.)
Source: Fund for Investigative Journalism
Freelance journalists, staff reporters and media outlets can apply for grants and other support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). Investigations can be for print, online or broadcast stories, books, documentaries or podcasts. The FIJ reviews proposals for regular grants up to US$10,000 three or four times a year; the next deadline is Monday, September 14, 2026; the deadline for small grants up to US$2,500 for preliminary reporting that can lead to full investigations is also September 14. The FIJ’s Alicia Patterson fellowships — US$40,000 for 12 months or US$20,000 for six months — are awarded annually.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Tunisian authorities to release journalist Mohamed Yousfi, editor-in-chief of local investigative news website Al-Katiba, who was arrested by police from the financial crimes unit on Friday. Yousfi, a well-known critic of President Kais Saied’s government, was questioned about his work at Al-Katiba, his social media posts, and alleged financial offenses. CPJ added that his arrest raised concerns that financial crime allegations are being used as a pretext to target critical journalists. Yousfi was hospitalized after falling ill in custody and underwent an appendectomy. He remains hospitalized and has not been permitted visitors.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a statement that it was “outraged” by the acquittal of Yorgen Fenech, the Maltese businessman, of charges of complicity and criminal association in the car bomb assassination of prominent journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. “The verdict means that almost nine years since the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese authorities have failed to identify and convict the mastermind.” Press freedom organizations, politicians, and observers have expressed shock about the verdict, which followed Malta’s longest running murder trial. The prosecution is expected to appeal.
Applications are open for the fourth cohort of the Ocean Reporting Network (ORN), the Pulitzer Center’s unique program of grants and fellowships to build an ecosystem of cross-border investigative journalists on the “final frontier for environmental reporting” — uncovering illegal fishing and extractive industries, threats to marine biodiversity, resource challenges, and more. Fellows receive financial and editorial support — the Center will cover reporters' salaries for one year — and work on individual and collaborative projects. Staff and freelance journalists can participate, and it’s a full-time commitment. The deadline for proposals is September 13, 2026.
The biennial World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ2027) — hosted by the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) and the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) — will be held in London, UK, on 6-9 September, with the theme ‘Strengthening science journalism through global networks.’ Travel fellowships are available to support journalists, journalism students, or students in related fields who would otherwise be unable to attend. Fellows will receive financial support towards travel, visa costs, limited local transport and up to six nights of accommodation. Applications are now open and close on October 23, 2026.
French-speaking investigative journalists from Francophone countries in Africa can apply for fellowships to attend the 2026 African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC), which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from November 10-12, 2026. The fellowship covers travel costs such as flights, visas, shuttles, accommodation, and meals. Applicants must have a valid passport. Fellows will be required to produce at least one piece of investigative journalism (online, print, or broadcast) based on material or topics gathered at the 2026 AIJC. The application deadline is September 4; check the fellowship link for a full list of countries included.
Marthe Akissi Kra’s reporting translates complex scientific and ecological data into accessible stories, connecting global environmental issues to her local listeners.
The journalist explains how he has built a career around long-form investigations, and delves into the process behind his recent book exposing the far-right in Portugal.
The award-winning South African investigative journalist says he spent years ‘in the wilderness’ digging into spreadsheets and paperwork to find his niche.
Anna Behrend is a self-taught data journalist who has found in data-driven reporting and visualization a way to combine her academic background in science with her creative interests.
Two journalism and technology projects are sharing tools and methods across continents to map where mining is devastating the Amazon and Congo basins.
Watch Duty is a NGO nonprofit and its data is sourced from all over: radio scanners, cameras, satellites, and other public sources, including the agencies actually fighting the fires.
In this round-up of recent GIJN Academy masterclasses on data journalism, we share practical videos on data reporting basics, using spreadsheets, and incorporating satellite imagery.
This small Lithuanian outlet Siena punches above its weight by publishing agenda-setting stories — but the founders say they also never want to take themselves too seriously.
The investigative outlet focusing on the Black Sea region and Turkey is not quite exiled media, not quite traditional newsroom, but a collaborative group focused on abuses of power.
Over the past decade, the nonprofit Tokyo Investigative Newsroom has published numerous longform exposés on issues ranging from gender, health, politics, and the environment.
The African Centre for Media Excellence fills a critical gap between journalism schools and newsrooms, but earlier this year Ugandan authorities ordered it to shut down and it’s now fighting for its survival.
The 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC25) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, assembled more than 1,500 journalists from over 135 countries and territories to hold workshops, share best practices, and build a community increasingly confronting funding crises, disinformation campaigns, digital surveillance, and authoritarian threats. This project is a compendium of GIJN’s coverage of the conference.
This regional spotlight series examines the world’s largest and most populous continent, which is also the host of the 2025 Global Investigative Journalism Conference. Asia serves as a unique laboratory in the global media landscape, but journalists here face multifaceted challenges, from censorship to physical threats, digital surveillance to financial pressures. Despite this, watchdog reporters […]
Our third regional spotlight series examines the challenges facing our members and other outlets in the Middle East and North Africa, such as war, backsliding democracies, self-censorship, exile, surveillance and imprisonment of journalists, and the hostile legal environment — and why this reality on the ground makes investigative journalism there all the more essential.
Our second regional spotlight series examines the successes and challenges facing our members in Africa and others reporting from the continent. These articles tell the stories of growing journalistic collaboration, courage, and innovation in the face of repression, legal intimidation, lack of access to information, and even physical threats.
Online scams have become borderless threats that evolve rapidly in scale, sophistication, and impact. From fraudsters using the Internet to steal to phishing networks that engage in social engineering and trick individuals, scams are often backed by organized criminal groups that exploit weak law enforcement, jurisdictional loopholes, and digital anonymity.
In this free online workshop, GIJN will convene four experienced African journalists to discuss how to dig out information from repressive regimes and military dictatorships on the continent.
What innovative tools and techniques are shaping the future of data journalism? A special Lightning Round webinar with the 10 winners of the 2025 Sigma Awards, celebrating some of the world’s best data-driven investigations.
A webinar exploring how investigative journalists can document human rights abuses in war zones, with a focus on methods to ensure the information gathered can later be used by legal investigators or international courts.