Using Open Source Information and User-Generated Content (USG) in Investigative Reporting is crucial to find out who is behind wrong-doing. In this session, Gavin Sheridan, one of the key verification trainers in the world and Christoph Koettl, one of the authors of the Verification Handbooks and the driving force in dealing with USG at Amnesty International, will take you through the latest manual on fact-checking for “accountability journalism”. They will be assisted by Hamoud Almahmoud, ARIJ’s senior researcher, who authored a chapter for this manual on how to find Arab companies using different spellings. The trainers will offer practical tips on how to use the latest tools and techniques to verify misleading content on social media. This is the one course that every investigative reporter must take.

Trainers

Christoph Koettl

One of the authors of the Verification Handbook(s) and the driving force in dealing with UGC verification at Amnesty International. ...

Gavin Sheridan

Gavin Sheridan is an investigative journalist, access to information expert, and former Director of Innovation at Storyful. At Storyful he ...

Hamoud Almahmoud

Senior Researcher & Trainer

Ralf Anderssen, one of Denmark’s leading TV editors and media professors, takes you on a whirlwind tour of what it takes to write powerful video narrative, both a skill and an art. He examines that various video elements to take the viewer into your story. As one of the lead trainers on ARIJ’s advanced TV investigative skills workshop in June 2015, he will show some of the work of his trainees and discuss challenges and decisions they had to deal with. This workshop is specifically important for print journalists who would like to understand how their Tv peers operate.

Trainers

Ralf Andersson

one of Denmark’s leading TV editors and media professors

In today’s faster pace of war and conflict comes faster news, and sometimes faster injury and death. In this session, led by Joel Whittaker from the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI), helps you prepare/plan for working in situations of conflict and turmoil, tells you how to assess the threat and how to engage in risk management as investigative reporters. This session is specifically important to journalists working in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen.

Trainers

Joel Whittaker

Joel is a skilled risk management consultant who now delivers risk management training to media organisations globally. He brings to ...

You've done the tough investigation, the hard interviews, the tremendous digging. You’ve taken risks and want to make waves. But don't ruin it by publishing your research, by simply laying out your facts. You have to tell a story, not a scoop. This course looks at writing, character development, focus and story structure so that you can turn your investigation into a great tale that will grip readers and viewers. The instructor is Julian Sher, the Senior Producer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s premier investigative program the fifth estate and the author of six books.

Trainers

Julian Sher

ulian Sher is an award-winning investigative journalist in TV, print, radio and on the Web. He is the Senior Producer of ...

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session: Overcrowded pre-trial detention centers by ( Mohammad Tareq: Forging identity cards (Sameh Laboudi- freelance: Electricity Companies turn into death traps (Hazem Diab-Alwatan) ; Judicial titles for sale by Seham El Basha and Ahmad Jamal Aldeen, Youm7

Moderators

Emad Omar

ARIJ coach in Egypt and Chief editor of Aswat Masriyah Website

 ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session. The plight of women and children at Sharia courts by Islam Zeini (Life on Hold) and Sexual enhancers for sale by (Jadahfasi -  Alwasat albahraini)

Moderators

Ghassan Shehabi

ARIJ coach in Bahrain

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session:Jordan’s autistic children undergo unapproved oxygen therapy by Mosab Shawabkeh, Radio Al Balad, Sick children under mercy of medical law by Amin Al Otleh, Engineering offices circumvent regulations by Dania Abou Foudeh, Palestinian refugees from Syria trapped by fear, by Hanan Shattat, freelancer,  and Jordanians use fake Syrian passports to win asylum in west, by Hanan Kiswani, Al Ghad newspaper.

Moderators

Youcef Boufidjeline

Sisdel M. Wold, one of Norway’s most courageous TV correspondents, shares tools of the trade on how to put together strong, compelling and audience-captivating television features. A must for ARIJEANS focusing on TV and interested in jazzing up their daily reporting skills.

Speakers

Sisdel M. World

most famous reporter in Norway on the MENA region” reporter/foreign correspondent for Norwegian Broadcasting – NRK – TV, radio and ...

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session. Legalized child rape, by Hacene Ayadi, LeMaghreb newspaper,  Torture continues in Tunisian jails and police centers by Meriam Nesri (Hakaek Online), Physically handicapped with no rights, by state-run Radio reporters Karima Marwani and Samira Saee and life with no identity papers by Najwa Hamami (Hiwar channel).

Moderators

Hanene Zbiss

Hanene Zbiss started her career 13 years ago. She is one of the first investigative journalists in Tunisia. She got ...

In this session, Sidsel M. Wold, top foreign correspondent of NRK TV, Radio and Web, discusses ethical issues that ARIJEANS must consider when reporting in areas of unrest, political and religious strife.

Speakers

Sisdel M. World

most famous reporter in Norway on the MENA region” reporter/foreign correspondent for Norwegian Broadcasting – NRK – TV, radio and ...

Protecting your email communication from prying eyes by encrypting them will allow you to securely communicate with your colleagues and sources. In this how-to session, our emails learn how easy it is to secure by using advanced PGP encryption software.

Trainers

Raed Neshiewat

a veteran information technology expert with over 14 years of experience. Holder of over a dozen technical certifications such ...

When you work with other journalists and team members on an investigative story, the need for collaboration arise. Google Drive provides you with a set of amazing collaboration tools that you can use to make your work environment productive and enjoyable to work! In this session, you will learn how to use these tools to maximize your benefits out of Google Drive.

Trainers

Ehab Alzalaky

Egyptian Journalist, works now as editor manager at Almasry Alyoum newspaper, which is one of the most successful ...

How do you avoid mistakes when you do an investigative report? The answer is a tough system for pre-publication quality control. In this session, Sweden's Nils Hanson, ARIJ board member and editor of the award-winning current affairs show “Uppdrag Granskning” on Swedish Television (SVT) will show you how to fact-check your work before it becomes public. Nils and his investigative team have developed a methodological approach to fact-checking and "bullet-proofing" investigative stories that is now being adopted in other newsrooms around the world. A must for all ARIJEANS who want to avoid becoming the target of investigations.

Speakers

Nils Hanson

ARIJ board member and editor of the award-winning current affairs show "Uppdrag Granskning" on Swedish Television (SVT), providing edge-cutting weekly ...

In this session, London-based Dr. Crofton Black, who is leading a project on CIA torture at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism' at City University,  will show journalists how to develop stories from US federal procurement data. Dr. Black, researcher, journalist and writer with extensive experience of complex investigations in the field of human rights abuses and counter-terrorism, will offer insights into  using this data  to look at which companies are being paid by the US government to provide services abroad. He will show what data is available, what it means and what tools can be used to analyse it. He will also look at the problems that can be encountered and ways round them.

Trainers

Crofton Black

Crofton Black is a researcher, journalist and writer with extensive experience of complex investigations in the field of human rights ...

Screening of ARIJ 2015, FilmWelcome note: Rana Sabbagh, ARIJ Executive Director,Farwell Note from Daoud Kuttab, outgoing ARIJ Chairman and Board Members Anders Jerichow, Walid Batrawi & Nils Hanson

An award-winning Investigative journalist, author and editor, Sheila Coronel was one of the most tenacious reporters in the Philippines transition from dictatorship to democracy. In 2006, she moved to New York to be the director of the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism in Columbia University. The petite, soft-spoken Coronel began her reporting career in 1982 -- four years before the fall of the dictatorship of Ferdinand  Marcos.

Moderators

Pia Thordsen

ARIJ board member and Danish TV reporter

Speakers

SHEILA S. CORONEL

SHEILA S. CORONEL is academic dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. She is concurrently also director ...

Enjoy popcorn and yummy Hallumi cheese sandwiches while watching some of ARIJ’s pioneering investigative films. Engage in a discussion with the first generation of ARIJ TV investigators and producers.

Moderators

Ahmed Soleiman

Senior multimedia editor at Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) in Amman, Jordan.

Gaby Makeen

Senior Multimedia Producer at Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) since January 2015.

Henrik Grunnet

IMS Advisor to ARIJ

In this hands-on workshop you will learn from the Arab icon of Tv investigative reporting how to deal with the keys to tough interviewing  to hold those in power accountable to their deeds. Yosri, former chief editor and presenter of ONTV’s prime time show “last talk”  will explain the vital ingredients of a “confrontation interview”, how to prepare for the day and what will decide the winner. The session will include practical exercises where delegates will interview under the supervision of Fouda

Trainers

Yosri Fouda

​Pioneer of Arab investigative journalism, Yosri Fouda took his ONTV flagship show, Akher Kalam (Last Word) off air last year ...

In this interactive session, Reginald Chua, Executive Editor, Editorial Operations, Data & Innovation at Thomson Reuters, will show you how to set up and operate excel sheets and use them as tools for powerful data visualization. Chia, with a 25-year career spanning five countries as a journalist and senior newsroom manager with a track record of innovation and a focus on the future of the industry, is part of senior editorial management team at Thomson Reuters leading a 3,000-person newsroom. He has built world-class data and computational journalism teams and oversees data journalism, graphics and data visualization, polling and financial communities among other responsibilities like conceiving and launching “Connected China”; a ground-breaking data-driven site/App that tracks power and relationships among China’s Elite.

Trainers

Reginald Chua

Executive Editor, Editorial Operations, Data & Innovation at Thomson Reuters

Dr. Mark Lee Hunter, lead author of the world-acclaimed ARIJ manual “Story-Based Inquiry” and the latest ARIJ curriculum for teaching IJ at Arab media faculties, discusses a systematic approach to the key issues of an investigation with a firm focus on the final result, the story. This approach is based on timelines and source maps, as discussed in “The Hidden Scenario”, a book he recently co-authored with Dutch media professor and investigative reporter Luuk Sengers. This workshop is a must for those who want to improve their writing techniques and do better storytelling.

Trainers

Mark Lee Hunter

Mark Lee Hunter divides his career has been divided between investigative journalism, scholarly research, training and consulting. He is ...

In this session, Yemen’s Nawal al-Maghafi, a London-based freelance producer and  journalist, who has completed scores of TV investigations, films and documentaries in war-torn Yemen and the region, shows you the ABC’s of pre-planning and risk assessment before you embark on your investigation. Using standards employed by international broadcasters like the BBC, she will explain how the risk assessment is a fundamental part of managing your project and is also a vital way to identify what harm could result from your activity or situation and what control measures are needed.

Trainers

Nawal Maghafi

Award-winning Yemeni filmmaker Nawal Al-Maghafi was the first journalist to enter Sadah and gain an exclusive interview with one of ...

Traditionally speaking, journalists have been expected to abstain from business, enforcing a so-called wall separating newsrooms from the business side of media companies. Yet, times are changing, and the wall has become porous after the Internet wreaked havoc on the news market, forcing news outlets to reconsider business structures. With journalists in abundance and few jobs available, trial and error has become a must for media companies and self-branding an important challenge for journalists. Europe is not exempt from this trend. In the Arab world, the situation is getting more difficult, as media has become part of the post “Arab Spring” political polarization and editors are more and more listening to the master’s voice at the expense of editorial independence and a disgruntled team. Censorship is the name of the game in every newsroom. The availability of long-term job contracts is decreasing, pressure from editors is increasing and the economic model of traditional media businesses is collapsing. Hence, journalists find it necessary to reinvent new aspects of journalism, placing more emphasis on self-promotion. In this session, we look at four pioneering initiatives toward promoting entrepreneurial journalism: David Schraven, Publisher, from Correctiv, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in the German-speaking world working to give citizens access to information and relying on charitable endowments and readership funding; and Lina Attalah, Chief Editor with MadaMasr, a Cairo-based news website that attempts to secure a house for a dislocated practice of journalism that did not survive in mainstream organizations due to their political and economic conditions; Lina Ejeilat, executive editor of 7iber.com, a website that produces in depth data journalism on topics that range from environment, gender, social justice and media freedoms and Chayma Mehdi, IT Lab Director, at the Tunis based Inkyfada website. Meet these colleagues at the intersection of entrepreneurial journalism and how to help empower journalists working in the service of the public.  

Moderators

Lara Ayoub

Lara Ayoub is a Digital Media Consultant currently at Ro’ya Television Corporation in Amman, Jordan where she established a dedicated ...

Speakers

Chaima Mehdi

IT Lab Director at the Tunis-based inkyfada website

David Schraven

Publisher, from Correctiv, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in the German-speaking world working to give citizens access to information and relying ...

Lina Attalah

Chief Editor with MadaMasr, a Cairo-based news website that attempts to secure a house for a dislocated practice of journalism ...

Lina Ejeilat

Executive editor of 7iber.com, a website that produces in depth data journalism on topics that range from environment, gender, social ...

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session: Desperate Syrians fake residency permits in Egypt, by Maria Zayed and Mohammed Salem; ISIS-run, regime-supervised and Kurdish-led educational curricula ruin future of Syrian students by Mahab Zaidan and Muhannad Hadi, Organ trade mushrooms in Syria during the war;  and The plight of Syrian couples in Turkey, by Ammar Izz.

Moderators

Hamad Othman

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session: Yemen’s dead with no graves, by Abdul Wali El Mathabi, Al Araby TV,  Medical Laboratories export AIDS Adel Abdelmoghni, AlWehdawi Website, Yemen, graveyard for illegal African migrants by Ali Salem, London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, and Yemen’s repeat street beggers by freelancer Mohammed Komani.

Moderators

Mohammad Alassadi

ARIJ board member

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session: In this session, Mohammed Rubei, Executive Director of the six-month-old Taqassi Network for Investigative Journalism in Iraq, introduces his team who have investigated corruption at housing schemes for Displaced Iraqis and ill-fated sewage treatment plants and Iraq’s Organs Trade by Assad Zalzali.

Moderators

Mayadah Dawood

Award-winning Iraqi investigative reporter and deputy director of Taqassi

ARIJEANS discuss their investigations and tools of the trade. You are encouraged to read/watch their investigations on www.arij.net before coming to this session: “Adulterated Diesel; curse of car owners” by Firas Taweel, Ajjyal Radio,  freelancer  Lawziyah Bazzar “Palestinian salons turn into beauty distortion practices, “Hydro Drug: Lawful death” by Kareem Asakreh and (please insert name), Maan TV

Moderators

Walid Nassar

Chief Editor, Ajyal Radio and ARIJ coach in Palestine

ARIJ cooperated with the International Consortium for Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) in pursuing the Swissleaks. Four journalists, Mohammed Rjoub, Ajyal Radio in Palestine, investigated how NGO’s used legal loopholes to deposit funds in private accounts abroad, Algeria’s Ilyas Hallas followed practices of Algerian Businessmen, Hisham Allam tracked the wealth of(Rashid Mohammad Rashid) in Egypt, Bahija Belmabrouk followed the tax-breaking practices of Belhasan  Trabulsi, the brother in law of deposed president ben Ali .

Moderators

Hamoud Almahmoud

ARIJ’s senior researcher/Trainer

When you work with other journalists and team members on an investigative story, the need for collaboration arise. Google Drive provides you with a set of amazing collaboration tools that you can use to make your work environment productive and enjoyable to work! In this session,Runa Sandvik will teach you how to use these tools to maximize the  benefits of Google Drive.

Speakers

Runa Sandvik

Runa A. Sandvik is a privacy and security researcher, working at the intersection of technology, law and policy. She teaches digital security ...

Enjoy popcorn and yummy Hallumi cheeze sandwiches while watching some of ARIJ’s pioneering investigative films. Engage in a discussion with the first generation of ARIJ TV investigators and producers.

Moderators

Ahmed Soleiman

Senior multimedia editor at Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) in Amman, Jordan.

Gaby Makeen

Senior Multimedia Producer at Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) since January 2015.

Henrik Grunnet

IMS Advisor to ARIJ

In this session, Tony Stark, independent documentaries producer for the BBC and other international broadcasters will outline the key things you need to know to take your journalistic skills into the video world.  He’ll explain the importance of a collaborative approach; show you how to write a strong treatment for an investigative video that can win the hearts and minds of your editors; explain the production process from start to finish; and demonstrate what is a meant by a video narrative.

Trainers

Tony Stark

Tony Stark has 25 years’ experience of commissioning, executive producing and making high profile broadcast documentaries for the BBC, Channel ...

In this hands-on session, Norway’s Runa Sundvik, a security researcher focusing on technology, law and policy, will teach you how to safely communicate with the people around you and help you become more comfortable using digital security tools. Sandvik, who teaches digital security to journalists and technical advisor to Freedom of the Press Foundation, will show you how to securely chat, call and send messages and how to create strong passwords and secure the information on your computer and external devices.

Trainers

Reginald Chua

Executive Editor, Editorial Operations, Data & Innovation at Thomson Reuters

In panel discussion with leading media professionals and Arab experts on media law and ethics, moderator Rula Amin, former correspondent for Middle East correspondent for CNN and Al Jazeera English, examines the compatibility of today’s regional media scene with accountability journalism. She will look at how anti-terror laws, ownership structures and economics of the media business, as well as skyrocketing censorship, lack of access to information and growing lack of impunity is affecting the work of ARIJEANS.

Moderators

Rula Al Amin

Former Middle East correspondent for CNN and Al Jazeera English

Speakers

Hamzah Belloumi

leading presenter at El Hiwar Tunis TV

Hazem El Amin

ARIJ coach and head of the features page at the PanArab newspaper Alhayat.

Hossam Bahjat

journalist at MadaMasr a Cairo-based news website

Mohammad Fadel Obeidly

Independent columnist, Bahrain

Yehia Shukkeir

Jordan-based expert on media law and ethics

In this session, a group of ARIJEANS from Yemen and Syria working in conditions of war, civil strife and rule of non-state actors describe how it impacts their work and physical safety. These colleagues will also share tips on how  to protect professional integrity while remaining physically safe.

Moderators

Hazem Ameen

ARIJ coach and head of the features page at the PanArab newspaper Alhayat.

In this session, commissioning editors from four international TV stations tell ARIJEANS what it takes to pitch story ideas that work, what to avoid and what themes in the Middle East interest them most. The session is a must for ARIJEANS focusing on TV journalism.  

Moderators

Karma Khayyat

Deputy chairman Al Jadeed TV, Beirut

Trainers

Diarmuid Jeffreys

is an award-winning journalist and television producer with 30 years industry experience working for broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, PBS ...

Marc Perkins

Marc Perkins is currently the Documentaries Editor for BBC Arabic TV. He looks after An Korb (Close up) the award-winning ...

Mustafa Khalili

Multimedia news editor at Guardian News & Media

Walid Al-Bast

Senior Planner, Arabic Desk (New Department) at DW Arabic ...

In this round-table discussion, Russian investigative reporters discuss with ARIJEANS how to engage in cross-border investigations ranging from money-laundering and Moscow’s role in fighting ISIS in Syria as well as exporting nuclear technology to the Arab World.

Moderators

Hamoud Almahmoud

ARIJ’s senior researcher/Trainer

Educational and scientific research organizations are often considered worthy institutions that can do no wrong. But they are as susceptible to corruption, mismanagement, nepotism, and fraud as any other civic institution and are worthy of investigative reporters' time.In this session,   veteran editor and reporter  David Wheeler and his colleague Rasha Faek of Al-Fanar Media, a publication that reports on higher education in all 22 Arab countries and which depends on freelancers, will talk about some of the investigative stories that can be done in education and research and how to go about reporting them. (See “Arab Universities Must Admit the Cost of Corruption”)

Speakers

David Wheeler

For more than 25 years, David Wheeler worked as a science writer, international editor, and managing editor at the Chronicle ...

Use VeraCrypt software to encrypt your laptop and files with a very strong encryption that is nearly impossible to break. In this session, you will learn how encryption works and how to use the VeraCrypt software. You will leave this session equipped with a strong weapon for protecting your computer files.

Trainers

Thamer Al Awayaishe

Smartphones are becoming a necessary tool of the trade. Learn about amazing apps for both Android and iOS phones that can help you with your work as an investigative journalist. In this session, we will showcase some of the most popular, most useful journalists smartphone apps that you can download immediately and begin using.

Trainers

Mohammed Al Sayyed

Mohamed Mostafa has more than 15 years of experience in the field of information technology, Established NOORALEX company at Sep ...

Australia-based Dr. Saba Bebawi, author of a book on Arab Investigative Journalism, shares her work and assesses how ARIJ is impacting “accountability reporting” in the region ARIJ Executive Director Rana Sabbagh outlines ARIJ Strategy for future 2016-2020 Hamoud Al Mahmoud, ARIJ’s new Managing Editor introduces his team and the latest addition to our network: The MENA Research & Data Desk. Delegates are encouraged to submit recommendations to the new ARIJ Board of Directors and tell us where you would like to see ARIJ go in the future. Your suggestions will be discussed at the first (bi-annual) meeting of the new Board of Directors

Speakers

Saba Bebawi

Dr Saba Bebawi is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Technology Sydney. She is author of ‘Investigative ...