Open-source intelligence, with Bellingcat's Giancarlo Fiorella
Learn how to use OSINT tools to investigate and tell stories rigourously and responsibly
As journalists strive to report accurately and hold power to account in an era of misinformation and digital complexity, open-source intelligence (OSINT) has become one of the most essential, and fast-evolving, skillsets in modern journalism.
From verifying images and videos to geolocating evidence and uncovering hidden connections online, OSINT offers journalists powerful tools to investigate stories rigorously and responsibly using publicly available data.
In this free, two-hour, online masterclass, we’ll explore how journalists can use OSINT techniques to strengthen investigations, expose falsehoods and add depth and credibility to their reporting.
Our speaker for this session is Giancarlo Fiorella, director of research and training at Bellingcat, the award-winning open-source investigative collective. Bellingcat began as an investigation into the use of weapons in the Syrian civil war. Its reports on the Russo-Ukrainian War (including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17), the El Junquito raid, the Yemeni Civil War, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and also of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, and the killing of civilians by the Cameroon Armed Forces have attracted international attention.
Giancarlo leads Bellingcat’s global training programmes, helping journalists and researchers use OSINT methods to uncover truth and verify digital evidence. He is also an assistant professor with the Global Justice Investigations Lab at Utrecht University.
This free masterclass on Wednesday 2nd December from 4pm to 6pm is brought to you by the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University. It’s open to anyone interested in journalism, investigations or digital verification. Attendees of this event will also be eligible to earn a digital “Open Badge“ from the University that they can use on their LinkedIn profiles. However registration is essential, as we’ll email joining instructions a few hours before the session begins.
Please note: this is an online-only event, delivered via Microsoft Teams. Once registered, you’ll receive the link and details a few hours before the masterclass begins.
REWIND: YouTube for Journalists
If you missed our Civic Journalism Lab masterclass on how journalists are using YouTube to tell their stories – and how we can do the same – you can watch an edited version of the masterclass by Tash Salmon of BBC News Socials on our YouTube channel here.
In fact, you’ll find all kinds of useful and thought-provoking content on our very own YouTube channel, from masterclasses on “Debunking Conspiracy Theories” and “Data Visualisation” to discussion panels on “Travel Journalism”, “Dealing with Online Abuse” and “True Crime Ethics”.
EARN A BADGE: Masterclass micro-credentials for LinkedIn
To reward you for attending our masterclasses, we’re excited to be able to offer you the opportunity to earn a digital “Open Badge” from the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University that you can display on your LinkedIn profile. To find out more about our blue, silver and gold badges, visit this page.
J-LAB PODCAST: Are you a subscriber yet?
Our guest on the latest episode of the J-Lab podcast is The i Paper’s chief football writer, Daniel Storey, who has just completed an extraordinary project: visiting and reporting from all 92 Premier and EFL (English Football League) clubs in a single season. Seventeen-thousand miles, 80 interviews and nearly 200,000 words later, he has produced a portrait of English football that’s as much about people and place as it is about goals. Listen here on SoundCloud or here on Apple Podcasts or here on Spotify for this latest in a series of episodes that explores the journalists and stories making the news today.
TELL US: What do you want?
We'd like to make the Civic Journalism Lab and its activities as relevant as possible to the needs and apsirations of professional, community and student journalists. So we've put together this very brief, 10-question survey. Give us just five minutes of your time, and we'll do our best to give you what you want and need.
AND FINALLY: Feel free to leave at any time
We're keen to continue building a valuable forum, resource and network in our north east corner of England (and beyond) for professional, community and student journalists, so we hope that our communications about Civic Journalism Lab events and activities are useful to you. However, if you'd prefer not to receive any more newsletters from us, please unsubscribe or update your subscription settings by clicking the unsubscribe link at the very, very bottom of this email. Thank you!
Bellingcat's investigatve work is incredible and their OSINT methodolgy has become essential for modern journalism. Great to see this being ofered as a free masterclass with credentials too.