Journalists from across Europe share their expertise at IJ4EU’s annual conference on cross-border investigative reporting.
From going undercover in the international porn industry to exposing the secrets of algorithms, investigative journalists left little to the imagination as they shared the tricks of their trade at IJ4EU UNCOVERED 2024.
In the industrial chic of a former furniture factory in Athens, hundreds of journalists explored the complexities of cross-border collaboration at the annual conference of the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme.
Taking place on September 25 and 26, the event brought together two communities: past and present IJ4EU grantees and international attendees of the iMEdD International Journalism Forum, which hosted UNCOVERED.
After two days of debates and workshops, UNCOVERED climaxed with a ceremony for winners of the IJ4EU Impact Awards, celebrating excellence in transnational investigative reporting.
Here are some highlights of the conference in pictures. Check out the full agenda and view and download more images in this photo gallery.
Welcome to UNCOVERED 2024. After guests arrive, some introductory remarks from Deniz Bozkurt, IJ4EU event manager at ECPMF; Timothy Large, director of independent media programmes at IPI; and Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou, managing director of iMEdD. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
Personal Journeys in Collaborative Journalism: We get up close and personal with three “serial grantees” who tell us what masochistic impulse keeps them coming back for more and more cross-border watchdog reporting. Left to right: IPI’s Timothy Large; Iliana Papangeli, managing director of Solomon; Italian freelance journalist Ludovica Jona; and Gian-Paolo Accardo, editor-in-chief of VoxEurop. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPIClimate Stories with a Twist: It’s not always easy to find fresh ways to investigate climate change, but here’s a chance to draw inspiration from journalists who have done just that. Left to right: Jelena Prtoric, a journalist at Arena for Journalism in Europe; Manuel Bivar, an investigative journalist at Divergente; Cush Rodríguez Moz, a journalist at Revista Late; Eve Tsirigotaki, a Greek journalist who specialises in science, technology and climate change; and freelance journalist Raluca Besliu. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
World of Pain: Together with an international team of journalists, The Examination and paper trail media revealed that Mundipharma, the international counterparts of Purdue Pharma — the US drugmaker widely blamed for fueling the opioid crisis through its aggressive marketing of highly addictive pain pills — is using some of the same tactics to sell the drugs worldwide. Frederik Obermaier (paper trail media/SPIEGEL/ZDF) and Madlen Davies (The Examination) describe how the team calculated Mundipharma’s profits, unveiled its use of mistruths to market addictive drugs and revealed the human cost of the crisis, which has received so much attention in the US but very little outside it. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
When Investigations Span Far-Flung Places: Clocking up thousands of air miles, the journalists on this panel have followed the threads of their European investigations to remote corners of the globe, from Sudan, Mali and Peru to pit stops along China’s Belt and Road Initiative. What did they learn along the way? Left to right: Zlatina Siderova, programme lead at EJC; freelance journalist Patricia Huon; Flavia Campeis, an investigative journalist at Revista Late; freelancer journalist Carol Isoux; environmental reporter Marta Montojo; and freelance journalist Ana Ćurić.Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
Decoding and Disarming Disinformation Against the Media: IPI’s Javier Luque takes a peek at the behind-the-scenes work of investigations that have uncovered the extent to which far-right networks use online and physical violence to intimidate and undermine journalists in countries like Spain, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, and Germany.Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
Data Out of Documents – Finding Patterns in the Periphery: When there’s little data to be found about the topic you’re investigating, we often turn to other methods to create it ourselves, by counting documents or patterns within them. Maybe these are police reports, medical records, emissions tracking, or school attendance rates. But how can you identify which documents exist and what you can do with them? Carolyn Thompson, a journalist and editor at the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), and Sotiris Sideris, data editor at CCIJ, reveal all.Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
Investigating in Exile: Uncovering Truths From Afar: What happens when you can no longer enter the country you’re investigating? Three journalists in exile in Europe share their experiences of uncovering the truth about authoritarian regimes, shady business deals and environmental crises in Azerbaijan, Syria, and Turkey. Left to right: Elena Rodina, coordinator of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium at ECPMF; Fatima Karimova, editor-in-chief of Mikroskop Media; Mohammad Bassiki, executive director of SIRAJ; and Metin Cihan. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
Defending Press Freedom: The Case of Europe: The fundamental right of press freedom should not be taken for granted, even in the so-called Western world. In Europe, where some countries rank highly in terms of press freedom, the situation is escalating and deteriorating in many others. Despite efforts, media capture, surveillance, harassment, and even physical threats against journalists remain a tangible reality, highlighting an alarming situation. Left to right: Anastasia Moumtzaki, senior producer at SNF Dialogues; ECPMF’s Elena Rodina; Julie Majerczak, representative to the EU, Reporters Without Borders; and IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
Inside the Machine: Investigating AI and Algorithms: From policing migration to cracking down on welfare, authorities are turning to artificial intelligence to decide the fate of vulnerable people. Yet such “decision machines” are notoriously opaque. How can investigative journalists reverse-engineer predictive algorithms and get under the bonnet of AI? Journalists from groundbreaking investigations reveal their secrets. Left to right: Daniel Howden, managing director of Lighthouse Reports; Greek investigative journalists Giorgos Christides; Spanish investigative journalist Pablo Jimenez; Italian investigative journalist Pierluigi Bizzini; and IPI’s Timothy Large. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
How to Go Undercover: Have you ever thought about joining the international porn industry? Or to buy the services of a human smuggler? No? Well, after this session you might consider it. IJ4EU grantees have gone undercover to unveil shady doings with serious effects on society. Experienced journalists will share their methods for going undercover, from securing evidence to ensuring personal safety. Bring your own ideas and questions and join us to gain invaluable insights into the art of undercover journalism. Left to right: Spanish-based freelance journalist Elena Ledda; Austrian journalist Nikolai Atefie; and Nikolia Apostolou; resource centre director at the Global Investigative Journalism Network. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
What Makes an Award-Winning Investigation? How do you win a prestigious journalism award like the European Press Prize or IJ4EU Impact Award? It starts with a great story – but there’s also an art to making your application shine. Take a tour of stunning projects that have won top honours at European awards. What makes them stand out? What can we learn from how they were presented? Left to right: Cristian Lupșa, chair of the European Press Prize Preparatory Committee; Frederik Obermaier, co-founder of paper trail media; Lucila Rodriguez-Alarcon, member of the European Press Prize Preparatory Committee; and Gabriela Manuli, deputy director of the Global Investigative Journalism Network. Photos by Tea Rissanen/IPI
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