NR25

The article “Ukraine Invaded Russia. Here’s What It Was Like for Civilians.” in the New York Times provided the most detailed account to-date of the human toll of the first invasion of Russian territory since World War II. The journalists interviewed nearly 20 Russian civilians and reviewed videos posted by Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, as well as photographs and satellite imagery to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region of Russia.
Reporting has shown that Kursk civilians have been targeted in the fighting, a potential war crime.

Covering the Kursk incursion has been unusually challenging, because both sides of the conflict have reasons to downplay the human cost of the incursion, which has thrust Ukraine into an unexpected role of an occupier for the first time in its history. Cellphone towers have been destroyed, making it hard to reach residents. The region is largely closed to independent reporters, and civilians affected by the fighting have been reluctant to speak for fear of breaking Russia’s draconian information laws or angering Ukrainian occupying forces.

In a presentation, NYT foreign correspondent Anatoly Kurmanaev and freelance investigative journalist Ekaterina Bodyagina would share their strategies for covering a conflict when physical access is blocked and neither side has an incentive to cooperate.

For many observers, the fall of Assad came as a surprise—and with it, the unexpected opportunity to once again conduct investigations in a country that had long seemed inaccessible due to dictatorship and civil war. Yet much remains to be uncovered and reported. But how feasible is that in reality? What (new) limits to transparency are imposed by the new rulers, who themselves face accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity?

Anna Osius, Cairo bureau chief for ARD, was one of the first Western journalists to travel to Damascus after the regime's fall, reporting from places like the notorious Sednaya torture prison.
Syrian activist and lawyer Mariana Karkoutly has spent years pursuing accountability for human rights violations and fighting for justice—an arduous task, also in the "new" Syria.

The first impression matters - especially when you’re trying to turn a stranger into a new source. You have about one minute or one paragraph before the possible source decides if they hang up, slam the door, ghost your email or if they open the door to a first conversation with you. This workshop trains concrete methods on how to begin the cold approach, and how the first minute can rethink the investigative reporter's overall strategy.

Three years ago, the biggest media company in Latin America (Televisa) wanted a new investigative team for its television channels – from scratch.
Iñigo Vera Arredondo joined the company to do exactly that. He hired 25 journalists and helped them to transition successfully from newspapers and digital media to produce award-winning investigative journalism for television.

Arredondo will talk about the journey of his team and about specific challenges to his reporting in Mexico, including specific examples from their work on the environmental crisis, on weapon smuggling and organised crime.