🕵️Investigative Reporting Unit 14 – Digital Tools for Investigative Reporting

Key Concepts and Terminology

• Digital investigative reporting involves using technology and data to uncover stories and hold power accountable
• Open source intelligence (OSINT) refers to gathering information from publicly available sources online
• Data journalism combines traditional reporting with data analysis to find patterns and insights in large datasets
• Web scraping automates the process of extracting data from websites using code (Python, R)
• Metadata is data that describes other data, such as the creation date, author, and location of a digital file
• Data cleaning involves identifying and correcting errors, inconsistencies, and missing values in a dataset
• Data visualization communicates insights from data through charts, graphs, and interactive displays
• Encryption secures sensitive information by converting it into a code that requires a key to decrypt

Digital Research Techniques

• Advanced search operators (filetype:, site:, inurl:) help narrow down results when searching online
• Reverse image search can identify the original source and context of an image found online
• Social media monitoring tracks mentions, sentiment, and trends related to a topic or individual across platforms
• Wayback Machine archives past versions of websites, useful for tracking changes over time
• Geolocation uses clues in images or videos (landmarks, weather, shadows) to determine where they were captured
• LinkedIn provides professional background information and connections for individuals and organizations
• Domain registration records (WHOIS) can reveal who owns a website and their contact details
• Google Alerts send notifications when new content matching specific keywords appears online

Data Collection and Analysis Tools

• Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets) organize and analyze structured data using formulas and functions
• Databases (SQL, MongoDB) store and query large datasets, often used for data-driven investigations
• Python is a programming language with libraries for data manipulation (pandas), web scraping (BeautifulSoup), and machine learning (scikit-learn)
• R is a statistical programming language used for data analysis, visualization, and predictive modeling
• Tabula extracts tables from PDF documents into a machine-readable format for analysis
• OpenRefine cleans and transforms messy data, such as standardizing inconsistent names or splitting columns
• Gephi is a network analysis tool for exploring relationships and patterns in connected data
• Datawrapper creates interactive charts, maps, and tables for embedding in web articles

Online Verification Methods

• Reverse image search engines (TinEye, Google Images) can help verify the origin and authenticity of photos
• YouTube DataViewer provides metadata for videos, including upload date and thumbnail images
• FotoForensics uses error level analysis (ELA) to detect potential manipulation in digital images
• InVID browser extension helps assess the credibility of videos by extracting keyframes and metadata
• Geolocation techniques confirm where an image or video was captured based on visual clues and satellite imagery
  • Examining landmarks, street signs, and business names can narrow down the location
  • Sun position and shadows indicate the time of day and direction the camera is facing
  • Weather conditions and vegetation provide clues about the season and climate
• Crowdsourcing invites the public to contribute information or analysis, tapping into collective knowledge
• Contacting primary sources directly can help corroborate details or gather additional context

Digital Security and Source Protection

• Secure communication channels (Signal, ProtonMail) protect sensitive conversations with sources
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification (code, biometric) to log in
• Virtual private networks (VPNs) encrypt internet traffic and mask the user's IP address and location
• Tor browser anonymizes web browsing by routing traffic through multiple servers to obscure the user's identity
• Disk encryption (BitLocker, FileVault) protects data stored on computers or external drives in case of theft
• Secure file sharing services (SecureDrop, OnionShare) allow sources to anonymously submit documents or tips
• Air-gapped computers are physically isolated from networks to protect against hacking or surveillance
• Threat modeling assesses potential risks and vulnerabilities based on the sensitivity of an investigation

Visualization and Presentation Software

• Tableau creates interactive dashboards and data visualizations that allow users to explore patterns and relationships
• ArcGIS is a mapping and spatial analysis tool for visualizing geographic data and creating custom maps
• D3.js is a JavaScript library for building dynamic, interactive data visualizations for the web
• Infogram designs engaging infographics, charts, and reports with templates and drag-and-drop tools
• TimelineJS builds interactive, visually rich timelines for storytelling and presenting chronological information
• Flourish offers a wide variety of customizable, animated data visualization templates
• Mapbox provides tools for creating custom, interactive maps with multiple layers and data sources
• Observable is a platform for creating and sharing data visualizations, analysis, and interactive notebooks using JavaScript and D3

Ethical Considerations in Digital Investigations

• Verifying information and sources is crucial to avoid spreading misinformation or damaging reputations
• Protecting privacy of individuals, especially vulnerable populations, when collecting and presenting data
• Obtaining informed consent from sources and subjects, clearly explaining potential risks and implications
• Minimizing harm to communities and individuals affected by the investigation or its findings
• Ensuring accuracy and context when interpreting and communicating data to avoid misleading conclusions
• Disclosing potential biases, limitations, and conflicts of interest related to the investigation or data sources
• Securing sensitive data and documents to prevent unauthorized access, leaks, or hacking attempts
• Consulting with legal and ethics experts to navigate complex issues and potential consequences of the investigation

Practical Applications and Case Studies

• Panama Papers investigation used data analysis and collaborative reporting to expose offshore tax havens and financial secrecy
• Bellingcat's open source investigations uncovered evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses in Syria and Ukraine
• ProPublica's "Machine Bias" series revealed racial disparities in algorithmic decision-making systems, such as criminal risk assessment tools
• The Guardian's "The Counted" project tracked and visualized data on people killed by police in the United States
• BBC Africa Eye's "Anatomy of a Killing" investigation used geolocation and crowdsourcing to identify perpetrators of an extrajudicial killing in Cameroon
• The Washington Post's "Fatal Force" database collects and analyzes data on police shootings in the US, revealing patterns and trends
• ICIJ's "Implant Files" investigation uncovered safety issues and lax regulation in the medical device industry using data from multiple countries
• BuzzFeed News' "Spy Plane" investigation used flight tracking data and satellite imagery to reveal secret US surveillance flights over American cities