News

12 Must-Read Cybersecurity Tips for Newsrooms Across the Globe

New digital newsrooms that rely almost entirely on the internet to work need to bulletproof not only their stories, but also their entire information system, including how information is stored, processed or exchanged via electronic means.

Technological attacks against websites, editorial servers and investigative journalists' personal accounts are on the rise.

Five Essential Research Tips for Journalists Using Google

In the age of digital journalism, advanced online search techniques are becoming requisite skills for successful careers in journalism. With hundreds of millions of sites indexed, Google is undoubtedly the most powerful search engine, but it’s easy to miss out on a lot of that power if we don't know the best techniques for asking questions. Although Google will almost always have answers, the goal is to find the relevant ones.

Fortunately, there are a number of search techniques that journalists (and researchers in general) can use to dramatically improve search results.

Tanzanian Journalists Connect to Audiences With WhatsApp

In August of last year, Orton Kiishweko, a reporter with Tanzania’s Daily News, stumbled upon a story making the rounds on WhatsApp, the mobile messaging app.

“I read from a WhatsApp group that some Muslim Tanzanian clerics had been kidnapped by rebels in Eastern Congo and were demanding ransom,” Kiishweko recalls.

A bit of Googling corroborated the initial reports. But details were sketchy.

ICFJ Knight Fellows Showcase 10 Free Open Source Investigative Tools for Journalists

The ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellows create a culture of news innovation and experimentation worldwide to deepen coverage, expand news delivery and engage citizens in the editorial process.

Data Journalism Academy Alum Defends Uses of Spreadsheets in Journalism

Dear fellow journalists,

I write to you with concern, as it has come to my attention that many, if not most of you dread working with spreadsheets.

I understand this fear. Journalists tend to come from arts or politics backgrounds, and so have never needed to interact with a computerized accounting tool.

Working on a spreadsheet might seem daunting, but how is this different from word processing? Back in the days before PCs, words were not processed but crafted.

ICFJ Knight Roundup: Fellows, ANCIR Staff to Highlight Tools at IRE Conference

_As part of the Knight International Media Innovators blog, the ICFJ Knight team will round up stories focused on how their fellows are making an impact in the field.

Inside The Hindustan Times' Reinvention From Print to Digital

Over the past year, the Hindustan Times, one of India's most venerated print media outlets, has transformed itself into a model for innovative digital storytelling in the country by bringing together journalists, technologists and product strategists in its newsroom.

HT has shifted its culture away from "an environment that's mostly concerned with getting tomorrow's newspaper out," said Chief Content Officer Nic Dawes.

ICFJ Knight Roundup: Webinar to Discuss Panama Papers' Cross-Border Impact

_As part of the Knight International Media Innovators blog, the ICFJ Knight team will round up stories focused on how their fellows are making an impact in the field.

ICFJ Knight Fellows' Projects Democratize Information, News Across Africa

The spread of mobile phones and connectivity across Africa offers opportunities and challenges for the way citizens discover and use information. If people have the skills and knowledge to harness them, open data and new technologies hold the keys to the media’s future.

Code for Africa is the continent’s largest network of civic technology and open data labs. We work with media partners to create actionable information for citizens that helps them in their daily lives.

ICFJ Knight Roundup: ANCIR Reports Receive Overseas Press Club of America Honors

_As part of the Knight International Media Innovators blog, the ICFJ Knight team will round up stories focused on how their fellows are making an impact in the field.