A GLOBAL GATHERING FOR THE FUTURE OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

Known to be the world's largest international gathering of investigative journalists, this year's conference included several eye-opening sessions on various topics from crime and corruption to war crime reporting, environmental investigations, data journalism and new focus areas such as ethnographic journalism, AI tools, platforms for journalists in exile and so on

- By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe reporting from Kuala Lumpur

With over 150 sessions around sustainability, war crimes, AI, technology, climate, reporting from exile, crime and corruption, and with over 50 workshops on various topics, involving close to 400 speakers from nearly 100 countries and territories speaking and sharing their knowledge, plus over 1500 attendees, this year's conference was a resounding success

The 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC) co-hosted by the Global Investigative Journalism Network and Malaysiakini kicked off at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre with the participation of over 1500 attendees from 135 countries. Known to be the world's largest international gathering of investigative journalists, this year's conference included several eye-opening sessions on various topics from crime and corruption to war crime reporting environmental investigations, data journalism and new focus areas such as ethnographic journalism, AI tools, platforms for journalists in exile and so on.

A Call for Radical Collaboration

The keynote speaker for this year's event was Maria Ressa, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder of the pioneering investigative reporting outlet 'Rappler'. During her keynote speech, her key message for the investigative journalists community was to embrace 'radical collaboration' and use the crisis as an opportunity for impact and survival.

Drawing examples from her own personal experience of persecution in the Philippines, Ressa showed how her commitment to hold powerful actors accountable even amidst repression could lead to sustainable revenue and justice. Her presentation included the extent of online harassment she faced as a result of her investigative reporting.