2014 Agenda

Agenda of the Fourth BIRN Summer School, with all scheduled activities and lecturers.

BIRN Summer School
August 24 – 30, 2014

Arrival: Sunday, August 24, 2014
Venue:  Hotel Tara, Becici, Montenegro

21:00 Welcome and Introductory Dinner – Lead trainer Paul Lewis, Washington correspondent for the Guardian, Christian Spahr director for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Media Program South East Europe and Gordana Igric, BIRN Regional Director.

Monday, 25 August

DAY 1: Thinking like an investigative reporter/ Investigative mind set

  • 9:00 - 9:30 

    Opening and Introduction and Overview of The Training Programme  - lead trainer Paul Lewis Introduction of trainers and participants; Presenting training agenda; What participants should expect and what is expected of them

  • 9:30 – 11:00 

    How should investigative reporters think? – lead trainer Paul LewisThis session will use the case study of an investigation into surveillance cameras to focus on the importance of asking the right questions.

  • 11: 00 - 11:15

    Coffee
  • 11:15 – 11:45 

    Case study: Presentation of Summer School Investigative Fund story

  • 11:45 – 13.15 

    Online profile: Using the Web to search for data – Marcus Lindemann Finding information online by linking real names to online identities; Looking for hidden information in documents; Using social media to find private information

  • 13:15 – 15:00 

    Lunch

  • 15:00 – 16:30 

    How to investigate high-ranking politicians - Miranda Patrucic Case study : Unholy Alliances

  • 16:45 – 18:15 

    Panel debate: Challenges of tackling corruption within the defence and security sector in the Western Balkans 

    Alberto Bin, Ph.D., Director, Integration, Partnership and Cooperation NATO HQ, Dina Bajramspahic, Institute Alternative, Katarina Djokic, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and representative from Croatia. Moderator: Ana Petruseva 

  • 18:15 -20:00 

    Time to discuss story ideas and free time

  • 20:00 

    Dinner at Hotel

Tuesday, 26 August

DAY 2: Following the Paper Trail

  • 9:00 – 10:30 

    Thinking about Data in a Digital Age – Paul LewisThis session will will run through how we reported and then investigated the England riots, thinking inventively about sources of data as we went.

    Case study: Reading the Riots

  • 10:30 – 11:00 

    Coffee

  • 11:00 – 12:00 

    Using Freedom of Information Laws in Europe – Helen Darbishire,  Access Info EuropePractical work and examples

  • 12: 00 – 13:30 

    Using public records: Tracking companies - Paul Radu, OCCRP and Investigative DashboardOffshore companies are not always based on tropical islands; think Austria, Delaware, US, and London. How to uncover the secrets held in tax havens?

  • 13:30 - 15:00 

    Lunch

  • 15:00 - 16:30 

    How to protect data and sources / How to handle sources - Miranda Patrucic
    Investigative journalists need to take care of sources and data more than they think

  • 16:30 - 16:45Coffee
  • 16:45-18:15 

    Online strategies: Going beyond Google's advanced search – Marcus Lindemann Working to find solutions for unsolved web searches; How to build search macros and customize Google into one's own search engine. The seminar will also cover how to save and organise information found online

  • 18:15 – 18:45 

    Visualisation scenarios: How to convey complex investigations through simple visualisations - Paul Radu

  • 19:00 

    Participants work on story ideas within the group

  • 20:00 

    Dinner at Hotel

Wednesday, 27 August

DAY 3: Investigative interview

  • 9:30 - 11:00 

    Cultivating Sources and Making People Talk - Paul LewisThis session will use a two-year investigation into undercover policing to get participants thinking about source-cultivation. There will be role-play.

  • 11:00 – 11:30 

    Coffee

  • 11:30 – 13:00 

    Corruption files: Fifa and the Qatar 2022 World Cup - Heidi BlakeHow to investigate corruption inside important organisations

  • 13:00 – 15:00 

    Lunch

  • 16:30 - 16:45 

    Coffee

  • 16:45 – 18:15 

    Online strategies: Finding traces online and introduction to Excel – Marcus Lindemann Where to pick up and follow traces. How to monitor websites (and the web) and access sites that have been deleted or changed; Examine data by using simple functions in Excel; Help participants work on strategies for their research

  • 20:00 

    Dinner at Hotel

Thursday, 28 August

DAY 4

  • 9:30 - 11:00 

    Social Media and Crowdsourced Investigations; Ian Tomlinson to Jimmy Mubenga   - Paul LewisHow can reporters exploit the emerging world of collaborative reporting? This session will reveal the possibilities afforded by social media - particularly Twitter - for investigative journalism.

    Case studies: Ian Tomlinson and Jimmy Mubenga

  • 11:00 - 11:30 

    Coffee

  • 13:00 - 15:00 

    Lunch

  • 15:00 – 16:30 

    Investigative documentaries: How to do investigation for film and TV  - Meirion Jones, BBC

  • 16:30 – 16:45 

    Coffee

  • 16:45 – 18:00 

    Session continues TV documentary

  • 18:00 – 19:00 

    Participants divide into groups to discuss story ideas with editor

  • 20:00  

    Dinner at Hotel

Friday, 29 August

DAY 5: Workshops

  • 9:30 – 10:30 

    Cross boarder investigation in the Balkans - Lawrence Marzouk, BIRN editor

  • 10:30 - 14:00 Workshop: Story Proposals

    Groups present their story ideas; participants critique and discuss the story proposals in terms of: relevance, significance, feasibility, methodological rigour and public interest.

  • 14:00 – 15:00Lunch
  • 15:00 – 20:00Free time/Field trip
  • 20:00 - 23:00 

    Farewell dinner and award ceremony with Paul Lewis, lead trainer, Christian Spahr, director of Media Program South East Europe of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Gordana Igric, BIRN Regional Director.