Agenda of the Seventh BIRN Summer School, with scheduled activities and lecturers.
BIRN Summer School
August 21-27, 2016
Arrival: Sunday, August 21, 2016
Venue: Hotel City Garden, Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
21:00 Welcome and introductory dinner – Lead trainer Blake Morrison, investigative projects editor at Reuters, Christian Spahr, director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Media Program South East Europe and Dr. Karsten Dümmel, Director, KAS Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo
Monday, 22 August
DAY 1: Web Skills for Professionals
- 9:00 - 9:45
Opening and introduction with outline of the training programme – Blake Morrison, investigative editor at Thomson Reuters
Introduction of the trainers and participants; presentation of the training agenda; what participants should expect and what is expected of them
- 9:45 – 11:00
The burden of proof: an interactive exercise exploring the difference between supposition and proof – Blake Morrison, lead trainer
- 11:00 – 11:15
Coffee
- 11:15 - 12:15
The burden of proof: an interactive exercise exploring the difference between supposition and proof (continued) – Blake Morrison
- 12:20 – 13:20
Intro to Data Journalism I - Crina Boros
What's the easiest analysis tool to get you started on data journalism? We'll introduce you to interviewing datasets with basic Excel functions in a fun and interactive workshop. Get ready to search for potential sources and dubious employment practices using the simplest data. Bring your suspicious mind to class. Software: PCs - Excel 2007 or more recent; MACs: Excel 2016; or Office 365 version.
- 13:20 – 14:20
Lunch
- 14:30 - 15:50
Intro to Data Journalism II – Crina Boros
Building on the first class, we'll look for patterns in data, as well as clean away digital dirt and curate datasets using sorting and filtering. We'll clean and interview tabular information combining spreadsheet tools and your critical sense for what makes a good story. Bring your laptop and a spreadsheet. Software: PCs - Excel 2007 or more recent; MACs: Excel 2016; or Office 365 version. - 15:50 – 16:10
Coffee
- 16:10 - 17:30
Option 1: Practical session with Blake Morrison
- 16:10 - 17:30
Option 2: Practical session with Martin Kaiser
- 20:00
Dinner at hotel
Tuesday, 23 August
DAY 2: Social Media for Investigators
- 9:00 - 10:30
Imagining the story – Blake Morrison, lead trainer
Ways to think grandly about your project and make it everything it can be and more
- 10:30 - 11:00
Coffee
- 11:00 – 12:30
Data lab - Crina Boros
Bring your data questions!
- 13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
- 14:00- 15:30
The Khadija Project – Miranda Patrucic
Tips on how to follow the money, provide sources and security, and how to investigate in foreign countries
- 15:30 - 15:45
Coffee
- 15:45 - 16:45
Practical sessions with trainers
- 17:00 - 19:00
Investigative Search Tools – Paul Myers
Renowned British investigative research specialist, Paul Myers, presents his favourite, obscure technical sites, tools and techniques. Learn how to trace cell phones and Skype connections. Look behind the scenes of websites and their servers. See how to grab an IP address from someone you are investigating.
- 20:00
Dinner at hotel
Wednesday, 24 August
DAY 3: Advanced Interviewing Techniques and Sourcing
- 9:30 - 11:30
Facebook secrets – Paul Myers
UK Investigative research specialist, Paul Myers, takes you through the side streets and secret doorways of the world’s favourite social network. Learn how to trace owners of cell phones and email addresses using the Facebook. See how doctoring web addresses can get you more information than you dreamed was possible.
- 11:30 – 12:00
Coffee
- 12:00 – 13:30
The Art of the Interview - Blake Morrison
How to envision the interview and get different types of sources to work with you, even when those sources may be initially unwilling
- 13:30 – 14:30
Lunch
- 14:30 - 16:00
The Art of Source Development- Jim Mintz
Each investigative story must go deeply inside a secret world that's like a maze. Real sources don't provide quotes; they guide you into the secret-world’s maze. Jim will advise you on how to develop these great sources.
- 16.00 - 16.15
Coffee
- 16:15 - 17:45
Option 1: Practical session with Miranda Patrucic
- 16:15 - 17:45
Option 2: Practical session with Jim Mintz
Jim will ask each student to describe how they plan to penetrate the secret world surrounding their story; workshop: how to go develop sources to go deeper.
- 16:15 - 17:45
Option 3: Practical session with Martin Kaiser
- 20:00
Dinner at hotel
Thursday, 25 August
DAY 4: How to Scale Up an Investigation
- 9:00 - 10:30
Pitching your idea: how to sell it without overpromising and conceiving and organising an investigative project - Blake Morrison
- 10:30 - 10:45
Coffee
- 10:45 - 12:15
Regional investigative projects – Lawrence Marzouk
Case study: Making a Killing: The 1.2 Billion Euro Arms Pipeline to Middle East - BIRN/OCCRP
- 12:15 - 13:00
Lunch
- 13:00 – 15:00
Regional history: visit to Tito's Nuclear Bunker
- 15:15 – 17:00
Panama Papers investigations – Miranda Patrucic
A unique inside look at the offshore industry - everything you wanted to know about the Panama Papers - 17:00 - 17:15
Coffee
- 17:15 - 18:45
Master Class session on investigative reporting - Martin Kaiser
- 20:00
Dinner at hotel
Friday, 26 August
DAY 5: Master Class and presentations
- 9:30 - 11:00
Master Class session on investigative reporting - Martin Kaiser - 11: 15 – 13:00
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
- 13:00 – 13:30
Lunch
- 14:00 – 19:00
Field trip, rafting on the Neretva river
- 21:00 - 23:00
Farewell dinner and award ceremony
Saturday, 27 August
DAY 6
- 10:00
Departures