Intensive digital forensics training for AIJC Masterclass fellows

The African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC) in collaboration with SKUP (the Association for a Critical and Investigative Press in Norway) and Bellingcat, an independent global investigative organisation, will host an intensive training course on the latest digital forensics and investigative journalism techniques.

Twenty-four masterclass participants were selected from over 900 applications received from print, online and broadcast media as well as investigative and fact checking organisations, and include award-winning investigative reporters, editors and trainers from 13 countries.

The masterclass will be conducted over three days immediately preceding the annual AIJC, scheduled for 30 October to 1 November 2024, hosted by the Wits Centre for Journalism in Johannesburg.

The sessions will introduce participants to cutting-edge investigative techniques in digital forensics, including OSINT tools, geolocation, chronolocation and other verification methods. Participants will also attend the conference, including more than 20 training sessions offered during the event.

The Bellingcat trainers are Youri van der Weide, Eman El-Sherbiny and Aiganysh Aidarbekova. Also present will be AIJC training coordinator Izak Minnaar, SKUP representatives Linn Thorkildsen and Krister Sørbø, as well as Benon Oluka, Maxime Domegni and Aissatou Fofana, Africa representatives of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN).

‘We received an impressive number of applications for the AIJC masterclass this year,’ says AIJC convenor, Beauregard Tromp. ‘Many of these were of an extremely high quality with the interest once again proving the considerable appetite African journalists have in raising their skill level and investigative ability.’

‘We’re fortunate to have the generous support of SKUP as a partner in this, and with the renowned expertise of Bellingcat, this has become a sought-after training for African journalists.’

Says WCJ Director Dr Dinesh Balliah, ‘A key component of the work of the WCJ is to help investigative journalists access training that is often out of their reach but critically important for their work’.

‘This is especially important in contexts where access to data is fraught with technical, economic and political obstructionism.

‘These masterclasses are just the start of what we hope to do during the course of the next year and are the tip of the iceberg of the ongoing retooling needed to stay ahead of the game.’

The 2024 masterclass fellows are:

• Ahmed Ashour (Egypt, Cairo), Investigative Editor – Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
• Aïsha Moyouzame (Cameroon, Yaounde), Investigative Reporter – i-30s
• Ajibola Amzat (South Africa, Stellenbosch), Editor – Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism
• Alyaa Abo Shahba (Egypt, Cairo), Investigative Reporter and Trainer – Freelance
• Blessing Oladunjoye (Nigeria, Lagos), Reporter – BONews Service
• Cece Siago (Kenya, Mombasa), Investigative Reporter – Nation Media Group
• Ejiro Umukoro (Nigeria, Abuja), Editor / Trainer – LightRay! Media
• Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi (Nigeria, Port Harcourt), Managing editor – The Colonist Report Africa
• Emma Black Kamara (Sierra Leone, Freetown), Reporter and Managing Director – STEAM Reporting Network
• Emmanuel K Dogbevi (Ghana, Accra), Investigative Reporter / Editor / Trainer – Ghana Business News
• Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh (Liberia, Monrovia), Assistant Editor – New Narratives
• Joy Kirigia (Kenya, Nairobi), Investigative Reporter / Producer – Africa Uncensored
• Joyce Bazira Kasagara (Tanzania, Dar es Salaam), Trainer – Women Writers Forum
• Kunle Adebajo (Nigeria, Abuja), Investigations Editor – HumAngle
• Lulu Brenda Harris (Zimbabwe, Bulawayo), Senior News Reporter – Center for Innovation and Technology
• Mariama Thiam (Senegal, Dakar), Country Rep – Dubawa / Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development
• Narcisse Lokwa Mbunzama (DRC, Kinshasa), Senior Investigative Researcher – Digital Security Group/Debunk
• Omar Abdisalan Aden (Somalia, Mogadishu), Reporter – Associated Press
• Patrick Mayoyo (Kenya, Mombasa), Investigative Editor – Eyewitness Media Group
• Peter Kum (Cameroon, Garoua), Editor – Alwihda Info / Cameroon-Info Net
• Pieter-Louis Myburgh (South Africa, Cape Town), Investigative Journalist – Daily Maverick
• Silas Jonathan (Nigeria, Abuja), Digital Investigations Manager – Dubawa/Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development
• Susan Comrie (South Africa, Cape Town), Investigative Journalist – AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism
• Tatenda Chitagu (Zimbabwe, Harare), Investigative Journalist – Freelance