GIJC21 Sessions

Nearly all of Asia — from Japan to Afghanistan, China to Sri Lanka — has suffered an alarming erosion of media freedoms in recent years, with heavy censorship, internet restrictions, blatant persecution of the press, covert surveillance, and physical attacks against reporters and bloggers. In this important panel, leading journalists with years in Myanmar, China, India, and Hong Kong discuss the threats to press freedom in Asia, and the techniques they’re using to fight back.

Pacific Plunder is an international collaboration that maps the exploitation of Pacific nations in forestry, mining, fishing and more. The collaboration also brought together Pasifika (Pacific Island) journalists, linking them with an offshore publishing partner that expanded the audience and supported the front-line journalists. Learn more about how the work was done, from sourcing data to visualization, from key players.

In this globalized world, stories quickly cross international lines. Journalists in the Asia-Pacific are catching up, forming networks and collaborations that are breaking new ground by the week. Here’s a who’s who of the region’s cross-border investigative reporters, representing a half-dozen countries. Among the issues they’ve teamed up on: an epidemic of digital sex crimes; wildlife smuggling; coal pollution; and forced labor in the fishing industry.

Crowdsourcing and community-based reporting are changing how investigative journalists approach important stories. While a journalist might uncover the issue, it is the community that can uncover the examples that prove the truth. Together, the weight of investigative reporting and crowd-sourced examples can move mountains, changing policy and public leaders alike. This session will look at three examples of how an investigative journalism team can harness the power of the community to reveal remarkable facts and tell stories that create lasting impact.

How do we report in a knowledgeable, nuanced, in-depth way on China? With its economic clout and growing military, China is wielding enormous influence in Asia, the Pacific, and worldwide, yet it’s increasingly difficult to get reliable information out of the country. Independent journalism is being strangled not only on the Mainland but now in Hong Kong, while international correspondents posted in China are being ejected. Our speakers outline strategies for investigating one of the most important stories of our time.

Our lightning rounds are popular, fast-paced presentations, one after another. How They Did It takes you inside investigative stories from around the Asia/Pacific region. Find out Japan’s Tansa newsroom revealed how 45 patients at a mental hospital died after being left behind during the Fukushima nuclear disaster; how reporter Shahmeer Baloch exposed bonded labor in Pakistan’s coal mines; how Australia’s Newcastle Herald uncovered the dumping of millions of liters of toxic waste into local waterways; and how Korea’s Center for Investigative Reporting-Newstapa is changing journalism in that country.

Journalists often work around the clock and in difficult circumstances — we witness some of the world’s worst behavior, and we’re under attack as never before. So how can we care for ourselves while doing our job? Experts from the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma will offer tips and insights into how journalists can care for their own mental well-being while supporting their colleagues. (Note: This session will be held twice, on Tuesday and Thursday.)

Using spreadsheets today is as basic to reporting as a reporter’s notebook or a smart phone. Here’s the introduction you need to learn the basics of data journalism. This session covers Excel/spreadsheet functions like sorting, filtering, cleaning data, and pivot tables, with an aim to help you understand your data.