23 Journalists Selected for GIJN’s Inaugural Digital Threats Training Course

11 months ago 49

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GIJN is pleased to announce the first cohort of the Digital Threats Training Course program. Applications for the second cohort will open later this year.

“The course will equip these accomplished reporters with skills and knowledge to help them investigate spyware, disinformation, trolling, and the digital environment.” — Craig Silverman, lead instructor

Our six week, tuition-free online program will provide selected reporters with the expertise needed to deliver cyber and digital threats investigations across a range of beats and topics. The 23 journalists in the first cohort were selected from more than 300 applications and come from more than 20 countries across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Participants come from independent media organizations and larger outlets with local, regional and international reach.

“We are delighted to welcome this first cohort of journalists to GIJN’s Digital Threats course,” said David Kaplan, executive director at GIJN. “They’re an extraordinary group who will learn from the best in our business how to expose the roots of disinformation, spyware, trolling, and more.”

This program, which starts May 8, is led by investigative reporter Craig Silverman from ProPublica, and offers online classes led by such experts as freelance journalist Jane Lytvynenko (The Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Harvard Shorenstein Center); online security specialist Etienne “tek” Maynier from Amnesty Tech Lab; and independent researcher Luis Assardo, also with Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

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Additionally, participants will have access to office hours throughout the program to help develop final reporting pitches.

“The course will equip these accomplished reporters with skills and knowledge to help them investigate spyware, disinformation, trolling, and the digital environment,” said Craig Silverman, the lead instructor. “It’s exciting to work with GIJN to grow the global community of journalists working to combat digital threats.”

The final, five-chapter version of the guide will be released in September at the 2023 Global Investigative Journalism Conference. GIJN will be publishing four of the individual chapters in the spring of 2022, however. So far, installments on disinformation, digital infrastructure, and the digital threat landscape have been released. A chapter on trolling will come out in the coming days.

GIJN received more than 300 applications from journalists from all over the world for the first cohort of the program. Recruitment for our second cohort will begin later this year. To receive updates about the program, please register for our newsletter.