Stage Talks with Bellingcat

This week we spoke with Foeke Postma of Bellingcat about the online trade of rare and protected species. He found traffickers not operating on the dark web, nor hidden forums but in plain sight- on social media platforms. Many of them used coded language to avoid detection. In this talk he discusses his investigative methods, what platforms could do more of to stop these networks and how you can help protect these vulnerable animals in small ways. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on April 2nd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Foeke's investigations on this topic: Indonesian trafficker: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/19/how-wildlife-traffickers-are-using-coded-language-to-sell-protected-animals-on-facebook/Mongabay's coverage: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/facebook-shuts-indonesia-groups-after-mongabay-and-bellingcat-report-illegal-wildlife-trade/Malaysian trafficker: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/02/11/the-hunt-for-malaysias-elusive-wildlife-trafficker/Dubai trade: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-east/2021/02/08/how-instagram-celebrities-promote-dubais-underground-animal-trade/Digital tips: Facebook bookmarklets: https://tools.myosint.training/Wildlife specific organisations: Cities: https://trade.cites.org/Pitch to Bellingcat: [email protected] hygiene guide: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/Link to Discord environment/wildlife topic channel: https://discord.gg/GQDsGvXJdf

This week we spoke with Trevor Ball of Bellingcat about how to identify weapons used in conflict, including the munitions appearing in the Iran conflict.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on March 12th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:The Weapons Being Deployed https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/03/bombs-will-fall-everywhere-the-american-israeli-and-iranian-weapons-being-deployed-in-middle-east/ The Incendiary Bomb Never Seen in Israel https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/07/the-incendiary-bomb-never-seen-in-israel-before/ Video Of US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/08/video-shows-us-tomahawk-missile-strike-next-to-girls-school-in-iran/ US Missiles Spotted Over Iraq https://www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-east/2026/03/11/iran-war-iraq-tomahawks-munitions-syria-located-kurdistan-missiles-fired/ OSMP The Iran War 2026 https://osmp.ngo/collection/the-iran-war-2026/ Iran-Israel conflict June 2025 https://osmp.ngo/collection/iran-israel-conflict-june-2025/ US munitions used in Yemen 2025 https://osmp.ngo/collection/us-munitions-in-yemen/ Bulletpicker - https://www.bulletpicker.com/index.html ODIN- https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEGImages shared by Iranian state media show remnants of a US Tomahawk missile https://bsky.app/profile/bellingcat.com/post/3mgnv5iscv226Talk with the OSMP team last year: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1945244/SIPRI https://www.sipri.org/Identifying possible crater in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/?p=40534 CAGE: https://cage.dla.mil/Home/UsageAgreeConflict Armament Research field investigation on the Kh-101: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ea22b213d5414fefbcfe2f977ff07910

This week we spoke to Aram Shabanian, a Bellingcat contributor and experienced open source researcher. Aram is somewhat of an expert in monitoring live events. He's often the first to spot something on a livestream or hear an emergency call on a radio. In this talk he walks us through his preferred open source tools for watching things unfold and provides insight into how this type of research can save lives, prevent panic and create an important archive of historic incidents. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 26th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Broadcastify: https://www.broadcastify.com/ Compilation of resources including the aforementioned spreadsheet can be found on our Discord here: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1144296259805528256 Watch Duty: https://www.watchduty.org/careers Earth Null School: https://earth.nullschool.net/IQ Air: https://www.iqair.com/ Weather and Geological Phenomena channel in our Server: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1204206076493434930 US River gages: https://water.noaa.gov/rfc/mbrfc VidGrid: https://vidgrid.tk.gg/Sewage map (UK): https://www.sewagemap.co.uk/ This is for disease: https://www.wastewaterscan.org/en

In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Amnesty International UK’s Gender Justice Director Chiara Capraro. In a recent report, Chiara and her team mapped the structure and funding of 65 anti-rights groups operating across the UK. She shares the methodology behind the research, what it reveals about the current trajectory of rights-restriction campaigning, and what it could mean in the years ahead. We also explore the key similarities and differences between movements in the UK and the US.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 12th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. You can contact Chiara on [email protected] live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:The report: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/knowledge-hub/all-resources/the-anti-rights-movement/Alliance Defending Freedom Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Defending_FreedomNY Times report on the US anti-abortion influence on Britain: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/world/europe/uk-abortion-farage.htmlSex Matters Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Matters_(advocacy_group)LGB Alliance Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGB_AllianceCompanies House: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-houseBellingcat tool to dig into US corporate data: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/12/18/new-tools-dig-deeper-into-hard-to-aggregate-us-corporate-data/Hope Not Hate: https://hopenothate.org.uk/Telegraph article on ministers cutting down on foreign donations: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/12/ministers-crackdown-on-foreign-political-donations/Our previous Stage Talk on counter-disinformation strategies: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2507049/Democracy for Sale: https://democracyforsale.substack.com/Panorama investigation on Pregnancy Crisis Centres: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64751800EPF: https://www.epfweb.org/publications

In our first Stage Talk of 2026, we were joined by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins and Cornell University's Dr. Claire Wardle sharing their expertise on the formation of fact checking and verification strategies we see today. But how do we cope with the collapse of trust in media and academic institutions? Are corrections and AI fact checks enough? Listen in to find out what two seasoned open source verification experts think could be our next steps.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 29rd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Legacy site of First Draft News: https://firstdraftnews.org/Projecto Comprova: https://projetocomprova.com.br/Eliots framework: https://demos.co.uk/research/verification-deliberation-accountability-a-new-framework-for-tackling-epistemic-collapse-and-renewing-democracy/Eliot's article for Reuters Institute: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-protect-democracies-falsehoods-empowering-young-open-source-investigation-skills FullFact: https://fullfact.org/The video of Alex Pretti that faced claims of AI manipulation: https://bsky.app/profile/eliothiggins.bsky.social/post/3mdkcgmsvdk2y Claire's previous work on Information Disorder: https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/understanding-information-disorder/Links shared by audience members relevant to the discussion: https://theconversation.com/when-critical-thinking-isnt-enough-to-beat-information-overload-we-need-to-learn-critical-ignoring-198549 https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2018/05/08/media-literacy-everyones-favourite-solution-to-the-problems-of-regulation/https://www.disarm.foundation/frameworkhttps://www.brookings.edu/articles/adding-a-d-to-the-abc-disinformation-framework/https://issues.org/misunderstanding-misinformation-wardle/

In the final Stage Talk of the year, we learnt the mechanics of investigating trade data thanks to this week's guest, Bellingcat research consultant and self-confessed data nerd Katherine de Tolly. Using the example of opioid shipments from India to West Africa, Katherine talked us through the intricacies of import-export data and how to navigate the many data gaps/inconsistencies inherit in the system.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 4th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks mentioned:Katherine's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JvDqFnM-caIPo39ez3aennGa9iwB-NwWPh9VXAKUFgg/edit?usp=sharingYou can contact Katherine on: [email protected] channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/710247961426395186Comtrade: https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow52WMB: https://en.52wmb.com/BBC investigation: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyew21yyjzo

This week, we explored one of war’s less visible consequences: its devastating impact on the environment. How large is the ecological footprint of conflict? What do we know about the long-term harm caused by bombing, heavy machinery, and the waste left behind—and how these pollutants affect both human health and fragile habitats? In this episode, Eoghan Darbyshire of the Conflict and Environment Observatory reveals how his team tracks the immediate and lasting environmental fallout of warfare around the world. He also underscores why open-source research skills are indispensable for uncovering damage that often remains hidden in plain sight.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 20th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:CEOBS: https://ceobs.org/Ukrainian forest tracker: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/08/18/a-new-tool-shows-what-war-has-done-to-ukraines-forests/Guide on visualising conflict and displacement data: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2025/07/04/the-story-of-a-storm-part-ii-visualising-conflict-and-displacement-data/CEOBS blog on the fibre optic damage in Ukraine: https://ceobs.org/plastic-pollution-from-fibre-optic-drones-may-threaten-wildlife-for-years/Sudanese Civil War Discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1099724243706589245Environment and Wildlife Discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/807311724893175878Ship detection tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/05/11/peering-beyond-the-clouds-a-guide-to-bellingcats-ship-detection-tool/Sketchy Boats Stage Talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2235217/

This week, we explored the practicalities of modern warfare. How do we measure military power? Is it possible to fairly compare fighting resources between regions? In this episode, Michael Hilliard from the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs walked us through their latest research, mapping the militaries of Central Asia. Michael was also joined shortly on stage during the talk by Mitchell Polman, an OSINT researcher who helped with the mapping project. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 6th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:PROJECT LINK >> https://oxussociety.org/projects/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia/ UZBEKISTAN CHAPTER DOWNLOAD LINK >> https://oxussociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/The-Armed-Forces-of-Central-Asia-Chapter-IV-Uzbekistan-1-1.pdf MAPPING PROJECT LINK >> https://oxussociety.org/viz/military-units/map.htmlMichael's red line podcast- excellent listening: https://www.theredlinepodcast.com/And the Oxus Society podcast https://oxussociety.org/publications/podcast/Purchase higher tier data link: https://oxussociety.org/projects/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia/purchase/Caucusus and Central Asia Channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/709947054042120222Michael's previous talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1720167/ Mapping Militia Networks with New America talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2212437/

This week, we were discussing what role fashion plays for far-right movements. We spoke to Bellingcat's resident experts on the subject. Michael Colborne has been investigating far-right networks for years and Youri van der Weide has just completed a deep dive on russian neo-nazi paramilitary groups with merchandise embedded within their business plans.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday October 23rd 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Some reading material from Michael: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691196152/the-extreme-gone-mainstream?srsltid=AfmBOor44s08b3e358d6Glak2OUrwrrtBkmbtU7BfSKwRoZ3QvNqj-WaThe Extreme Gone Mainstream, Cynthia Miller-Idriss (2019) https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=stuff--9780745644233“Why Clothing is not Superficial” in Stuff, Daniel Miller (2009) https://doppelhouse.com/the-chosen-few/The Chosen Few: Aesthetics and Ideology in Football-Fan Graffiti and Street Art, Mitja Velikonja (2021) https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801448904/political-aesthetics/#bookTabs=1Political Aesthetics, Crispin Sartwell (2010)Elke Gaugele, “The New Obscurity in Style. Alt-right Faction, Populist Normalization, and the Cultural War on Fashion from the Far Right,” Fashion Theory, 23:6, 711-731, DOI: 10.1080/1362704X.2019.1657262, 2019.Youri's investigation into Maskov: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03/06/unmasking-maskov-how-bellingcat-found-a-man-outfitting-russian-neo-nazis/A couple of weeks ago New America talked to us about mapping these Russian paramilitary networks: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2212437/Youri's latest article on Rusich: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10/21/how-a-former-political-hopeful-helps-russian-neo-nazi-group-rusich-sell-its-online-merch/Hate symbol directory: https://globalextremism.org/global-extremist-symbols-database/Expo sweden: https://expo.se/Tenepod a suggestion from an audience member as a decent guide for historical far right/nazi eastern European stuff: https://tenepod.libsyn.com/

This week, we were discussing how open source research can help build vital factchecking skills across disciplines. We spoke to Prof. dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh, a professor and one of the leaders of the Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab at Utrecht University. Alongside her, we were joined by Felix Lommerse, the student assistant at the lab and a former student of the course. In the talk they described the purpose of the project, how major newsrooms have got involved and why other universities may want to take note.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday October 9th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:The lab: https://www.uu.nl/en/research/institutions-for-open-societies/contesting-governance/projects/open-source-global-justice-investigations-labBerkeley: https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/Dr Alexa Koenig Stage Talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/FT article in partnership with lab: https://ig.ft.com/haiti-gangsTheir work was also mentioned by GIJN: https://gijn.org/stories/african-journalism-database-local-digital-verification/Their timeline of the Palestinian protests at Utrecht University: https://www.uu.nl/sites/default/files/UU%20May%207%20-%209%20Events%20Report_0.pdfBellingcat challenge site: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/Giancarlo's article on protecting your mental hygiene as a researcher: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/The Dart Center referenced has been closed over the summer. You can now access those resources here: https://gcjt.org/

This week we spoke to maritime researcher Christian Panton. Christian builds resources to monitor ships as a hobby and has created a useful database of 'sketchy boats' that require further investigation. In the talk he described the purpose of the tool and how he created it, and provided a detailed overview of the current issues with researching ships up to no good. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 25th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Sketchy Boats website: https://sketchy.boats/Sketchy Boats GitHub: https://github.com/christianpanton/those.sketchy.boatsChristian's pages: https://bsky.app/profile/pa.nton.cxhttps://christian.panton.org/Lloyds list investigation on false flags that Christian contributed to: https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154326/Massive-fraudulent-flag-operation-linking-over-20-separate-fake-sites-uncoveredBellingcat investigation into the ships smuggling grain from occupied Crimea: https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154326/Massive-fraudulent-flag-operation-linking-over-20-separate-fake-sites-uncoveredBellingcat's Ship Detection Tool (built with Ollie Ballinger): https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/05/11/peering-beyond-the-clouds-a-guide-to-bellingcats-ship-detection-tool/ And Ollie's GitHub page: https://oballinger.github.io/ #maritime channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/920298016123023400

TW: This episode contains a description of a murder and mutilation. This week we spoke to the team at New America about their work tracking militia and private military groups online. Candace Rondeaux and Ben Dalton led us through their tips and techniques for tracing connections on Russian social media site VK and Telegram. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 11th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:New America Future Frontlines: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/Their Wagner project: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/uncovering-the-wagner-group/And Proxy Warfare project: https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/future-proxy-warfare/New America covering Hamdi Bouta's murder https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/reports/inquiry-murder-hamdi-bouta/introduction/Our previous Stage Talk with All Eyes on Wagner: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2061764/ Coverage of the IDF's lavender programme: https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/

This week we spoke to Galen Reich, Tech Community Lead at Bellingcat. In the talk Galen provided invaluable advice for those who want to build a tool for research, highlighting what aspects you need to consider in the planning stages, raising awareness of what obstacles could arise once the tool is established and explaining how anyone can build an everlasting tool with or without coding knowhow. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 28th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Bellingcat GitHub Repository: https://github.com/orgs/bellingcat/repositories1xBet investigations: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/10/21/1xbet-hosts-thousands-of-amateur-sports-streams-on-its-website/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/11/19/volunteers-find-1xbet-stream-sites/Upcoming Bellingcat training on the Command Line: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/september-30-2025-command-line-tools-for-open-source-researchers-for-absolute-beginners-americas-europe-friendly-time Bellingcat Tech Series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq6cQ--4f90icDJUwiGcPrFFLLguuZ0ht Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit Tech Contributors in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1173619361882329149 Tools and sites in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/709755421836967978Tool Support in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/947175222937800754Search Grid Tool: https://grid.bellingcat.com/Council Transcript Search Tool: https://council-search.bellingcat.com/ and GitHub link for the code for that tool: https://github.com/bellingcat/CouncilSearcher Filmot (YT Transcripts): https://filmot.com/

This week we were joined by psychotherapist and activist Leyla Hussein. In the session we explored how reporters and researchers can make survivors of sexual violence feel safe, supported and heard, and at the same time ensure they make an impact with their work. TW: The talk contains extensive discussion of sexual violence particularly FGM. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 14th of August 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:You can learn more about leyla's work here https://www.leylahussein.co.uk/The Cruel Cut Channel 4 Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiC_gpE7y053Qlgb9fU0ykM-BggXpfkmj One month old FGM case: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6200g5d4jlo The Girl Generation: https://thegirlgeneration.org/Eliza's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2041897/#aboutAlexa's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/Our Discord Server channels that were mentioned: #gender-based-violence-misogny : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1118448280435687506#bellingcook : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1018196475932590090

This week we were joined by Art Detective Arthur Brand. Arthur Brand has recovered over 200 stolen artworks throughout his career, these include famous paintings once thought lost, from Dali’s to Picasso’s. Within the talk he explains how open sources are crucial to his work and he shares valuable resources for those who are curious about the world of art crime themselves.This talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday the 31st of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Article covering the case Brand refers to: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974 Lost Art.De: https://www.lostart.de/de/start Arthur's YouTube: https://youtu.be/ye8sDfUMnhc?si=Jqx6qugYnbYSEFOdBellingcat Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/ Bellingcat Discord Art Crime channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1314267278535036988 Interpol App: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app ARCA Blog: https://art-crime.blogspot.com/ Madonna and the stolen art story: https://www.npr.org/2023/01/17/1149646372/french-museum-finds-a-missing-painting-in-madonnas-personal-collection Arthur's book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440872/hitlers-horses-by-hedley-prole-arthur-brand-translated-by-jane/9781529106107Arthur's TV show: https://www.arthurbrand.com/de-kunstdetective-tv/

This week we were joined by Bellingcat researcher Kolina Koltai and our long-standing publishing partners Kevin Clancy, cofounder of Evident Media and Sergio Olmos, an investigator from CalMatters. The conversation centered around the reliance on bystander videos for accountability of these arrests and the scale advice for other researchers on what to look out for in bystander videos and what from patterns identified, could emerge over the next few months in other regions. This talk was hosted by me Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:The two investigations: Los Angeles: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/07/08/masked-armed-and-forceful-finding-patterns-in-los-angeles-immigration-raids/ Bakersfield: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/08/us-border-patrol-called-raid-300-miles-from-border-targeted-open-source-evidence-suggests-otherwise/Related conversational threads in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1381169631263199232 https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1371571764525535242Evident: https://www.youtube.com/@evidentmedia CalMatters: https://calmatters.org/The lack of local reporters in the United States: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/10/media/severe-shortage-local-news-muck-rack-journalism-index The Atlantic article interviewing ICE officials: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/07/trump-ice-morale-immigration/683477/ People impersonating ICE: https://msmagazine.com/2025/07/10/men-impersonating-ice-agents-immigration-customs-attack-women-maga-trump/ People Over Papers: https://padlet.com/PeopleoverPapers/people-over-papers-anonymous-anonimo-lf0l47ljszbto2uj Bellingcat Volunteer Community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community

This week we were joined by Bellingcat's Peter Barth.Peter has been researching a cold case murder from Corpus Christi, Texas, 1971. As part of his research , he's uncovered links to multiple murders and high profile criminal networks, and learnt some invaluable research tips along the way. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 3rd of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Peter's article on Bill Richardson's killing: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/27/pigeon-shoots-and-hitmen-new-leads-in-a-texas-oilmans-cold-case/ The cold case investigation groups Peter suggested: https://uncovered.com/ , https://www.solvethecase.org/Our Discord Server channel for looking into cold cases: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1375086026275688488 Familysearch.org is free and similar to ancestry.comMuckRock: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/ For UK: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ For Australia: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/ For EU: https://www.asktheeu.org/ For Canada: https://theijf.org/open-by-default404 Media FOIA forum: https://www.404media.co/our-new-foia-forum-6-18-1pm-et/ Missing persons: Ireland: https://www.garda.ie/en/missing-persons/ Netherlands: https://www.politie.nl/en/missing Canada: https://www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/missing-disparus/search-recherche.jsf?lang=en Interpol: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Yellow-Notices/View-Yellow-NoticesCold Case lookup Netherlands: https://www.om.nl/

This week we were joined by Fogocruzado founder and journalist Cecília Olliveira.Cecília launched Fogocruzado after working on a story and discovering that data on armed violence in Rio and elsewhere in Brazil, something she was seeking at the time for the investigation, was not being robustly collected. She came in to our Server to discuss the power of data and why plotting data that hasn’t before been collated can illuminate otherwise hidden trends and be vital when it comes to informing the public of what is going on in their own cities.This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 19th of June 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed: Fogocruzado: https://fogocruzado.org.br/ Film 'Elite Squad': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861739 API link: https://api.fogocruzado.org.br/ Where did the bullets on the streets of Brazil come from?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8WWSRoC93I&ab_channel=TheIntercept Other example on how to use the data: https://theintercept.com/2018/12/13/brazil-rio-de-janeiro-drug-gangs/Nemesis book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25329735-nemesisUpcoming book: https://www.bazardotempo.com.br/products/como-nasce-um-miliciano Aleph tool: https://aleph.occrp.org/