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/

This week we were joined by Swiss-based NGO Inpact’s Lou Osborn.Lou is one of the lead researchers in their flagship All Eyes ON Wagner project team. Within the conversation she broadened our knowledge on the current economic and political status of Russian PMCs in Africa and raised the difficulties in reporting on these types of groups.This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 05th of June 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:All Eyes on Wagner: https://alleyesonwagner.org/home-2/about/ Lou's books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/32765804.Lou_Osborn Dig baby dig investigation: https://alleyesonwagner.org/2025/05/02/allez-creuse-bebe-contes-russes-de-lor-en-afrique-centrale/ Prig-IT investigation: https://dossier.center/prig-it/

This week we spoke to The Fuller Project's Eliza Anyangwe about the steps her newsroom takes to protect their sources. We highlighted the basic precautions you should consider when speaking to those with lived experience of the topic you're reporting on and the differences between traditional investigations and open source research when it comes to human-centric storytelling. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 22nd 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:The Fuller Project: https://fullerproject.org/Eliza's talk at the International Journalism Festival on reporting on GBV: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2025/best-practices-in-reporting-gender-related-crimes-centering-survivors-and-ethical-storytelling Eliza's CNN Afghanistan example: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/asequals/women-refugees-afghanistan-risks-as-equals-intl-cmd/ Murad code call out: https://www.muradcode.com/open-source-practitioners-guide

This week we spoke with DoubleThink Lab’s Jasper Hewitt as we explored the new forms of digital propaganda. We discussed spamouflage operations in the US elections to AI influencers pushing state lines on TikTok. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 8th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:DoubleThink Lab website: https://doublethinklab.org/DoubleThink Lab medium: https://medium.com/doublethinklabWhat is FIMI: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/beyond-disinformation-what-fimi_enGraphika on spamouflage: https://graphika.com/reports/spamouflage/US report from VOA and DoubleThink Lab: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/doublethink-lab-and-voice-of-america-us-election-joint-observation-mission-final-report-d5f2dae85e27 Ben Nimmo, the breakout scale: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-breakout-scale-measuring-the-impact-of-influence-operations/Single File chrome extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/singlefile/mpiodijhokgodhhofbcjdecpffjipkle?hl=en&pli=1Bellingcat auto archiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/ Patriotism for sale: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/patriotism-for-sale-wechat-channels-information-ecosystem-5c6a0f7c6358DFR Lab: https://dfrlab.org/ Wenhao substack: https://wenhao.substack.com/Discourse Power substack: https://discoursepower.substack.com/

This week we spoke to John Mooney and Connor Plunkett about their investigation into the Kinahan cartel. We discussed the considerations you need to make when reporting on large scale operations and how they found a hidden side to one of Irelands most notorious cartel bosses.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday April 24th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:Bellingcat's reporting on this here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/30/kinahan-cartel-wanted-narco-boss-exposes-whereabouts-by-posting-google-reviews/and here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03/22/nowhere-to-run-the-online-footprint-of-an-alleged-kinahan-cartel-associate/Sunday Times reporting on Oliver Hermann https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/kinahan-investigation-oliver-hermann-leveris-jkvrp8n8wGHunt tool: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/ghunt Whois lookup: https://www.whois.com/whois/Outscraper: https://outscraper.com/ Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/Digital safety tips - Bellingcat video: https://youtu.be/o9uFeVVIiVg Kinahan's google reviews account: https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107715424953684019563/reviews

This week we spoke to Lisa Broekhuizen from Space4Good, looking at how satellite imagery can help show large scale impacts on our environment from deforestation to the growth of trees. The talk was hosted by Giancarlo Fiorella on Thursday April 10th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:

This week we spoke to Andro Mathewson from Centre for Information Resilience on identifying explosive ordnance seen in imagery on social media. Explosive ordnance are munitions that contain explosives, and can detonate without warning, killing or injuring civilians long after conflicts have ended. Andro wrote a guide to easily identify the most common types of EO and in this talk he walked us through it. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday March 27th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed: Andro's guide and key: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2024/07/31/a-beginners-guide-to-identifying-explosive-ordnance-in-social-media-imagery/Small Arms Survey: https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/ Conflict Armament Research: https://www.conflictarm.com/OSMP: https://osmp.ngo/Repository that Andro built: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19xNmsQpcz7UwHOPy1Zrwud-2jVdctulT5W3_0fUNn8k/edit?gid=0#gid=0CIR: https://www.info-res.org/myanmar-witness/ Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/ CORD database: https://www.ordata.info/ Book recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Military-Ordnance-Identification-Investigations/dp/0815369425Bulletpickers library: https://www.bulletpicker.com/technical-manuals.html

This week we spoke to Joe Dyke and Joe Emmett from AirWars and Nick R. Jenzen-Jones from Armament Research Services (ARES). Together they work on the Open Source Munitions Portal, a database of different munition types for open source research analysis. The team walked us through the uses of the OSMP, the many exciting features they've added over the years and why the project remains a vital resource for all open source researchers. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday March 13th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links mentioned:The OSMP: https://osmp.ngo/Airwars: https://airwars.org/ARES: https://armamentresearch.com/OSMP glossary: https://osmp.ngo/resources/glossary/OSMP visual guide example (3D model): https://osmp.ngo/collection/small-diameter-bomb-gbu-39-visual-guide/OSMP Israel and Gaza collection: https://osmp.ngo/collection/israel-and-gaza-2023-2024/OSMP on X: https://x.com/munitionsportal OSMP on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/munitionsportal.bsky.socialBellingcat toolkit: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/09/24/bellingcat-online-investigations-toolkit/

This week we spoke to Dr. Alexa Koenig from UC Berkeley. Alexa has spent much of her recent career looking into how digital investigations could aid accountability for war crimes and gender based violence. Within this discussion we focused on her work covering gender based violence and what lessons she’s learnt from the various groups she’s spoken to and worked with, from legal professionals to survivor groups. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 20th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-mali-mr-al-hassan-convicted-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity-committedhttps://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/03/03/sexual-and-gender-based-violence-open-source-researche-osint-digital/https://www.refworld.org/reference/research/gbrfco/2014/en/101109https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4895271https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/publications/evaluating-digital-open-source-imagery-a-guide-for-judges-and-fact-finders/https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/case-studies/2014/08/23/the-hills-of-raqqa-geolocating-the-james-foley-video/https://www.ohchr.org/en/publications/policy-and-methodological-publications/berkeley-protocol-digital-open-sourcehttps://humanrights.berkeley.edu/publications/gender-persecution-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/

This week we're joined by Bellingcat Senior Fundraiser Mareike Vitt. Mareike is here to share invaluable tips on sourcing sustainable funding for open source research and journalism efforts. In the discussion we spoke about the current funding trends and how you as an individual or as an organisation can stand out in grant applications and when reaching out to those all important potential donors. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 13th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:Funds for NGOs : Subscribe to newsletter, frequent overview of current calls for grants, fellowships etc. https://www.fundsforngos.org/ Specific insights for funds for NGOs: https://www2.fundsforngos.org/Funds for Individuals: https://fundsforindividuals.fundsforngos.org/Funds for US: https://us.fundsforngos.org/Sample Proposals for many areas: https://www.fundsforngos.org/proposal_category/sample-ngo-or-nonprofit-grant-proposals/Global Forum for Media Development https://gfmd.info/Overview of current funding opportunities: https://gfmd.info/find-funding/Extensive fundraising Guide: https://fundraising-guide.gfmd.info/Check out other resources e.g. grant writing classes: https://www.nonprofitready.org/grant-writing-classes Bellingcat workshops/training: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/Bellingcat's current donation pathway: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/ Bellingcat's original website campaign is still here! https://brown-moses.blogspot.com/Freelance cross border funding example: https://www.investigativejournalismforeu.net/

This week we're joined by Mike Yambo, open source investigator from the popular African news outlet Nation. Mike explains how he managed to establish open source research practices in his traditional newsroom and how he taught himself those skillsets. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 30th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:Mike Yambo's work at Nation: https://nation.africa/kenya/author-profiles/mike-yambo-4180312Ben Strick, YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bendobrownBellingcat guides: https://www.bellingcat.com/category/resources/Witness: https://www.witness.org/Code For Africa: https://opportunities.codeforafrica.org/Anatomy of a killing - BBC Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbnLkc6r3ycBellingcat's telegram phone number checker tool: https://github.com/bellingcat/telegram-phone-number-checkerHow to use the telegram phone number checker video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLJgnlilEBs&t=1sSudan story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/africa/news/look-the-fire-is-inside-your-houses-where-are-you-sudan-s-war-within-4683754Bellingcat DRC coverage: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/01/29/m23-rebels-goma-congo-fighting-clashes-drc-kivu-control/Shabaab story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/the-digital-footprints-of-suspected-shabaab-financier-4391768Police beating story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/finding-the-location-of-viral-video-of-man-beaten-by-police-4304224

This week, we're back for the new year with a new topic, exploring the nexus of art theft, trafficking, and intelligence. We spoke with Lynda Albertson from the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art about the process of collecting and analysing information related to art crimes. How can open source research help tackle the world's cultural crimes? The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 16th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:In our Discord Server you can find our art-crime channel: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatARCA: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/Lynda's example 1: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-1/Example 2: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-2/Example 3: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-3/Bellingcat investigations/guides focused on old polaroid analysis: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/04/solving-world-war-ii-photo-mysteries-with-open-source-techniques/ ,https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/08/09/using-new-tech-to-investigate-old-photographs/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/16/untangling-the-mystery-of-the-worlds-first-rooftop-solar-panel/Interpol Stolen Works of Art Database: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-appIndia Pride Project: https://x.com/indiaprideproj?lang=enLost Arts of Nepal: https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/Carabinieri TPC's smartphone app: https://apps.apple.com/it/app/itpc-carabinieri/id858588594https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=itpc.carabinieri.it&hl=itThe Antiquities Coalition: https://theantiquitiescoalition.org/ARCA training: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/postgraduate-certificate-programmes/

This week, we decided to change the format a little to mark the final stage talk of the year. We were joined by founder of Bellingcat, Eliot Higgins to discuss how he feels about the last 10 years of open source research as Bellingcat celebrates its decade anniversary. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:'We Are Bellingcat', the book: https://www.bellingcat.com/book/GQ interview with lost dog conversation: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/eliot-higgins-bellingcat-interviewToolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitBellingcat Open Source Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/The Nation open source research coverage of the protests in Kenya: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/eight-hours-of-rage-how-the-finance-bill-2024-led-to-kenya-s-parliament-invasion-4744254First steps into OSINT: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/11/09/first-steps-to-getting-started-in-open-source-research/NYT piece on bomb crater detection: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.htmlCommand Line tools video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3gm-ud91v0Jupyter Notebooks help: https://github.com/bellingcat/open-source-research-notebooksFrank Zappa - Eliot's recommendation: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kv0M4wqpMkWqa5f1mbtlogpYO78mBpkws

This week, we spoke to Dr Adam Thomas Smith, Distinguished Professor of Arts & Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University and Dr Lori Khatchadourian, Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University about their work at Caucasus Heritage Watch. CHW focuses on monitoring at-risk heritage caught in the cross-fire of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and was founded in 2020 to monitor and document endangered and damaged cultural heritage using high-resolution satellite imagery. We also discussed Bellingcat's work monitoring similar damage in Gaza and Ukraine. The talk was hosted by Jake Godin on Thursday December 5th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned: You can find all of CHW's work on their website: https://caucasusheritage.cornell.edu/One of Bellingcat's investigations covering cultural heritage damage in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/06/26/gaza-israel-destroy-destruction-damage-cultural-history-heritage-archaeology-conflict-war/

This week, we spoke to Dr Mariëlle Wijermars about internet governance in authoritarian states like Russia. We discussed the current strategies of the Russian government in internet crackdowns both at home and abroad and the trend of bots, online propaganda and banned media outlets in attempts at ongoing censorship. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 8th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatMariëlle's publications: https://mariellewijermars.com/Relevant articles: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/30/kremlin-forced-us-tech-firms-shut-down-an-app-its-opponents-were-using-now-what/ https://cepa.org/article/russias-social-media-self-censorship-law-is-misguided-and-the-west-must-avoid-making-the-same-mistake/Bellingcat RuNet webinar: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/december-10-2024-bellingcat-online-workshop-on-runet-investigations-4-hour-americas-friendly-time/Example of Russian bot networks on X impersonating Bellingcat: https://x.com/EliotHiggins/status/1838872568041816103Hugo Mercier’s book Not Born Yesterday might be relevant. Interviews include this one: https://youtu.be/P2iIwEqUecA?feature=sharedMariëlle's Horizon project https://www.arm-project.eu/Link to story about telegram: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240827-free-speech-and-homeland-kremlin-opportunistic-response-to-telegram-boss-pavel-durov-arrest-in-franceBellingcat's archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

This week, we talk to Michael Hilliard. He and his colleagues at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs recently released their report titled "The Armed Forces of Central Asia". We discuss the complex geopolitical landscape in Central Asia, and what defence capacity the countries have to tackle their strategic challenges. The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 24th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatYou can find the first chapter of the report "Tajikistan" here: https://oxussociety.org/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia-tajikistan/

This week we talk to Elizabeth Pearson. Together with her colleagues she recently worked on the REASSURE report (https://voxpol.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Online-Extremism-and-Terrorism-Researchers-Security-Safety-Resilience.pdf )- which is published with the online extremism and terrorism research network VOX-Pol. The report describes experiences regarding safety and security of researchers who work on digital extremism and terrorism. We explored her learnings and took questions from the audience. The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 10th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatFor advice on looking after your mental health as a researcher you can look to our guide https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/ and find helpful resources on the DART center's website (https://dartcenter.org/)

This week's stage talk is focused on our new and updated toolkit! We've packed every useful open source research tool into one place to help assist new and old researchers, journalists and NGOs. Johanna Wild, who lead the project, joined us on stage to talk through the new developments. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 26th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatLinks discussed:Link to article on the Toolkit launch : https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/09/24/bellingcat-online-investigations-toolkit/ New toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitBellingcat volunteer community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-communityIf you have questions around joining the Volunteer Community - reach out to [email protected]: https://www.invid-project.eu/Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/

This week's stage talk is about a militant attack in Burkina Faso that happened in late August, in which over 100 unarmed civilians died. We explore how Bellingcat investigators went to work trying to locate and verify graphic imagery claiming to be associated with the massacre. Content warning: Discussion of civilian harm, abuse and death. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatLinks discussed:The investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/09/04/burkina-faso-barsalogho-massacre-attack-jihadi-militia-military-human-rights/(You can find the 'screenshots' referenced repeatedly in the recording in the investigation link above)ACLED: https://acleddata.com/Wagner in Africa Discord Channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1054884622955184228 Detail about Chirpwire: https://disinfo.africa/inside-al-shabaabs-digital-propaganda-machine-05cbdb04ed4f Bellingcat's auto-archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/ How to prevent, identify and address vicarious trauma: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2018/10/18/prevent-identify-address-vicarious-trauma-conducting-open-source-investigations-middle-east/Giancarlo's how to maintain mental hygiene as a researcher https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/Wassim Nasr: https://x.com/SimNasrHéni: https://twitter.com/MENASTREAM/

This week's stage talk is about using open sources in environmental focused investigations. We spoke to freelance journalist Luiz Toledo about his recent work covering deforestation policy gaps. He uncovered his stories using open databases and FOIA requests. Note that Luiz's mic has some distortion in the recording. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 29th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatLinks discussed:Luiz's investigations: https://www.icij.org/investigations/deforestation-inc/https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/desmatamento-amazonia-embargos-icmbio/https://www.occrp.org/en/feature/criminal-gangs-are-logging-the-worlds-last-brazilwood-trees-to-make-violin-bowshttps://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/operation-do-re-mi-the-brazilian-bow-makers-under-investigation-for-dealing-in-endangered-woodLuiz's newsletter: https://news.fiquemsabendo.com.br/ FOIA tools: https://www.404media.co/foia-forum-with-a-pacer-expert-7-31-1pm-est/https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/https://x.com/JasonLeopold/status/1804630789205942322https://portaldatransparencia.gov.br/Environmental/deforestation resources: https://brasil.mapbiomas.org/https://infoamazonia.org/en/https://ambiental.media/https://dadosabertos.ibama.gov.br/dataset/fiscalizacao-auto-de-infracaohttps://cruzagrafos.abraji.org.br/https://climatecrimeanalysis.org/https://oxpeckers.org/https://eia-international.org/

In this week's stage talk we discuss open source research methods of covering protest movements and any corresponding violent action. Using the example of recent clashes in Bangladesh, our team unpack how they go about reporting on this topic, sharing their favourite resources, techniques and advice.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 15 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatLinks discussed in the recording:Investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/08/07/bangladesh-overthrow-resignation-sheikh-hasina-footage-open-sourceLinks from UN/ Amnesty on policing and weapons here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2023/10/repression-trade/Regarding rubber bullet usage https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2023/03/Amnesty-position-paper-kinetic-impact-projectiles.pdfPolicing manual from Amnesty https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2017/01/book_1_0.pdfUN : Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/basic-principles-use-force-and-firearms-law-enforcementUN: Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons In Law Enforcement https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/LLW_Guidance.pdfBellingcat Auto-Archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/Bellingcat's Search Grid Generator tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2024/08/05/tracking-your-search-a-guide-to-the-grid-generator/NASA-FIRMS: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/Bellingcat guide to NASA-FIRMS: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/10/04/scorched-earth-using-nasa-fire-data-to-monitor-war-zones/Bellingcat's guide to maintaining mental hygiene as an open source researcher: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

This week we were joined on stage by Sam Stecklow, from the not-for-profit newsroom The Invisible Institute. Within the talk we discussed their work on making police complaint data publicly accessible and explored their collaborative models, funding and large data projects.The talk was hosted by Giancarlo Fiorella on Thursday August 1 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcatFind the full list of links shared by Sam during the talk below:Civic Data Project Live site: http://CPDP.coKicking the pigeon: https://invisible.institute/kicking-the-pigeonCode of Silence: https://theintercept.com/series/code-of-silence/https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/Resources/61e475d6-97b0-4eef-8d62-23766553a041/1121846.pdfhttps://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/02/laquan-mcdonald-shooting-a-recently-obtained-autopsy-report-on-the-dead-teen-complicates-the-chicago-police-departments-story.htmlhttps://champaign.cpdp.co/https://invisible.institute/ypphttps://invisible.institute/somebody-podcasthttps://chicagopolicetorturearchive.com/https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/10/15/mauled-when-police-dogs-are-weaponshttps://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/the-killing-of-harith-augustus/https://www.btsurface.com/https://chicagomissingpersons.com/https://invisible.institute/illinois-police-datahttps://invisible.institute/data-access-transparencyhttps://ipmnewsroom.org/sean-grayson-sonya-massey-sangamon-county-sheriff-misconduct/https://www.chicagocopa.org/data-cases/case-portal/

This week we were joined on stage by Aram Shabanian, the Open-Source Information Gathering Manager at the New Lines Institute and long time Bellingcat contributor. Aram shared a long list of interesting open source tools that citizens and journalists alike can use to help monitor wildfires. Find the full list of tools shared by Aram here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SJHzw5cSenCvEq7iGEyhHhRKAHq1vOcVlJy4sYAcchM/edit?gid=0#gid=0And additional tools referenced in the chat here: Aram's livestream guide https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/11/09/using-livestreams-to-monitor-crises-in-gaza-and-beyond/Look up your local area's wildfire pocket card with this link: https://www.wildfire.gov/wims/pocket-card-tableBellingcat's OSINT Forest area tracker https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/08/18/a-new-tool-shows-what-war-has-done-to-ukraines-forests/Canadian map resource shared by an audience member: https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/interactive-mapOnXMaps: https://www.onxmaps.com/ Link to our Discord channel for tool idea pitches: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1173992891945861160Wildcad.net: http://www.wildcad.net/WildCADWeb.aspOregon specific references: Odffire https://odffire.com/Arcgis view: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6329d5e4e13748b9b9f7f33f06a3c376/?fbclid=IwAR2HH7Zxyi-vqihq8pWQJKzynrFK19bKFow-VjTAn3Puz6lZtHpz5JrTgP4Inciweb https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/Oregon Dept of Forestry Course: https://odftraining.thinkific.com/courses/media-accessThe IMSR report shows national fire deployments in the US. In the off season it's updated every Friday. Peak fire season it's daily. : https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfnThe talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 18th of July in the Bellingcat Discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

This Stage Talk is about the impact of conflict on cultural heritage sites and how, as open source researchers, we can monitor the scale of destruction. The discussion was based around our latest documentary with Scripps News, which you can watch in full hereTools: Planet Sentinel Hub Google Earth Ollie Ballinger's damage probability map tool of GazaWikimapiaAnnique's analysing satellite imagery to monitor settlements, video guideRelevant research:The Byzantine mosaic https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/emergency-safeguarding-recently-discovered-al-bureij-mosaics-gaza Jake's X thread on the demolition of the mosaic https://x.com/JakeGodin/status/1805965185653395721Bellingcat's investigation into the 8219 IDF unit. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/29/weve-become-addicted-to-explosions-the-idf-unit-responsible-for-demolishing-homes-across-gaza/CNN visits a destroyed graveyard: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/01/29/idf-gaza-graveyard-destruction-diamond-pkg-lead-vpx.cnnDamage to Ukraine's cultural heritage sites by Bellingcat and Scripps News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HiGgcuB2y4Organisations referenced:EAMENA: https://www.eamena.org/Heritage for Peace: https://www.heritageforpeace.org/Aliph Foundation: https://www.aliph-foundation.org/Caucus Heritage Center (Cornell) https://caucasusheritage.cornell.edu/This talk was recorded on July 3rd, 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

In this Stage Talk we discuss extremism on digital gaming platforms with experts Rachel Kowert and Linda Schlegel. We talk about how and why extremists are using digital gaming spaces for radicalisation and mobilisation efforts, but also about prevention efforts to stop extremists from exploiting these gaming communities.You can find Linda and Rachel's book here: www.routledge.com/Gaming-and-Extre…ok/9781032482996Other links that were mentioned in the talk: www.takethis.org/2024/05/resilient-resources/ www.stopspying.org/banned-for-being www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUoIVZ3vEHk www.theguardian.com/games/2024/mar/…ame-consultants www.isdglobal.org/explainers/discord-extremism/ www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.…791/html?lang=deThis talk was recorded on June 20th, 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Centre For Information Resilience's Sofia Santos. Sofia also runs a website called Gralhix.com which provides exercises and guides for those needing to practice their open source research skillsets. The discussion on stage was all about how to get into our industry, Sofia provided invaluable tips and resources for beginners. The links we shared during the talk can be found here: Centre for information resilience https://www.info-res.org/Eyes of Russia Project: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/07/24/over-500-days-of-the-russia-ukraine-monitor-map/When starting to write up your conclusions its also worth checking your work against this list too: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/04/25/oshit-seven-deadly-sins-of-bad-open-source-research/Bellingcat's video guide to working with OSINT tools without coding knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymCMy8OffHM&list=PLq6cQ--4f90icDJUwiGcPrFFLLguuZ0htBellingcat's mental health hygiene guide: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/Sofia's colleague Ben Strick's OSINT YouTube 'Bendobrown': https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFPX1Vfqk3ehZKSFeb9pVIHqxqrNW8SyThis talk was recorded on June 5th 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Bellingcat' Research Lead, Carlos Gonzales. Carlos unpacked a series of recent investigations, delivered by Bellingcat and partners into human smuggler operations across South America and into the US. You can find a link to Bellingcat's investigation into the digital coyote here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/30/a-phantoms-tale-the-coyote-influencer-on-tiktok/And the wider series of investigations via our partners El Clip: https://www.elclip.org/traileres-trampa-migrantes/The following investigations were also mentioned in the talk looking at other regions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001z1sthttps://www.arte.tv/en/videos/117240-001-A/data-sources/This talk was recorded on May 23rd 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

In this week's episode, co-founder and director of The Continent, Sipho Kings joined us. The Continent is an award winning journal, distributed weekly to audiences, covering 54 countries. It's published as an old fashioned newspaper of sorts, on a beautifully designed PDF, and distributed via word of mouth, on closed messaging platforms. In the talk we spoke about the benefits and limitations of distributing on these platforms, and what it's like working in a small newsroom covering so many regions. Links: The Continent Chat 263The OxpeckersCode For Africa The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 9th of May in the Bellingcat Discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

This week we spoke to a representative from Bellingcat's Justice and Accountability Unit, Consultant Natasha Pereverzina. Bellingcat’s Justice and Accountability Unit is a joint project with the Global Legal Action Network. Through years of collaboration, we have developed and tested a step-by-step methodology for investigators to follow, hopefully ensuring the viability of open source information in a court setting. Its aim is to ensure that any material discovered by Bellingcat’s dedicated Justice and Accountability Unit is gathered in accordance with rules on admissibility of evidence so as to make it suitable for use in future legal proceedings and other accountability processes. Natasha unpacks what its like working within the unit and what their end goals are. You can find more information on the unit on Bellingcat's website here: https://www.bellingcat.com/what-is-bellingcats-ja-unit-december-2022/And on GLAN's website here: https://www.glanlaw.org/online-open-source-methodology You can also find the mock trial recordings here: https://www.glanlaw.org/osint-mock-trial and Nick Waters talk on this unit at the International Journalism Festival here: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2024/war-crimes-investigations-and-accountability-using-open-source-techniquesThe talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 25th of April in the Bellingcat discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

This week's live Stage Talk was slightly different, we were joined by a Discord community member/open source researcher, Allison Jenkins. Allison was speaking on an ongoing project that she was looking for support on. Allison has lived experience of the Troubled Teen Industry and realised there was a lack of comprehensive and easy to access information on the industry for concerned parents or for potential future accountability. So over the last few years she has been building a publicly accessible information database on the institutions and companies involved in the industry, using open source techniques. At the time of the talk Allison was having difficulty finishing the project and getting it ready for public view, due to funding and resource restrictions. If you want to help Allison with her work, join our Discord server and ask for further information: www.discord.gg/bellingcat Links that were mentioned in the chat:The background article on the TTI: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/cult-spawned-tough-love-teen-industry/https://xjdp.aspi.org.au/ WASP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Association_of_Specialty_Programs_and_SchoolsAllison (and her ArchivEye tool) is featured in the article of the 2023 Bellingcat Hackathon here: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/06/16/third-hackathon-open-source-tools/ Project from the Bellingcat hackathon: https://github.com/eastrd/ArchivEye The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 11th of April in the Bellingcat discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

In this week's live Stage Talk we were joined by Sasha Issenberg, an author and political writer, speaking on how political parties around the world but particularly in the US, have previously and are currently responding to election mis and disinformation. You can find Sasha's full list of books here: https://www.sashaissenberg.com/copy-of-sasha-s-other-writingsAnd he can be found on X here: https://twitter.com/sissenbergThe talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 28th of March in the Bellingcat discord server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.