Investigative journalists gather in Brazil

Introduction

Elections, sports, and the environment will be the big three topics on the table when Brazilian journalists and their international peers gather next week in Sao Paulo for that country’s 5th International Congress on Investigative Journalism. Organized by the Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), the conference has become one of the largest meetings of investigative journalists worldwide.

Those attending this year’s event will be able to choose from more than 100 presentations, including how to interpret poll results, how to use social networks in investigative reporting, and how Brazilian cities are preparing to host two major sports events – the World Cup and the Olympics. Computer-assisted reporting experts, including The Center for Public Integrity’s data editor, David Donald, will focus on how to build and analyze databases to make reporting more powerful. Other panelists will talk about legal challenges, unorthodox ways of obtaining information (such as hidden cameras) and the links between literary journalism and investigative reporting.

ICIJ member Rosenthal Alves, director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas (which helped found Abraji eight years ago), said in a Knight Center blog that the scope of the conference shows the consolidation of ABRAJI as one of the largest groups in the world “dedicated to in-depth, entrepreneurial, and investigative journalism.” For more information, check out the conference website.