The 13th edition of the Summer School is taking place from August 21 to August 27 in the Greek port city of Thessaloniki. Thirty selected journalists from South East and Central Europe will spend a week mastering their investigative skills and learning from Pulitzer and European Press Prize winners.
During the School, participating journalists will go through the basics of investigative reporting and investigative podcasts with Michael Montgomery, a senior reporter and producer for Reveal; Marija Ristic, award-winning journalist and currently a manager at Amnesty International’s Digital Lab will teach participants how to effectively use OSINT when investigating police attacks; Sam Joiner, who leads the Visual Storytelling Team at Financial Times will explain how his team investigated North Korea’s oil smuggling, also introducing participants to various tools used to track ships; Milica Stojanovic, a BIRN journalist and a digital security trainer, will show participants tips and trick on how to stay safe online while investigating; Olaya Argüeso Perez from Correctiv will speak about data journalism and present some of the Correctiv’s best data-driven stories; the Forbidden Stories team will walk participants through the complex paths of finishing someone else’s investigative work – who could not do it because they either gave their lives for the story or are put behind bars by autocratic leaders; Alison Killing – a Pulitzer Prize winner – will show journalists how to locate notorious camps across China, using innovative online tools and techniques.
Last but not least, and for the first time this year, the School is hosting sessions focused on the mental health of journalists, to be presented by another Pulitzer Prize winner, Mar Cabra.
As every year, BIRN is providing 30 full scholarships for selected participants from the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey. This will cover accommodation, meals as well as transportation expenses of up to 200 euros.
Apart from the training, editorial support and mentorship, through our Investigative Initiative Story Fund, BIRN will provide participants with money to support story development and production.
Selected participants will be asked to prepare an investigative story proposal, which they will be working on alone or in a cross-border team during the week. On the last day of the School, a jury composed of BIRN editors will award the best pitches with editorial, financial and publication support.
Limited spots are also available for international participants who need to cover a fee of 800 euros. This includes the training curriculum and full board at the hotel where the Summer School is taking place.
Applications close on June 22, 2023.