More than 30 journalists and students from Macedonia and the Western Balkans participated in the three regional journalism workshops “Unlock the Secrets of Investigative Reporting”, which were held from November 12^th to 14^th, in Skopje.

During the three days, the participants improved key investigation and analysis skills, through interactive workshops. The first day was dedicated to secret sources, where participants learned how to identify and recruit sources, build trust and protect their identity. Best practices for engaging sources without compromising the investigation were demonstrated, through various examples and techniques. The second day focused on investigating people, companies and assets. Participants were introduced to the basics of open-source intelligence (OSINT), financial data analysis and following financial trails, thus equipping them for more advanced investigations. The third workshop addressed the planning and organization of investigative projects. Topics included using import/export records, plane and ship tracking, and techniques for archiving and managing extensive research materials.

The trainings were aimed at journalists and journalism students, in order to strengthen their investigative reporting skills. Participants learned new tools and techniques for conducting thorough investigations and fact-checking, needed in developing in-depth stories that reveal hidden truths, according to journalistic standards. In that way, the workshops also contribute to the development of high-quality journalism as a powerful tool to combat disinformation.

The participants at the trainings came from 5 different countries – Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which helped their professional networking. The trainers were experienced investigative journalists Axel Humlesjö, an Investigative Reporter at the Swedish public broadcasting service SVT and Emmy Award-Winner for investigative journalism, Alina Tsogoeva, Global Asset and People Tracking Specialist from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), and David Ilieski, Specialist in Political and Industry Investigations also from OCCRP.

The Institute of Communication Studies (ICS) conducted the training in the framework of the “Use Facts” project, which is supported by the British Embassy in Skopje.