ICFJ Knight Fellows Showcase 10 Free Open Source Investigative Tools for Journalists

By: Sara Menocal | 06/16/2016

The ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellows create a culture of news innovation and experimentation worldwide to deepen coverage, expand news delivery and engage citizens in the editorial process. Through that work, they launch web and mobile tools that transform journalism in their regions and spark new opportunities globally.

The tools range from Aleph, software to search large datasets for the names of people and companies, to Push, an Android and iOS app for news organizations that don’t have the time, money or resources to build their own custom code base, to Salama, a security risk assessment web app for journalists. These and the Fellows' other investigative tools can help news organizations everywhere find stories in complex datasets, better distribute their content and keep their journalists safe from online and physical security threats.

Ahead of the 2016 Investigative Reporters & Editors Conference, try out these 10 free, open source investigative tools that any newsroom can use. If you adopt any of these tools or lead any new projects inspired by them, tweet at @ICFJKnight.

This post is also published on IJNet, which is produced by ICFJ.

Main image CC-licensed by Flickr via martin gautron.

News Category

Latest News

Defining the Global ICFJ Network

Journalists in every corner of the world have received support from ICFJ since the organization was founded 40 years ago. They include reporters, editors and producers, as well as people on the business side of media, technologists working on media innovation, journalism faculty and students, and representatives of our partner organizations across the globe. Together, they make up the unparalleled ICFJ network.

'Women Who Won the War' is Creating Space for Women in the Middle East to Tell Their Own Stories

The Syrian Civil War has claimed the lives of more than 500,000 people since protests against the government during the Arab Spring ignited into conflict in 2011. Nearly 7 million Syrians have fled abroad in a mass exodus, and an equivalent number have been displaced inside the country – in total, over half of Syria’s pre-war population. The war has since faded from global attention but Syrian journalists continue to report on it today, while bearing witness to the crimes committed in what has been one of the 21st century’s deadliest conflicts.

ICFJ Voices: Anubha Bhonsle on Delivering ‘News, Not Noise’

Anubha Bhonsle is an Indian journalist whose career has focused on developing new kinds of storytelling. Based in Delhi, Bhonsle has led groundbreaking initiatives related to gender and sanitation. She’s the founder of Newsworthy.Studio, and covers India, the Global South, current affairs, gender, climate adaptation and rights.