Easy-to-use, customizable news app, security training for U.S.-Mexico border journalists and more from the Knight Fellows in this week’s roundup.

"Push" app expands to more media in Eastern Europe

ICFJ Knight Fellow Chris Guess developed “Push,” a customizable iOS and Android mobile app for news organizations that don’t have the time, money or resources to build their own custom code base. Setting up an app using open source “Push” software requires only minimal programming and a few days of developer time. The app displays the latest stories that a news organization has published to its CMS and can be used to “push” content directly to users’ lockscreens. It is compatible with multiple languages and includes a feature that allows small media outlets to collect donations from users. Guess plans to make it compatible with Facebook Live in the coming weeks.

Guess built “Push” for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in Eastern Europe. He has helped them to launch their own iOS and Android app as well as apps for five OCCRP member centers. You can download them here:

Register now for workshop on security for U.S.-Mexico border journalists

Journalists from the U.S. and Mexico who report along the border are invited to attend a free digital and physical security workshop August 25 to 26 in Tijuana, Mexico. The event is organized by ICFJ Knight Fellow Jorge Luis Sierra, who will provide participants with individual digital security risk assessments using his free web app Salama. Click here to register.

New Panama Papers stories report on wide use of shell companies in Africa

The latest stories by the African Network of Centers for Reporting (ANCIR) reveal the wide use of shell companies in Africa. Working in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), ANCIR found businesses in 52 of Africa’s 54 countries that used offshore companies created by Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm whose files were leaked to the media. These findings were covered by The New York Times and The Guardian as well as many other news outlets around the world. ANCIR was founded by ICFJ Knight Fellow Justin Arenstein who serves as a director along with ICFJ Knight Fellow Chris Roper.

Chicas Poderosas starts its first European chapter

Chicas Poderosas, which means “powerful women,” is expanding its network across the Atlantic to Lisbon, Portugal. Chicas brings more women into newsroom technology and leadership roles, and currently has more than 2,500 members in Latin America and the United States. The Portugal chapter will be led by a multidisciplinary team, including a journalist and a programmer, and their first event is scheduled for October. Former ICFJ Knight Fellow Mariana Santos founded Chicas during her Fellowship.

Main image courtesy of ICFJ Knight. This post was also published on IJNet, which is produced by ICFJ.