News

Women Journalists Making Change in the Newsroom and Beyond

Catherine Gicheru is very familiar with glass ceilings, and how to break them.

She became the first woman news editor of the Nation Media Group, later serving as the founding editor of The Star in Kenya. That’s when Catherine first joined the ICFJ network, as one of a cohort of top news editors we brought to the U.S. to learn from their peer newsrooms. 

These Digital News Startups Show Us What's Possible for Independent Media

When El Surti first began publishing hard-hitting visual journalism five years ago, it quickly developed a loyal base of followers in Paraguay drawn to the startup’s novel approach to storytelling. El Surti wasn’t just providing independent, visually compelling coverage on corruption, disinformation and more – it involved audience members as collaborators along the way.

Advice for Journalists Heading into 2022, from ICFJ Knight Fellows

Journalists globally faced yet another challenging year reporting on today’s pressing issues. With the world still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, reporters have stepped to the plate to cover the virus’ variants and debunk misinformation around the vaccines. They have also kept readers informed about crises like the January 6 insurrection in the U.S., and the Taliban recapture of Afghanistan, among many others. They’ve done all this amid escalating press freedom crackdowns, from Belarus and Myanmar to Nicaragua and Hong Kong. 

Working with Data? Here's How to Verify Your Sources and Numbers.

The year 2020 wasn’t just dominated by the pandemic. It was also a year of open data. 

Many health-related organizations published daily and real-time updates about the spread of the virus around the world, circulating an unprecedented amount of numbers and figures. The challenge for journalists has been to analyze this information accurately, and communicate their findings to the public effectively.

How an ICFJ Knight Fellow’s Team Investigated the Peruvian Vaccine Scandal

When Peru’s Congress received access to the full list of those secretly vaccinated, the investigative health site Salud con Lupa (in English, “Health Under a Magnifying Glass”) delved deeper. Many names sounded familiar to the journalists working for the outlet. “We knew many of these people even from before the scandal broke out. They were sources to many journalists. They were thought leaders and medical advisors in the Peruvian media,” ICFJ Knight Fellow Fabiola Torres said in an interview with IJNet.

Using Social Media, ‘Science Pulse’ Helps Journalists Find COVID-19 Experts and Key Trends

Journalists in Brazil, Latin America and beyond are using an innovative new tool launched by an ICFJ Knight Fellow to combat misinformation and better report on the pandemic. Science Pulse, which makes it easier for reporters to find scientific experts and content, is the only tool of its kind designed expressly for journalists.

Fact-checkers Team Up With Social Media Influencers to Combat Misinformation in Nigeria

The spread of misinformation around COVID-19 has demonstrated the power of social media platforms to give oxygen to misleading, potentially harmful news. This infodemic is especially glaring in Nigeria, where the use of social media alongside diminishing levels of trust in local media has fueled the spread of false information around vaccines, social distancing and other public health issues. 

How Two Mexican Media Startups Have Survived the COVID-19 Crisis

Digital media startups over the past year have dealt with major economic and societal challenges due to COVID-19. Two independent news sites in Mexico, Verificado.com.mx and La Verdad de Ciudad Juárez, have not only weathered the global health crisis — they’ve managed to grow their newsrooms thanks to well-defined, flexible business models.

ICFJ-Backed Health Fellow Exposes Hugely Inflated Prices for Face Shields In El Salvador

Authorities in El Salvador have fired an official and launched a probe into government contracts awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic after a report by a journalist on an ICFJ program. Her reporting showed that the government bought face shields from that official’s family company -- and at inflated prices. 

Latin American Health News Site is Filling the Information Void on COVID-19

In Latin America, where the global pandemic has brought mass layoffs to newsrooms just when trustworthy information about the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial, the region’s only news site devoted exclusively to health reporting is providing unparalleled coverage of the health crisis.