The Global Investigative Journalism Conference is the world’s largest international gathering of investigative reporters. The conferences are held every two years. Since our first gathering in Copenhagen in 2001, we have brought together more than 5,000 journalists from 100 countries. Later conferences have been held in Copenhagen (2003), Amsterdam (2005), Toronto (2007), Lillehammer (2008), Geneva (2010), Kiev (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), and Lillehammer (2015).
The GIJCs are overseen and co-sponsored by the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), in partnership with its national member organizations. The conferences are widely credited with playing a key role in the rapid global expansion of investigative reporting over the past decade. By focusing on skills and training, they have helped spread state-of-the-art investigative reporting, data journalism, and cross-border collaboration around the world.
Journalists who have attended the global conferences have returned home and made a major impact on such issues as corruption, health care, and the environment. They have gone on to found investigative centers, direct I-teams at major newspapers and television stations, collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and train the next generation of investigative reporters.
This year’s Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC17) is brought to you by GIJN and the Wits Journalism Program of the University of the Witwatersrand, with the support of Investigative Journalism Workshop and the University of of the Witwatersrand. This year’s conference incorporates the 12th African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC2017), an annual event hosted by Wits Journalism.
Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
The Global Investigative Journalism Network is the world’s premier international association of investigative reporting organizations. The Network’s membership comprises 155 nonprofits in 68 countries. GIJN’s mission includes sponsoring global and regional conferences, training, providing resources and advice, and promoting best practices in investigative and data journalism. The GIJN Help Desk has provided assistance to over 3,000 journalists in 100 countries. GIJN was founded in 2003 when more than 300 journalists gathered for the second Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Copenhagen. Membership is open to non-profit media organizations, or their equivalent, that support investigative or data journalism.
Wits Journalism Programme
The Wits Journalism Programme is the graduate programme in journalism and media studies at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The programme offers courses in investigative and data journalism, organizes conferences, manages fellowships and grants for investigative projects, and gives out South Africa’s coveted investigative reporting prize, the Taco Kuiper Award. Each year, Wits Journalism sponsors the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC, formerly Power Reporting), attracting and training hundreds of journalists from across Africa. This year, the AIJC is being integrated into the Global Investigative Journalism Conference.
Anti-Discrimination and Harassment
The Global Investigative Journalism Conference is a strong believer in diversity and welcomes participants regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, or disability. Discrimination, sexual harassment, or other inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated and will be grounds for expulsion from the conference.