IJNet Pamela Howard Forum on Crisis Reporting

IJNet's Top 10 Crisis Reporting Resources Published in 2024

| Through our Crisis Reporting Forum at IJNet, we hosted live training sessions and discussions throughout the year to help journalists stay on top of major global developments. In our “IJNet Conversations” series launched this year, we reached out to experts and writers in the IJNet network to offer their expertise and advice for journalists on the fundamentals of the trade. Here are recaps of six crisis reporting sessions and recordings of four practical resources for journalists that remain relevant heading into 2025.

Tips for Maintaining a Sustainable Career in Media

| As the news industry struggles with funding shortfalls, layoffs, declining trust and rapidly changing technology, journalists — from freelancers to newsroom leaders — have professional and financial security top of mind. In a recent IJNet Crisis Reporting Forum session, Muck Rack Editorial Director Andrew Mercier and Ajor Executive Manager Samanta do Carmo discussed how journalists can keep afloat and thrive in an increasingly uncertain professional environment.

Fundamentals of Open-Source Intelligence for Journalists

| Open-source intelligence (OSINT) – the gathering and analysis of publicly available information found on social media, and in databases and government records – can be invaluable in situations when information is sparse, controlled or censored. Journalists today leverage OSINT to expose corruption, investigate war crimes and hold governments and other powerful actors to account. In a recent IJNet Crisis Reporting Forum session, Eoghan Macguire of investigative journalism group Bellingcat detailed how journalists can use OSINT in their own investigative reporting.

Key Reporting Advice from a Year of Elections Worldwide

| Journalists covering elections in 2024 have combated pervasive mis- and disinformation, documented the rise of political extremism and persevered amid growing attacks on the press. By the end of the year, more than 60 countries will have been impacted by major elections. In a recent Crisis Reporting Forum session, IJNet brought together three journalists who reported on major elections and their aftermath this year in Germany, South Africa and Venezuela. 

How Journalists in the ICFJ Network are Covering Elections Around the Globe

| James Okong'o — who recently published an eye-opening investigation about disinformation campaigns in Kenya and Nigeria — is just one of many journalists ICFJ has equipped to reach voters with trustworthy news. In a year when more than 60 countries are holding national elections, this support is foundational.

Toward an Audience-Centric Future for Journalism

| Some journalists are taking initiative to reorient the industry toward what they believe will be a more prosperous future – by centering audiences first and foremost.  Newsrooms today already have taken steps to prioritize the audiences they serve, noted Raghu. “Ten, 12 years ago, there was this very, very different atmosphere where journalists would write for journalists,” she said. Capitalizing on this momentum will be key. “[The journalism industry now] is automatically and very organically turning to being user-centric.”

Advice for Journalists Forced Into Exile

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IJNet’s Exiled Media Toolkit, developed in collaboration with the Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO), features advice from journalists with first-hand knowledge of the challenges exiled journalists face. It includes tips on how exiled outlets can remain relevant to their audiences, how to measure their impact from exile – which can be especially difficult under an authoritarian regime – and the importance of maintaining a network of journalists in-country. The resource package also includes case studies of exiled journalists from Myanmar, Russia and Nicaragua, which shed light on the paths taken by three different outlets to establish themselves abroad, each amid uniquely trying circumstances.

Tips for Covering the Republican and Democratic National Conventions

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"Even though there's a zillion other reporters running around, and even though the conventions are very scripted, and [...] even though our access as reporters may in some ways be more limited than the past, I'm very curious to see what [they] look like,” said Craig Gilbert, political columnist and former Washington Bureau Chief at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, during an IJNet Crisis Reporting Forum session.

Journalists Speak to the Challenges of Covering the Israel-Hamas War

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It has been over seven months since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, and no resolution appears in sight. 

As cease-fire negotiations have been unsuccessful, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, continues, intensifying an already dire humanitarian crisis. One hundred twenty eight hostages remain held captive by Hamas, according to Israel. 

Tips for Building a Reporting Calendar

| From extreme climate events and armed conflicts, to major elections and more, journalists can feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of stories demanding coverage. Even with strong management skills, reporters may regularly find themselves playing catch-up on significant events as they unfold.