We are working on the program for Dataharvest 2022 – the European Investigative Journalism Conference – and expect to publish a preliminary version before April 1. Here is what we are planning:
On Thursday May 19, we will have a Hackday and three master classes:
- How to read annual reports
- How to dig into EU recovery funds
- Working with Open Source Intelligence – read more about the Thursday program
As always the conference will have a wide range of subjects and activities – all centered around our work with investigative journalism, crossborder collaborations, data analysis and innovative ways of working together.
The theme of the year will be Food and Water with a European focus. This is ‘back to the roots’ for Dataharvest, that originally grew out of a journalistic cooperation on getting access to information on EU agricultural funds. We will dig out data sets, invite specialists and form collaborations to follow food and water stories across the continent. EU agricultural policy? Pesticides? Biodiversity? Food security? – all questions that can be covered in this theme. Read more
But Dataharvest is also a learning and a working conference, and as usual we have a multitude of inspiring sessions, divided in these tracks:
- Cross-border journalism – hear the methods from research to publication, the challenges from local to global investigations
- Investigative methods – from online research to in-depth interviews, from geo-location to confrontation techniques
- Safety and security – both online and in-person, we will help you protect your material, your sources and yourself. This year the security track will be coordinated in cooperation with the Center for Investigative Journalism in London.
- Freedom of Information – FOI or Access to information is a key tool for investigative journalists, but not always easy to use. Experts share their tips.
- Algorithms and AI – since 2017 we have had a keen eye on how to investigate the algorithms and the machine learning that increasingly make decisions in society – for better or for worse
- Data journalism and data skills – we will have a full program on the tools and techniques in data journalism – both for rookies and nerds. We will discuss some of the challenges in data journalism – and hear the story about some of the year’s showcases
- Entrepreneurial – are you looking for a business model, for inspiration for your start-up, or do you want to meet donors and discuss funding? We have networking circles, sessions for sharing of experiences and a funders’s cafe.
And if that is not enough – old-timers mention this as most important:
The networking
Networking opportunities will be built in throughout the programme – some sessions will offer networking meetings after the session itself, you can look for cooperation partners on our big whiteboard, have coffee. All of course in charming Mechelen, where you will bump into colleagues in cafes and restaurants – and not least over a late-night beer at the Vismarkt.