Продовження проекту "Школа журналістських розслідувань" у 2019 році: можливості та виклики для українських медіа

This year, "Investigative Journalism for Transparency" project is implemented together with a German organization "Media in Cooperation and Transition" (MiCT) using the German Federal Foreign Office resources.

This is the second year of the project: in 2018 in its frames effective journalistic investigations on various topics were conducted. Project support from the German partner is really important, as Ukrainian investigative journalists gain extra means to develop professionally, share experiences, and thus to more effectively overcome challenges that investigative journalism face in Ukraine .

Trainers:

- Oleksandr Kurbatov – an investigative journalist with 24 years of experience; cooperates with independent investigative projects "Slidstvo.Info" and "Our Money" produced by BIHUS.INFO;

- Yuliia Zaltsberh – the IFES Ukraine trainer on regulation of financing of electoral campaigns, expert on political finances and electoral processes with experience in promulgation and implementation of political finance reform in Ukraine.

The main goal of the project is to provide a comprehensive educational campaign on standards and ethics in investigative journalism for Ukrainian media and civic activists with the emphasis on advanced techniques using the best European methodologies. The target group of the project is certified journalists, representatives of new media and bloggers, students of the last year of study at the faculties of journalism, as well as civic media-activists.

The project offers trainings on investigative tools in political finances for experienced journalists-investigators and series of training-courses with homework for investigators-beginners, during which participants will receive the following knowledge and practical skills:

- Methods of collecting, verifying and systematization of information collected in preparation for an investigation;
- Interview methods;
- Basics of storytelling;
- Responsibility for violation of political funding requirements;
- Presentation of the group and individual investigations.

Besides, during the training on investigative tools in political finances participants will receive answers to the following questions:

- The purpose of the political funding reform in Ukraine;
- Who has the right to state funding for statutory activities;
- How to work with sources of information (cadastral maps, declarations, registers);
- How to identify the real sources of funding for a power official whose property value does not correspond to his/her official incomes;
- What financial reports on the use of electoral fund of a party or candidate exist, when and where they are published;
- Conducting investigations is dangerous work; types of observations: what they can be like, when one need to resort to them and when not; are there justified risks?
- What rules journalists should follow to avoid persecution and attacks.

In order to stimulate participants to conduct their own investigations, the  two competitions for the best materials will be held within the project. The winners, selected by an independent competent jury, will be awarded valuable prizes.

The effectiveness of the project is confirmed by the results of trainings implemented last year, when participants created 52 own investigations, which indicates that the project meets the needs of Ukrainian journalism and addresses a request for improving the quality of work of Ukrainian investigative journalists.