Stage Talks with Bellingcat

Bellingcat's Aric Toler came by the Discord server to talk about how to teach open source research methods. As Bellingcat's Director of Research and Training, Aric is responsible for overseeing the development of Bellingcat's teaching materials, which have reached thousands of people across the world since 2015. During his talk, Aric gave advice on how to structure lessons and activities, and answered questions from the audience. This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord Server on May 11, 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat.Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Our guest this week was Bellingcat Founder and Creative Director Eliot Higgins. Eliot came by our Discord server to talk to us about his book, "We Are Bellingcat", and to answer questions from our community about the current state of open source digital investigations. Eliot also spoke about where he thinks the field is headed in the future. This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord Server on April 17, 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat.Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Michael Colborne, the lead of Bellingcat's Monitoring Project, dropped by the Discord server to talk to us about a recent article in which he explained how to make sense of far-right symbols online. During the talk, Michael provided practical advice to researchers who might come across these symbols, and answered questions from the community on how to carry out this type of work. This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord Server on April 13, 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat.Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Alex Ștefănescu spoke to us about internet censorship in the European union within the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. During her talk, Alex discussed EU Commission mandates to block Russian media outlets, which she says have had "mixed" results at best. Alex also spoke about how to monitor internet censorship.Alex is a Bellingcat Tech Fellow for 2022, and is currently a Python Developer for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. She is also an activist and advocate for human rights and digital rights in Romania.This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord Server on March 23, 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat.Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Ollie Ballinger spoke to us about tracking ghost ships using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and about a tool that he's built to do just that. By helping to detect ships that have turned off their Automatic Identification Transponders (AIS), the tool can help to track down illegal activities at sea, including fishing in Marine Protected Areas, smuggling, and even sanctions-evasion. Ollie Ballinger has a PhD in International Development from the University of Oxford. He is a lecturer in Geocomputation at the Centre for Advanced and Spatial Analysis at University College London, and a Tech Fellow and contributor to Bellingcat.This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord Server on March 9, 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat.Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Norm, the Project Owl Discord server owner, dropped by to tell us about the history of the Project Owl Community. Norm spoke to us about some of the highlights and challenges of the community over the years, and shared tips on how to become an active member of online communities like the one at the Project Owl server. Norm's talk also included practical tips for Discord server owners on how to foster healthy, welcoming communities. You can find Project Owl on Discord by visiting www.discord.gg/projectowl.This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord Server on February 23, 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat.Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Judy Mionki, an international criminal and human rights lawyer, spoke to us about the use of open source evidence in international criminal tribunals, from the Nuremberg Trials in 1945 to today. She also shared her experiences as a Defence Counsel at the International Criminal Court, and spoke about the fair trial implications of open source evidence. This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord server on February 8, 2023. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcatMusic courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

During this Stage Talk, Bellingcat researcher Giancarlo Fiorella gave an overview of the history of the Bellingcat Discord server. Giancarlo spoke about how much the server has grown in 2022, what its biggest challenges were, and what he hopes 2023 has in store for the server. He was joined by server moderators Sarah and Subtle Knife, who spoke about what it's like to moderate the community. This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord server on December 29, 2022. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcatMusic courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Bellingcat Lead Investigator Hannah Bagdasar dropped by the Discord server to give us an overview of the projects that Global Authentication Project (GAP) members have contributed to this year.Launched in early 2022, the GAP is Bellingcat's formal volunteer community. It is made up of ordinary people from around the world who dedicate their free time and skills to help out with Bellingcat projects. This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord server on December 22, 2022. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcatMusic courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

This talk delves into the consequences of automation and Open-Source Intelligence on investigative journalism, using a political economy lens. It explores the impact of OSINT implementation in investigative newsrooms, such as changing modes of work, stress, overwork, vicarious trauma and PTSD. It also focuses on alienation, how structural imbalances of race, class and gender are replicated in the OSINT space which is a majority white middle-class male-dominated profession from the Global North, often investigating the Global South, replicating colonial power dynamics.Dr. Manisha Ganguly is Investigations Correspondent at the Guardian, focusing on OSINT and human rights. Her international investigations for the BBC have won numerous awards and been broadcast to over 300 million worldwide. Manisha is a Forbes Under 30 media honouree, and was named Journalist of the Year 2022 by One Young World. She holds a PhD in the future of investigative journalism from the University of Westminster.This is a recording of a Discord Server Stage Talk that took place in the Bellingcat Discord server on November 28, 2022. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcatMusic courtesy of Epidemic Sound.