About

Open source journalism, also known as OSINT, visual investigations, or visual forensics, is an innovative and powerful form of journalism.

Such journalists use digital information — satellite imagery, photos and videos uploaded to social media, flight tracking data, audio recordings, cryptocurrency transactions, and much more — as evidence.

Deploying open source investigative techniques, reporters have revealed the vast scale of China’s detention program for Uighurs in Xinjiang, the Russian military unit that committed war crimes in Bucha, the way the January 6 riots unfolded, how Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed, and many other critical stories.

Many news organizations desperately want to dive into this critical form of reporting but lack the technical know-how. In response, this conference is for seasoned experts and raw novices.

The inaugural Open Source Journalism Conference is co-hosted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley. We are grateful to our lead sponsor, the Google News Initiative, and our co-sponsors CNN, the Ken and Jackie Broad Family Fund, Crankstart, the Western Wind Foundation, and the Scripps Howard Fund.

Please write to us at opensourceconference2025@gmail.com anytime with questions, comments, or concerns.

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See you soon!