Schedule

Get ready for an extraordinary event. This is our 14th global conference and we expect over 1,500 journalists from over 100 countries and territories. The conference is a chance to learn from the best in the business — winners of the Pulitzer Prize and other top awards, pioneers of data journalism, and fearless investigators who have exposed corruption and abuses of power almost everywhere. 

Here’s a look at the schedule. We’ve integrated more than 400 pitches and proposals, as well as what past attendees have told us they most valued. You’ll find more than 100 workshops, expert panels, networking sessions, and special events — with more than 300 speakers from around the world. This is not the final program, there are more sessions and speakers to come. And the timings of panels may be subject to changes.

Thursday November 20

6:00pm
Special Events

Welcome Reception

KLCC Level 4 - Hall 8
Join your colleagues from around the world for a drink and appetizers as we celebrate the start of GIJC25. We're kicking off the main conference with this informal get-together the night before, where you can greet old friends, make new connections, drink a toast, and relax a bit. Your hosts will briefly say hello, but there's no formal program tonight — this evening is just to catch up, share a few moments, and jump-start what promises to be an extraordinary week. ❗NOTE: For security reasons, only registered attendees are allowed to participate in the conference and the special events. Please leave your spouses or plus-ones at home.

Friday November 21

9:00am
Special Events

Welcome to GIJC25!

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
Join us as we officially convene GIJC25! Expect a warm welcome from your hosts — both local and global — plus tips on how to get the most out of the conference and announcements about event highlights, networking, security, and more.
11:45am
Data

Data Cleaning: Tools and Techniques

KLCC Level 3 - Room 302
This hands-on workshop helps investigative journalists understand the importance of preparing accurate, reliable, and consistent data for analysis. It introduces common data quality issues — such as missing values, duplicates, and formatting errors — and demonstrates step-by-step methods to detect, clean, and transform raw datasets. Explore both manual and automated tools, along with best practices and workflows, to ensure data is trustworthy and ready for effective analysis or storytelling.
Speakers
11:45am
Data

No-Code Data Scraping Tool Kit

KLCC Level 3 - Room 303
Web scraping is one of the most useful methods for gathering investigative data from public sources. This hands-on workshop guides journalists through essential no-code scraping techniques for extracting structured data from PDFs, static websites, and complex datasets using simple plugins or free tools. Whether you're dealing with budget documents, regulatory filings, or multi-page online databases, this panel offers techniques to efficiently extract and organize information that powers compelling investigations without writing a single line of code.
11:45am
Exiled Media

Exiled Newsrooms: Managing Teams And Investigations

KLCC Level 4 - Room 405
The challenges of managing investigative projects and teams within a hostile press environment are magnified even further in exile. How can newsroom leaders navigate threats, bans, team dislocation, and censorship circumvention technologies to access documents, sources, and indeed local audiences from afar? In this panel, editors from Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Burundi share transferable techniques to maintain healthy teams and investigations while in exile, as well as insights on leveraging digital tools and risk mitigation methods that could benefit any newsroom.
11:45am
General

Herding Cats, Mining Data: Managing Investigative Newsrooms

KLCC Level 3 - Room 305
What makes managing an investigative journalism newsroom different from managing a newspaper or TV show? Managing team morale and rigorous editorial standards during lengthy investigations requires specialized skills. Leaders must handle massive data flows, develop long-term editorial strategies, and navigate team dynamics when results take months to materialize. This panel identifies the unique leadership challenges facing investigative editors and reveals practical management approaches that deliver sustained excellence in complex, time-intensive reporting projects.
11:45am
General

Masterclass: Investigative Photojournalism

KLCC Level 4 - Room 401
Photojournalist Ron Haviv draws on decades of frontline experience to guide participants through the practice of investigative photojournalism. The session examines how visual reporting can uncover hidden truths, demand accountability, and serve as legal evidence. Through case studies, Haviv breaks down each stage of a project — from initial idea and research, to planning and logistics, to execution in the field. Participants learn practical tools and a sharper understanding of both the possibilities and ethical responsibilities that come with documenting history through photography.
Speakers
11:45am
Human Rights

Uncovering War Crimes in Occupied Territories of Ukraine: Developing New Methods

KLCC Level 4 - Room 403
Reporting crimes during armed conflict serves dual purposes: informing citizens and creating evidence for future justice proceedings. However, this challenging, dangerous work becomes exponentially harder in territories occupied by foreign forces that control movement and restrict local rights, including press freedom. This panel explores innovative methods Ukrainian journalists have developed to overcome these obstacles, documenting war crimes despite surveillance, censorship, and threats.
11:45am
General

Training New Generations of Investigative Journalists

KLCC Level 4 - Room 402
Some of the most innovative investigative collaborations are produced at universities and journalism development centers, where young watchdogs and mentees build skills while tackling carefully chosen public interest projects. Veteran journalist faculty leaders across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America will share new models for cross-border collaboration between students, as well as exciting plans to increase hands-on accountability projects.
11:45am
Crime & Corruption

Tracing Illegal Mining Activities

KLCC Level 4 - Room 404
Illegal mining typically occurs in isolated, hard-to-reach locations, often protected by corrupt authorities or powerful local interests. These operations can cause severe, long-term environmental and social damage, making media exposure crucial. This panel features newsrooms that have successfully uncovered evidence of illegal mining across different contexts. Learn investigative techniques for accessing remote locations, using satellite imagery, analyzing environmental data, and building cases that reveal both the existence and devastating consequences of these operations.
2:00pm
Crime & Corruption

Tracking Aircraft Tied to Narcotics and Corruption

KLCC Level 3 - Room 305
This hands-on workshop teaches journalists to uncover hidden stories behind aircraft used for narcotics trafficking and corruption schemes. Participants learn about open source research techniques, public databases, and investigative methods to trace private planes and expose their connections to organized crime and political networks. The session also provides practical skills for following aviation paper trails that lead to major corruption and trafficking stories often overlooked by traditional reporting methods.
2:00pm
Data

Introduction to Data Analysis with Google Sheets

KLCC Level 3 - Room 303
Spreadsheets are the workhorse of every data journalist. Using Google Sheets, reporters can collaborate with team members on the cloud to power their data investigations. In this hands-on session, attendees learn to filter and sort datasets, calculate key statistics, and summarize insights using pivot tables. Discover how the GPT for Sheets plug-in can supercharge analysis making your work faster and more impactful.
2:00pm
Data

Using QGIS for Mapping

KLCC Level 3 - Room 302
This hands-on workshop deepens skills on using QGIS, a free, popular mapping program. More than just compelling visuals, mapping programs help you uncover stories and discover important patterns. Crime, health, and the environment are just some beats that benefit by knowing mapping skills. In this class, attendees work with QGIS doing fundamental analysis using real-life data.
2:00pm
Environment

Investigating the Water Crisis Through a Local Lens

KLCC Level 4 - Room 403
The global water crisis isn't a future threat — it is devastating communities now. Through compelling case studies, investigative journalists from the Middle East, South America, and the Arabian Gulf will share investigative methodologies for exposing complex water stories and holding powerful actors accountable. The session will include tips for overcoming access challenges in sensitive environments and translating local crises into narratives that drive change. Participants will also learn methodologies for investigating water issues, from corporate accountability to government failures, plus strategies for impactful storytelling on environmental justice.
2:00pm
General

Ethnographic Journalism

KLCC Level 3 - Room 306
As newsrooms recognize the limitations of fast-paced reporting on complex social issues, "ethnographic journalism" has emerged — combining long-term fieldwork, community accountability, and exploratory investigation. This approach can produce richer reporting on marginalized communities and complex social phenomena. The session brings together journalists, editors, and scholars who have successfully applied ethnographic methods, to discuss practical techniques for deeper reporting, community engagement strategies, and ethical frameworks for sensitive storytelling.
2:00pm
General

Journalistic Collaborations in Challenging Environments

KLCC Level 4 - Room 404
This panel examines how collaboration enhances reporter safety and the impact of their stories to hold the powerful accountable. Experienced journalists from challenging regions share practical security protocols, communication tools, and partnership strategies that have protected their work and lives. Learn how international networks provide crucial support, distribute risk, and amplify investigations that expose corruption and abuse of power.
2:00pm
General

Rebuilding Trust: Connecting with Local Communities

KLCC Level 4 - Room 401
In an era of declining trust in journalism, this panel explores how media organizations can rebuild credibility by integrating citizen monitors and local communities into investigative processes. This session focuses on practical engagement strategies and risk management when involving communities in monitoring government spending, public contracts, and abuse of power. Through real-world examples, attendees discover how collaborative journalism enhances local impact, builds audience loyalty, and creates sustainable accountability mechanisms that benefit both newsrooms and the communities they serve.
2:00pm
Tech

Cracking the Black Box: Investigating Algorithms

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
Algorithms are behind some of the most common, helpful applications we use, as well as some of the greatest harms such as systemic bias and unjust claims denial — yet their processes are often hidden from view. In this panel, leading journalist experts share tools and techniques needed to investigate these technologies and their integration into society, access pathways to records and corporate sources, and tips to track AI supply chains and cascading harms.
3:30pm
Crime & Corruption

Navigating the Offshore Maze of Cross-Border Corporate Data

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
This session teaches reporters how to navigate the murky world of corporate datasets, what's available and where to find them. From unspooling nests of shell companies to poring through company registers. Attendees learn to connect the dots and find hidden properties and assets of the ultra wealthy and ultra secretive.
3:30pm
Data

Powering Journalistic Collaborations with Data

KLCC Level 3 - Room 305
Collaboration is perhaps the greatest investigative tool of this century, and innovations in the mechanics of sharing sources and data can make it even more effective. This panel includes journalists who have led projects in which key data has been gathered and been central to power collaborations and investigative projects. Attendees will learn new toolkits and resources for data sharing, open source tools to build in-house infrastructures, as well as lessons learned from collaborations.
3:30pm
Data

Using AI to Analyze Large Datasets

KLCC Level 3 - Room 302
This session explores how generative AI tools can enhance reporting by analyzing complex documents, extracting insights from large datasets, and uncovering hidden patterns. The discussion covers strategies for integrating AI into investigative workflows, practical applications for analyzing government audits and public records, as well as challenges and limitations in AI-assisted reporting. Through concrete examples, participants see real-world applications and gain actionable techniques for applying these tools ethically and effectively.
3:30pm
General

The Authoritarian Shift: Investigating Amidst a Decline in Democracy

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 1
Authoritarian leaders no longer need coups to seize control: many win elections, then systematically dismantle checks and balances while eroding the rule of law. Their playbook typically includes attacking media credibility before restricting press freedom. This panel features journalists from El Salvador, Hungary, India, and Tunisia, sharing how they continue reporting despite increasing limitations. Learn strategies for maintaining investigative work under authoritarian pressure while protecting sources and preserving democratic accountability.
3:30pm
Networking

Networking: Africa

KLCC Level 4 - Room 401
Our networking sessions are just that: informal meet-ups where you can introduce yourself, talk about your work, brainstorm, and find colleagues to collaborate with. Here is a chance to meet colleagues from across Sub-Saharan Africa in a relaxed atmosphere and help strengthen the region's investigative networks. All sessions are first come, first served. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
3:30pm
Networking

Networking: Chinese

KLCC Level 4 - Room 402
Our networking sessions are just that: informal meet-ups where you can introduce yourself, talk about your work, brainstorm, and find colleagues to collaborate with. Here is a chance to meet colleagues from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and around the world — and help strengthen Chinese-speaking investigative networks. All sessions are first come, first served. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
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Co-hosts

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Malaysiakini