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.

Friday November 21

11:45am - 1:00pm
General
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 - 1:00pm
Human Rights
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 - 1:00pm
Nonprofit & New Models
KLCC Level 4 - Plenary Theatre
Increasingly, investigative journalism outlets are experimenting with theatrical performances to reach new audiences. This format has developed into two main models: journalists collaborating with actors to present their work live, and theatrical adaptations of investigative reports. These productions have shown strong public appeal, filling theaters and generating revenue. This panel examines the practical aspects of organizing such events, including budget planning, promotional strategies, as well as offering guidance for journalists considering this alternative storytelling medium.
12:30pm - 2:00pm
KLCC Level 3 - Grand Ballroom
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Academic
KLCC Level 4 - Room 405
Emircan Saç from Turkey will present the results from a study titled "Fact-Checking in Turkey: Comparing Government-Controlled and Independent Organizations During the 2023 Earthquake". Emircan examines the differences in claim selections, subject focus, and types of sources the different category of organizations prefer and consider reliable.Tamara Yesmin Toma from Dismislab in Bangladesh will present her research titled "Disinformation Got Smarter, So Did We: How Traditional Fact-Checking Evolved into Intelligence-Driven Investigations in Bangladesh." She examines Bangladesh’s disinformation ecosystem across an authoritarian-to-transitional period, revealing a multi-layer architecture in which manufactured expertise (fabricated academics), manufactured consensus (bot brigades), and a foreign veneer (ghost authors abroad) work in concert to legitimize power, stigmatize critics, and travel back into domestic discourse.🪑 All sessions are first-come, first-serve. That means people who arrive first will get seats. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Crime & 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 - 3:15pm
Crime & Corruption
KLCC Level 4 - Plenary Theatre
When access to public records is limited or laws prevent access to sources, going undercover has been a last resort tool used to uncover wrongdoing and corruption. However, undercover reporting can come with its own risks and has been a method usually included after extensive editorial and ethical conversations. In this session, journalists who have gone undercover in some of the world’s toughest environments, will share their tips, techniques, and lessons learned. 🪑All sessions are first-come, first-serve. That means people who arrive first will get seats. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Data
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 - 3:15pm
Data
KLCC Level 4 - Room 402
Complex investigations generate overwhelming amounts of documents, interviews, and evidence that can easily become unmanageable without systematic organization. This session teaches methodologies for structuring research files, creating searchable databases, and maintaining detailed source logs throughout lengthy investigations. Learn digital filing systems, annotation techniques, smart workflows, and cross-referencing methods that ensure no crucial detail gets lost even as deadline pressure mounts.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Data
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 - 3:15pm
Diversity
KLCC Level 4 - Room 404
Women investigative journalists face unique challenges — no matter where they’re based. This session brings together newsroom voices from West Africa, Asia, the Balkans and Latin America to explore how the political and social context influences their work and investigations. Panelists share their unique experiences working in conflict zones, covering human rights abuses, and challenging power structures.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Environment
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 - 3:15pm
General
KLCC Level 3 - Room 304
Successfully managing an investigative team requires keeping "50 plates in the air at the same time and still smile," per panel speaker Coco Gubbels, author of "GIJN's Guide to Project Management in Investigative Journalism." In this practical workshop, Gubbels guides participants through the complete lifecycle of investigative projects: from initial planning and team assembly to monitoring progress and project closure. Attendees learn essential leadership competencies including managing team dynamics, crisis communication, risk assessment, and dealing with cultural differences.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
General
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 - 3:15pm
General
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.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Nonprofit & New Models
KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 3
This session brings together different experts that will talk about revenue streams and business models that are in place or being explored by journalism organizations around the world. The panelists will offer practical examples and tips on how to develop strategies to strengthen financial sustainability, considering the current challenges faced by non-profit investigative newsrooms, while maintaining editorial independence.All sessions are first-come, first-serve. That means people who arrive first will get seats. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
2:00pm - 3:15pm
Tech
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.
3:15pm - 3:30pm
TBA
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Crime & Corruption
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 - 4:45pm
Crime & Corruption
KLCC Level 4 - Room 404
Government procurement corruption is a growing problem in an increasingly kleptocratic world, draining public coffers in sectors such as security, construction, and climate. In this tools-oriented panel, award-winning procurement watchdogs share case studies that reveal effective approaches to new trends, as well as open source tools and datasets for detecting anomalies and collusion in tenders, red flags in project implementation, data repositories on public contracts, and procurement abuses.
3:30pm - 4:45pm
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 - 4:45pm
Data
KLCC Level 3 - Room 303
Interested in learning more about how open-source data can help your investigation? This practical session introduces methods to navigate and connect the dots across datasets, images, names, emails, and documents to uncover stories of public interest. Through case studies, participants will learn more about advanced internet research techniques for journalists, and methods to verify public information using open sources.🪑All sessions are first-come, first-serve. That means people who arrive first will get seats. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
3:30pm - 4:45pm
Data
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 - 6:15pm
Documentaries
KLCC Level 4 - Plenary Theatre
South Korea’s leading investigative newsroom, Newstapa, faces the fiercest attack on press freedom in decades.In 2022, Newstapa reported allegations that presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, during his time as a prosecutor, had shielded a key figure in a major real-estate development scandal. Nearly eighteen months after Yoon took office, retaliation struck — sudden and unexpected. The presidential office denounced Newstapa’s report as an act of subversion against the state, ruling-party lawmakers branded its journalists “traitors who deserve execution,” and officials vowed to “shut it down.” Prosecutors then launched a so-called special task force on “election interference and opinion manipulation,” targeting Newstapa, and carried out unprecedented raids on the newsroom and reporters’ homes.Even while facing relentless prosecutorial attacks and trials, Newstapa’s reporters filmed and documented every stage of the Yoon administration’s crackdown — a record that ultimately chronicled the fall of a president and proved that press freedom is not just a right, but the last line of defense for democracy.
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Co-hosts

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Malaysiakini