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.

Saturday November 22

4:30pm
Networking

Networking: Academia and Investigative Journalism

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 in a relaxed atmosphere and help strengthen networks of journalists working in academia and investigative journalism. All sessions are first come, first served. Be aware that some sessions are in relatively small rooms and they will fill up quickly.
4:30pm
Nonprofit & New Models

Practical Business Models in Challenging Funding Environments

KLCC Level 4 - Room 401
Developing sustainable business models is difficult worldwide, but becomes exponentially harder in regions facing political instability, threats to press freedom, or high poverty rates. This panel brings together media leaders from around the world to discuss strategies for insulating their outlets from external pressures while securing stable revenue streams. Panelists also share innovative approaches to financial sustainability, audience engagement, and operational resilience in hostile environments where traditional funding models often fail.
4:30pm
Safety & Security

Let's Talk: Investigative Safety & Security (2)

KLCC Level 3 - Room 304
Investigative journalism exposes reporters to online harassment, physical threats, and legal repercussions. This hands-on workshop, led by safety trainers, addresses common security concerns in investigative reporting and teaches comprehensive risk assessment. Participants also learn mitigation strategies, encryption tools for sensitive communications, best practices to avoid censorship, and digital hygiene to protect themselves and their sources.
4:30pm
Tech

AI Paradox: Newsroom Tool and Investigative Target

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
Whether they know it or not, “Every reporter has an AI story to tell,” according to a leading tech investigator and best-selling author on this panel. Award-winning investigators explain the ethics, harms, limitations, and flip-sides of this omnipresent phenomenon – both a resource hungry industry force and a potentially game-changing investigative tool – and frame the urgent stories and sourcing approaches that investigative journalists will likely need to pursue.
4:30pm
Tech

Investigating Biometric Technology and the Identity Business

KLCC Level 3 - Room 305
The multi-billion dollar identity industry is turning people’s identities into a commodity to be extracted or traded. The rapid deployment of biometric technologies into the Global South is happening with little critical scrutiny, and the identity business is a major blindspot for investigative journalism. In this timely panel, veteran journalists dig into new technologies such as iris scans and fingerprint systems, and share practical techniques and sources for investigating biometric supply chains, large personal information databases, and the deals behind these procurements.
6:00pm
Special Events

GIJN Members Meeting

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 1
The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is an international association comprising 263 member organizations in 97 countries. At each Global Investigative Journalism Conference, GIJN is pleased to hold a members meeting in which GIJN member organizations are welcome to participate. The GIJN Board of Directors and senior staff will share about GIJN's activities, answer questions, hear suggestions, and talk about what's next for the global network.

Sunday November 23

9:15am
General

FOIA / RTI to Power Journalistic Investigations

KLCC Level 4 - Room 405
Public information access laws vary by country, but common strategies can help maximize the value of government-held data. This workshop covers essential techniques for identifying what public agencies possess, crafting strategic requests that yield results, and effectively utilizing obtained information for impactful investigations. Learn to navigate bureaucratic obstacles, appeal denials, and transform raw documents into compelling stories that serve the public interest
9:15am
Data

Tips and Tricks to Work with Spreadsheets in your Investigations (Google Sheets)

KLCC Level 3 - Room 303
The ability to expose abuse and oppression through data-driven investigations is deeply meaningful — and it all starts with spreadsheets. This hands-on workshop reveals advanced techniques for uncovering hidden information in your data, including mention of Google Sheets' unique features.
9:15am
General

In Conversation with Charles A. Adeogun-Phillips: International Rule of Law

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
International legal frameworks are facing unprecedented challenges as globally authoritarianism is rising and democratic institutions are weakening. This keynote features Dr. Charles A. Adeogun-Phillips, whose distinguished career spans genocide investigations and white-collar crime prosecutions. He examines whether international rule of law remains viable amid geopolitical fragmentation and explores how weakening legal accountability creates urgent challenges for investigative journalism. Learn how journalists can navigate jurisdictional complexities, leverage international legal mechanisms, and hold powerful actors accountable when traditional enforcement systems fail.
10:45am
Business & Finance

In Conversation with Joseph E. Stiglitz: Holding Power to Account through Financial Investigations

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
Nobel Laureate and economics professor Joseph Stiglitz has emphasized media's crucial role for keeping our democracies and economies healthy. Viewing investigative journalism as a public good requiring public support, Stiglitz recognizes how financial investigations have exposed hidden mechanisms of the financial system and tax haven abuse.In this keynote conversation with distinguished journalist and academic Sheila Coronel, Stiglitz discusses the vital intersection between economic transparency, investigative reporting, and democratic accountability in our increasingly complex global financial landscape.
10:45am
Crime & Corruption

Uncovering Stories Connected to Religious Groups

KLCC Level 4 - Room 403
Religious groups are often able to commit abuses under secrecy, using spiritual authority as control mechanisms. Investigating these cases often requires communicating with traumatized victims and systematizing complex information. This panel brings together reporters who have investigated religious organizations, as they share their challenges, including legal harassment and persecution, while revealing creative approaches for accessing key information. Panelists discuss methodologies for building trust with sources, navigating institutional resistance, and developing compelling narratives from sensitive testimonies.
10:45am
Data

Techniques to Investigate Misinformation and Social Media

KLCC Level 3 - Room 305
As social media companies dismantle online safety guardrails, investigating coordinated misinformation campaigns has become critical for journalists. Participants learn to archive content in bulk, analyze patterns indicating online coordination, and collaborate with communities to document misinformation's real-world impact. The session covers specialized tools for monitoring Telegram channels, collecting and analyzing data from messaging platforms, and uncovering influence operations designed to shape public opinion.
10:45am
Data

Tracking Ships and Identifying Vessel Ownership

KLCC Level 3 - Room 302
Maritime crime is a vast and often undercovered area of investigative journalism, in topics ranging from labor abuses to smuggling and environmental exploitation. But powerful new digital tools, satellite imagery, databases, and even marine hobbyist sites have transformed the ability of reporters to investigate ships, yachts, and fishing fleets. In this cutting-edge workshop, veteran researchers will share some of the latest tools and techniques for tracking marine vessels and their hidden owners.
10:45am
Environment

Diving Deep: Innovative Methodologies for Uncovering Environmental Crimes in the Oceans

KLCC Level 3 - Room 306
Crimes committed out on the ocean are notoriously difficult to investigate, yet urgent to expose. Illegal fishing alone generates $23 billion annually — the world's third-largest illicit trade after drugs and arms. Massive extractive industries operate with impunity, rapidly destroying marine ecosystems. This panel offers satellite analysis, vessel tracking, and supply chain reporting tips, as well as step-by-step approaches for tracking illegal activities, identifying perpetrators, and building compelling stories about crimes that happen far from public view.
10:45am
Safety & Security

Tech Risk Mitigation: Preparing for Device Search and Seizure

KLCC Level 3 - Room 304
In an era of increasing digital surveillance and authoritarian crackdowns on press freedom, journalists face unprecedented risks when crossing borders, covering protests, or working in conflict zones. The search and seizure of electronic devices has become a primary tool for intimidation, source exposure, and censorship. Through real-life case studies and hands-on scenarios, this session will offer preventative measures, response protocols during seizure, and demystify what happens to seized devices: how they're unlocked, searched, what data is extracted, and potential worst-case scenarios.
1:30pm
Data

Tools to Support Data-Driven Reporting

KLCC Level 3 - Room 302
Data journalism is transforming investigative reporting, offering powerful methodologies for uncovering hidden stories. This workshop explores both established and cutting-edge tools that enable journalists to access, analyze, and visualize complex datasets. Learn to enhance your storytelling with compelling data narratives and master techniques that turn raw numbers into impactful investigations that resonate with audiences.
1:30pm
Data

Using Google NotebookLM to Analyze Large Video Files

KLCC Level 4 - Room 410
Discover how to harness NotebookLM's powerful video analysis capabilities for investigative journalism. This practical workshop demonstrates how to process extensive video content, identify key patterns, establish meaningful connections across multiple sources, and extract actionable insights for your investigations. Learn to efficiently analyze hours of footage, transcribe content, and uncover hidden narratives that traditional manual review might miss.
1:30pm
Environment

Investigating China's Foreign Investment and Supply Chains

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 1
Chinese infrastructure investments and supply chains in mining, fishing, and manufacturing span the world. But investigating their environmental impact, labor practices, and corruption is increasingly challenging. China's restricted press freedom, growing data opacity, and new laws limiting external access to investment information create significant reporting barriers. This session brings together journalists who have successfully investigated Chinese economic links in their regions, offering practical tools, methodologies, and alternative data sources. The focus is on presenting actionable techniques for remote investigation.
1:30pm
General

Digging into Archives - Historical Investigations

KLCC Level 4 - Room 403
Before the digital age, paper documents held secrets that remain crucial for understanding our history. This panel explores how historical archives can illuminate contemporary investigations through real case studies. Discover how technology can unlock previously impenetrable records, from digitized manuscripts to AI-powered document analysis. Learn practical strategies for navigating archival systems, connecting past events to present stories, and uncovering long-buried truths that reshape our understanding of current events.
1:30pm
General

Engagement Strategies to Amplify Your Investigation's Impact

KLCC Level 4 - Room 404
Even groundbreaking investigations can struggle if they fail to reach engaged audiences. In today's attention-fragmented environment and with news avoidance on the rise, connecting with readers presents mounting challenges — especially for long-form journalism. This session explores proven engagement strategies and real-world examples of how to ensure investigative stories are read, shared, and spark meaningful public conversations that drive impact.
1:30pm
General

What the US Is Doing in My Country

KLCC Level 3 - Room 306
The current US administration's tariff regime, immigration policies, travel restrictions, and military operations are creating global ripple effects, so watchdog journalists need tools to track Washington's influence worldwide. This essential workshop guides international journalists through US governmental data, revealing funding, programs, and activities, as well as teaches you how to navigate databases showing federal expenditures, diplomatic initiatives, and policy implementations affecting local contexts and regions.
1:30pm
Tech

Uncovering Wrongdoing Using AI: Methods, Techniques and Challenges

KLCC Level 3 - Conference Hall 2
While AI can pose challenges, it has helped journalists to work with large data troves and find hidden patterns - and its tools are available to both large and small newsrooms. In this practical panel that draws on powerful investigative projects, data experts show how AI tools can be leveraged to comb through everything from court records to images and political speeches to help uncover stories of public interest.
3:00pm
Crime & Corruption

Best Practices for Investigating Oligarchs

KLCC Level 3 - Room 304
Oligarchs use vast wealth and political connections to shield corrupt business empires from scrutiny. This panel features reporters who have successfully penetrated these powerful networks despite legal threats and intimidation. Learn methodologies for tracing shell companies, identifying beneficial ownership, and mapping political relationships. Speakers share techniques for investigating hidden assets, following international money trails, and building bulletproof cases against well-protected targets while managing personal and legal risks.
3:00pm
Data

Basic Economics and Mathematics for Investigative Journalists

KLCC Level 3 - Room 302
While a growing number of reporters know how to dig into shell companies and hidden assets for “follow-the-money” investigations into fraud and corruption, many struggle with crunching of the numbers they've uncovered. In this workshop, a veteran journalist equips attendees with the ability to compute and work with percentages, rates, currencies, financial indicators, and the kind of mathematics that can be an investigator's friend.
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Co-hosts

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Malaysiakini