Stories about using bad data, pre-publishing sensitive information, or missing a schedule: Dataharvest’s 2024 panel “How I Botched and Then Fixed My Cross-Border Research” was no ordinary session. Instead of sharing research skills, open source techniques, or editorial advice, speakers focused on something much less discussed: bugs, glitches, and other errors that nearly cost them a story.
Image: screenshot, data collection
A panel of three renowned investigative reporters from different areas spoke about their own mistakes, moderated by independent journalist José Miguel Calatayud, who shared his own experiences, as well as possible solutions.
“We must verify everything.” – Sortiris Sideris
“My part should be titled ‘How I Screwed Up.’ Period.’ — because it happens all the time,” said Sotiris Sideris, a data editor who works for Reporters United and the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), drawing some audible laughter from the audience. In her opinion, errors are a common part of the journalistic process. In her case, she misread a series of tweets posted by an automated Twitter account containing information from Marine Traffic, which led her to use incorrect data for an investigation. The solution: A colleague noticed irregularities in the data. What Sideris learned: “Never trust yourself or all the great tools without applying logic to them,” she warned. “We must verify everything, including the data.”
“Time is crucial.” — Jelena Ćosić
However, sometimes verifying information cannot prevent errors from occurring. Jelena Ćosić, training director and Eastern European partnerships coordinator at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), spoke about how important it is to plan everything in advance, especially when working in international teams. “Time is crucial,” she said, “you need to establish a common schedule that everyone must follow.” Ćosić pointed out that it can even be dangerous if collaborators do not respect the common calendar. For example, if media partners do not follow protocol and share a story earlier than expected in the US about an African country, this could lead to safety concerns for journalists in the latter.
But he also admitted: “I worked for the ICIJ for five years. “There wasn’t a single moment where everyone followed the timeline exactly.” The key to minimizing negative impacts: “diplomacy and communication,” Ćosić concluded. “You have to make sure everyone knows the processes,” he said, thinking of a time when a partner didn’t have the information he needed, resulting in a serious error that created security issues. “I would rather waste someone’s time once or twice than be in a situation where you have to stop the investigation because you put someone in danger.”
“You can’t vote on all decisions.” — Stephane Horel
However, communication isn’t always the easiest thing to get right, especially in a large, diverse team. Stéphane Horel, a journalist for the French newspaper Le Monde, spoke of his own difficulties in coordinating such a team, especially when it comes to the issue of equality and hierarchies. “I thought that the decision-making process could be democratic so that everyone could have a say,” he reflected. “But little by little I realized that there are many things that one has to decide for others; “You can’t vote on all decisions.”
That is why it uses the idea of “decision by consent”, inspired by communities of friends who share living spaces: proposals are validated if none of the members raise a reasonable objection.”
Some journalists in the audience shared their experiences, from sharing incorrect data to translation problems. Participants gave some tips on how to prevent such errors from occurring:
Write the ground rules for collaboration
“It is useful to put everything in writing,” explained José Miguel Calatayud, summarizing the discussion about the problems of working in large teams. He advised cross-border collaborations to draw up a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or collaboration agreement that includes communication processes. Jelena Ćosić mentioned that the ICIJ draws up a confidentiality agreement (NDA) that includes communication processes. This also means establishing the ground rules of partnerships from the beginning, especially for freelancers who work with media outlets.
QA
“Before you share something, put it through quality control,” warned Sotiris Sideridis. This way you can re-verify your data following a protocol you established first.
Don’t rush and do less
“If we weren’t constantly in a hurry, there wouldn’t be many mistakes,” said Jelena Ćosić. And Stéphane Horel added that the workload that most journalists take on can result in an enormous mental burden. But working long hours does not help avoid mistakes. “Don’t do too many projects at once,” he advised.
Documentation
“I always ask the people I work with to properly document their steps,” Sideris said. If an error occurs, this paper (or electronic) trail helps you know where it occurred and how to fix it.
Plan ahead
All panelists agreed that a large cross-border investigation requires good planning. This way, you can not only anticipate mistakes that you could avoid, but also help simplify the decision-making process.
If there was one clear conclusion from the panel, it is the fact that mistakes happen, everywhere and for everyone. As moderator Calatayud said: “There are some mistakes where there is simply nothing you can do. In the end, people learn from their mistakes, and if we talk about it more, we can also learn from the mistakes others make.”
Sara Ulrich is the German language editor of GIJN and oversees GIJN Deutsch in cooperation with Netzwerk Recherche. She also works as an investigative reporter. Her work focuses on abuses of power, (labor) exploitation, the right and gender violence.
