Investigative methods in journalism

Display Schedule

Subject guarantor:

Eric ROSENZVEIG

Name of lecturer(s):

Eric ROSENZVEIG

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

Acquisition and analysis of data from open sources, recognition of key figures and their abilities, overview of state management, administrative management, asset custody, yearly report analysis, analysis of selected legal tools, right to information.

Mode of study:

Classes, workshops

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

Laptop computer, Excel or another spreadsheet application

Course contents:

Journalists and Non-profit organization representatives present cases in an intensive two-day module, which they are dealing or have successfully dealt with and show methods of how to manage them. Part of the module will be devoted to the presentation of analysis tools for investigative work. Part will provide feedback for the script of a model case which the students work on during the module. During the module there will be four workshops (Jan Rovenský/Greenpeace: Open Source Data Acquisition and Analysis, Milan Eibl, Transparency International: Uncovering Corruption Networks, Martin Marek, Kateřina Krejčová: Ecology cases, Final Workshop: Feedback on model case scripts) and 6 classes.

Saturday 15.10.

9:30 - 10:00 Introduction, program presentation and module aims, presentations and distribution of model cases.

10:00-11:30 Pavla Holcova (Czech Center for Investigative Journalism): class on International Investigation. International cooperation. Tracking offshore chains and financial flow, OCCRP - Organized Crime and Corruption Reporing Project and the Investigative Dashboard platform. OSINT - What that means. The story of Elliot Higgins. What all can be found in international databases: from Cocain precursors to Putin's yacht.

11:45 - 13:15 Ondřej Kundra (Respekt): The Stork's Nest as a model for the misuse of European subsidies. Andrej Babiš has called this his best idea. Building vast farms in Central Bohemia which got the name Stork's Nest, were to serve, no only for his relaxation in the countryside but for his employee and evidence of his philanthropic activity. Only that the manner in which Stork's Nest received money has the potential to grow into the greatest mistake of his career. On the surface the case has stopped but a catharsis is expected later this year.

Class on the writing: https://www.respekt.cz/tydenik/2016/1/policie-v-capim-hnizde

Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:30 Jaroslav Spurny (Respekt) History and development of Czech Post-October Investigative Journalism. From bank tunneling of funds, through the hundreds of miillions in debt owed to the Czech Republic by Russia to the rescuing of justice. Domestic investigative journalism in the fullness of time. Objects and tools change but hard work remains.

Classes on: https://www.respekt.cz/tydenik/1994/7/rychly-konec-kreditni-a-prumyslove-banky?issueld=258

https://www.respekt.cz/tydenik/2001/44/svycarsky-sokol-ma-strach

https://www.respekt.cz/tydenik/2007/40/detektiv-sosovicka-jednal-fer?issueld=977

15:45 - 17:45 Jan Rovensky (Greenpeace) Open Source Data Acquisition and Analysis, workshop. Requirements: Laptop computer, Excel

18:00 - 19:30 closing, time for questions about the model cases

Sunday 16.10

8:30 - 9:50 Martin Marek (Troublemaker), Kateřina Krejčová (Nedej se): Ecology cases workshop. What are the processes EIA, IPPC, contemporary European and Czech ecology legislation, participation in management, selected key conflicts of citizens with polluters, analysis of legal instruments, the EIA information system - basic bearing, integrated register of pollution.

10:00 - 11:30 Milan Eibl (Transparency International): workshop: Mapping corruption, working with analysis software for investigating property and personal connections, uncovering corruption networks, commercial register, public tenders, how to use the contract register.

11:40 - 13:10 Hana Čápová (Respekt), Jiří Kameník (President, Association of Private Security Services) Class: Investigative Journalist or Detective? How does the work differ between that of the investigative journalist working with open sources and the private detective?

Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:30 Jana Neumannová (Reportéři ČT), class: Investigative tools and television journalism. Manner of working on individual report programs Reportéři ČT, public service medium, objectivity, image vs. content.

15:30 - 17:30 Final workshop. Feedback from Ondřeje Kundry (Respekt), Lukáše Landy (Reportéři ČT) a Martina Marka (Troublemaker, Open Society), presentation of completed scripts.

Recommended or required reading:

RUT, Adam (ed.). Informací proti korupci. 1. vyd. Praha. Otevřená společnost, o.p.s., 2016. ISBN 978-80-87110-43-0.

SPARK, David. Investigative reporting: a study in technique. 1st pub. Oxford: Focal Press, 1999. xii, 271 s. ISBN 0-240-51543-9.

SPURNÝ, Jaroslav. Česká kocovina. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Rybka, 2002. 295 s. ISBN 80-86182-64-9.

ŽANTOVSKÝ, Petr. Investigativní publicistika. 1. vyd. Praha: Vysoká škola mezinárodních a veřejných vztahů Praha, o.p.s., 2016. 140 stran. Edice učebních textů. ISBN 978-80-86747-39-2.

http://frankbold.org/poradna

http://www.hrdinou.cz/www/data/user/publikace/clovece_zapoj_se_web_fin.pdf

Camera, pen and spraypaint: http://www.educon.cz/prilohy/projekty/kamerou_tuzkou_i_sprejem_cz.pdf

Assessment methods and criteria:

- participation in both workshops and all classes in the two-day module

- knowledge of the study material which will be worked with in class

- completion of the point script of a 15 min. report: select a relevant protagonist (who to address and why, point-counterpoint), selection of relevant respondents from a number of offices, state administration, professionals. present the case dramaturgically, prepare commentary and protagonists' preliminary statements. Presentation of the script in the Sunday section of the module.

Course web page:

Note:

Hana Čápová (Respekt): She has worked at Respektu since 1998, with short intervals working for MF DNES, Týden and Lidový noviny. She writes about domestic topics, primarily for the Society and Politics section.

Milan Eibl (Transparency International): A graduate of the Faculty of International Relations at the Economics College, he joined Transparency as an intern in 2013. Since 2014, he has been one of the main analysts. He has devoted himself, for many years, to the misuse of public funds and the tracking of assets of politically active persons.

Pavla Holcová (Czech Center for Investigative Journalis): She is a publisher as the Center. Among others, she works with investigative journalists on international projects in the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (www.occrp.org). She has taken part in cases regarding Serbian organized crime, suspicious Russian investment in Montenegro, money laundering and tracking offshore firms. She recently was, with Khadija Ismail, nominated for the Global Shining Light Award for a series of articles regarding the illegal commercial activity of the Azerbaidjan President and his family members.

Jiří Kameník (President, Association of Private Security Services): Private detective, owner of the Cenzus detective agency

Ondřej Kundra (Respekt): He describes in his writings, primarily, the adventurous world of Czech politicians focusing on corruption and public tenders. In 2011, he received the Křepelka journalism award. He has also won the Journalist award in investigative journalism for his article uncovering the entanglement of justice with politics with the aim to not investigate key corruption cases.

Lukáš Landa (Reportéři ČT): Since 2008 – a reporter for the program Reportéři ČT. He has worked with other media; Reflex, Lidove Noviny, Czech Radio, Czech Television, Impuls, Deník, TV Nova - Na vlastní oči (With one's own eyes). He has also worked as an editor and moderator for Czech Radio.

Martin Marek (Troublemaker, Open Society): In 2013, he was one of the organizers of the historically first successful referendum in a region of the Czech Republic. Since 2003 he has been a member of the ecology organization Děti Země (Children of Earth), where he has taken part in a campaign supporting cyclists in the city of Pilsen, and a campaign against the illegal cutting down of trees at Lidl stores. Since 2013 he has had his own program, Troublemaker, on the internet television site, Stream. For his activities he received, in Dec. 2013, with Jan Čižinský the White Lily award from Zaostřeno o.p.s. for extraordinary contribution to setting transparency principles in public administration.

Jan Rovenský (Greenpeace): In 1992 began to cover the protection of nature and in 1997, he became, in Pilsen, the head of the Center for civic support for the Děti Země (Children of Earth) organization. From 2004 to 2005 he worked at CHKO Broumovsko. Since 2005 he has headed the Greenpeace Czech Republic's energy campaigns.

Jaroslav Spurný (Respekt): One of the founders of the weekly, Respekt. At the beginning of the 1980s he signed Charter 77, working on publishing the Samoizdat press (Revolver revue, Lidové noviny, etc.). In October 1989, he was a co-founder of the first independent periodical in the Czech lands - Informačního servisu (Information Service), whick in March, 1990 transformed into Respekt. For his work, he has received the Karla Havlíček, Borovsky and Ferdinand Peroutka Journalism Awards and with his colleague Ondřej Kundra the Award for Best Investigative Article 2011.

Further information:

This course is an elective for all AMU students

Schedule for winter semester 2016/2017:

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
15.10.2016		09:30–20:00	Eric ROSENZVEIG	Učebna 2 Lažanský palác		paralelka 1
16.10.2016		08:30–17:30	Eric ROSENZVEIG	Učebna 2 Lažanský palác		paralelka 1

Schedule for summer semester 2016/2017:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans: