Stage Talks with Bellingcat
Bellingcat 96 afleveringen okt. 29, 2026
Stage Talks with Bellingcat is a podcast from the Bellingcat organisation featuring live discussions with leading voices in open source research and investigations. Every two weeks, Bellingcat teams up with a live audience in their Discord server to explore topics and methodologies in the open source investigative field. The show invites the wider community to join these stage talks and participate in the conversation. It offers insights into real-world investigations, tools, and techniques used by Bellingcat and its guests.
Afleveringen
"Observing Gaza From Space" with Bellingcat's Jake Godin
In this week’s Stage talk, Bellingcat’s Jake Godin explores how satellite imagery helps us understand Gaza’s changing landscape. He shares tools and techniques for analysing imagery and explains how secondary sources can help verify findings, revealing changes across Gaza over time.Hosted by Charlotte Maher on 29 October 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in our Discord Ser
"Maintaining An Open Source Toolkit" with Bellingcat Staff and Toolkit Guardians
This week we spoke to the people behind the Bellingcat Online Open Source Investigation Toolkit, two years after it was first launched. In the conversation, Johanna Wild, Anisa Shabir and Martin Sona explored how they assess new tools, put tools to the test and manage to upkeep the toolkit amongst a constantly changing digital landscape. They also provided invaluable tips on how you can stay safe
"Using AI In Investigations - To Uncover A North Korean Hiring Scam" with Craig Silverman
This week OSINT journalist and trainer Craig Silverman joined us to share how he uses AI in investigations, from prompting Claude to become a research assistant to searching with facial recognition tools. This talk specifically dove into his methodology on his recent investigation into a North Korean scam, where fake recruiters were trying to get new hires to download malware. Craig shared invalua
"Finding Missing Records: Looking Into The Case of An Unnamed Victim"- with Bellingcat's Peter Barth
This week Bellingcat's Peter Barth joined us to go behind the scenes of his latest investigation into a cold case murder. This talk specifically dove into his methodology for public record requests and how this pursuit led to him finding the answers he was looking for. Full of FOIA tips and tricks, this episode is perfect for anyone looking to do in-depth investigations on cases that may have take
"Mapping Hate Networks Across Borders" with Bellingcat
This week Bellingcat's Michael Colborne and Pooja Chaudhuri joined us to share their experience of using network analysis techniques to study transnational hate groups. We spent the hour discussing useful research tips and exploring the wider context of how these types of groups operate.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on September 3rd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded liv
"Exposing Leaked Intimate Imagery Forums" with Bellingcat and The Press
This week Bellingcat's Kolina Koltai and The Press' Michael Wright joined us to discuss their recent investigation into the website LeakedBB. LeakedBB was a publicly accessible forum with millions of registered users, where intimate images were allegedly shared without consent. Kolina and Michael provided insight into the methodology behind their investigation, how they identified a key admin of t
"Inside The Membership Model" with Bellingcat's Development Team
This week, we explored how our work is funded - what keeps our open-source collective's lights on? Bellingcat's Sarah Bishop Woods and Mareike Vitt, both members of our Development Team, joined us to explain our new funding structure: a Bellingcat membership model. We discussed what a membership model is, why Bellingcat has adopted it, and the benefits and risks associated with this type of fundin
"Building Environmental Investigations" with Costanza Gambarini
This week, we spoke to SourceMaterial's Costanza Gambarini, fresh off her win at the Press Awards for Environmental Journalist of the Year. We spoke about what makes a good environmental journalist and the practices she follows in her newsroom. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 16th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/in
"Building Protective Tech- Dealing with Leaked Intimate Imagery" with Madelaine Thomas
This week, we're exploring technology designed to respond to online harms.We spoke with Madelaine Thomas, founder of Image Angel, about forensic watermarking, how the technology works, and the challenges of building tools to respond to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.We also discuss the opportunities, limitations, and alternative approaches to tackling this issue.The talk was hosted
"Reporting On Hidden Networks Of Online Abuse" with CNN
This week we spoke to the CNN team behind the investigation into the porn site Motherless. Anonymous accounts. Private chat groups. Hidden online communities. We unpacked how reporters gained access to these spaces, spoke with users sharing intimate imagery of people they knew, and navigated the challenges of reporting in communities designed to stay hidden. It's a conversation about newsroom reso
"Monitoring Violence In Myanmar" with Bellingcat's Pooja Chaudhuri
This week we spoke to Bellingcat's Pooja Chaudhuri about the ongoing violence in Myanmar. After tracking developments in Rakhine State for three years, Pooja has recently published a longitudinal data analysis of what has happened to the villages and townships disappearing off government maps. Within the talk, she guides us through this work and the obstacles faced in order to monitor this difficu
"Tracing Deportation Flights" with Gillian Brockell
This week we dove head first into the world of flight tracking. How can you identify an ICE flight? What can tracking tools actually tell us? And what kinds of conditions are those being deported facing? We discuss all this and more with independent journalist and former Washington Post staffer Gillian Brockell.Think of this one as a one stop intro to flight tracking workshop, and listen whilst yo
"Navigating Chinese Social Media For Research" with Chu Yang
This week’s episode features researcher Chu Yang, a specialist in Chinese audience insights. She joins us to break down the most popular social media platforms in China, offering a clear overview of how they work and why they matter. Chu also shares practical tips for accessing these platforms from outside the country, along with useful tools for analysing trends both within China and across globa
"Synthetic Propaganda - Tracing an AI-Driven Political Operation" with Effie Webb
This week we spoke with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's AI reporter, Effie Webb about the use of AI in the political sphere and what researchers/journalists can effectively report on AI misuse. Effie uncovered what some experts are calling a first-of-its-kind case—where a registered political party paid for content from an AI-generated influencer pushing ideological messaging.The talk was
"Tracking The Traffickers" with Foeke Postma
This week we spoke with Foeke Postma of Bellingcat about the online trade of rare and protected species. He found traffickers not operating on the dark web, nor hidden forums but in plain sight- on social media platforms. Many of them used coded language to avoid detection. In this talk he discusses his investigative methods, what platforms could do more of to stop these networks and how you can h
"Identifying Munitions In The War With Iran"- with Bellingcat Researcher Trevor Ball
This week we spoke with Trevor Ball of Bellingcat about how to identify weapons used in conflict, including the munitions appearing in the Iran conflict.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on March 12th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:The Weapons Being Deployed https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/03/
"Real-Time Monitoring For Research" with Aram Shabanian
This week we spoke to Aram Shabanian, a Bellingcat contributor and experienced open source researcher. Aram is somewhat of an expert in monitoring live events. He's often the first to spot something on a livestream or hear an emergency call on a radio. In this talk he walks us through his preferred open source tools for watching things unfold and provides insight into how this type of research can
"Mapping the Anti-Rights Movement From the US to the UK" with Amnesty International UK
In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Amnesty International UK’s Gender Justice Director Chiara Capraro. In a recent report, Chiara and her team mapped the structure and funding of 65 anti-rights groups operating across the UK. She shares the methodology behind the research, what it reveals about the current trajectory of rights-restriction campaigning, and what it could mean in the years ah
"How We Got Here: The Rise, Backlash and Future Of Counter-Disinformation" with Eliot Higgins and Dr Claire Wardle
In our first Stage Talk of 2026, we were joined by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins and Cornell University's Dr. Claire Wardle sharing their expertise on the formation of fact checking and verification strategies we see today. But how do we cope with the collapse of trust in media and academic institutions? Are corrections and AI fact checks enough? Listen in to find out what two seasoned open sou
“Digging for Gold in Import-Export Data” with Bellingcat's Katherine de Tolly
In the final Stage Talk of the year, we learnt the mechanics of investigating trade data thanks to this week's guest, Bellingcat research consultant and self-confessed data nerd Katherine de Tolly. Using the example of opioid shipments from India to West Africa, Katherine talked us through the intricacies of import-export data and how to navigate the many data gaps/inconsistencies inherit in the s
"Studying Conflict’s Impact on the Environment" with the Conflict and Environment Observatory
This week, we explored one of war’s less visible consequences: its devastating impact on the environment. How large is the ecological footprint of conflict? What do we know about the long-term harm caused by bombing, heavy machinery, and the waste left behind—and how these pollutants affect both human health and fragile habitats? In this episode, Eoghan Darbyshire of the Conflict and Environment O
"Mapping Military Power" with Michael Hilliard
This week, we explored the practicalities of modern warfare. How do we measure military power? Is it possible to fairly compare fighting resources between regions? In this episode, Michael Hilliard from the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs walked us through their latest research, mapping the militaries of Central Asia. Michael was also joined shortly on stage during the talk by Mitchell Polm
"Identifying Far-Right Fashion" with Bellingcat Researchers
This week, we were discussing what role fashion plays for far-right movements. We spoke to Bellingcat's resident experts on the subject. Michael Colborne has been investigating far-right networks for years and Youri van der Weide has just completed a deep dive on russian neo-nazi paramilitary groups with merchandise embedded within their business plans.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thu
"Student Researchers Vs The Misinformation Machine" with Utrecht University
This week, we were discussing how open source research can help build vital factchecking skills across disciplines. We spoke to Prof. dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh, a professor and one of the leaders of the Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab at Utrecht University. Alongside her, we were joined by Felix Lommerse, the student assistant at the lab and a former student of the course. In the ta
"Tracking Suspicious Ships" with Christian Panton
This week we spoke to maritime researcher Christian Panton. Christian builds resources to monitor ships as a hobby and has created a useful database of 'sketchy boats' that require further investigation. In the talk he described the purpose of the tool and how he created it, and provided a detailed overview of the current issues with researching ships up to no good. The talk was hosted by Charlott
"Mapping Militia Networks" with New America
TW: This episode contains a description of a murder and mutilation. This week we spoke to the team at New America about their work tracking militia and private military groups online. Candace Rondeaux and Ben Dalton led us through their tips and techniques for tracing connections on Russian social media site VK and Telegram. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 11th 2025. M
"Building Tools for Research" with Galen Reich
This week we spoke to Galen Reich, Tech Community Lead at Bellingcat. In the talk Galen provided invaluable advice for those who want to build a tool for research, highlighting what aspects you need to consider in the planning stages, raising awareness of what obstacles could arise once the tool is established and explaining how anyone can build an everlasting tool with or without coding knowhow.
“Speaking of Violence” with Leyla Hussein
This week we were joined by psychotherapist and activist Leyla Hussein. In the session we explored how reporters and researchers can make survivors of sexual violence feel safe, supported and heard, and at the same time ensure they make an impact with their work. TW: The talk contains extensive discussion of sexual violence particularly FGM. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the
"Detecting Stolen Art" with Arthur Brand
This week we were joined by Art Detective Arthur Brand. Arthur Brand has recovered over 200 stolen artworks throughout his career, these include famous paintings once thought lost, from Dali’s to Picasso’s. Within the talk he explains how open sources are crucial to his work and he shares valuable resources for those who are curious about the world of art crime themselves.This talk was hosted by M
"Monitoring US Immigration Raids" with Bellingcat, Evident and CalMatters
This week we were joined by Bellingcat researcher Kolina Koltai and our long-standing publishing partners Kevin Clancy, cofounder of Evident Media and Sergio Olmos, an investigator from CalMatters. The conversation centered around the reliance on bystander videos for accountability of these arrests and the scale advice for other researchers on what to look out for in bystander videos and what fro
"Investigating Cold Cases" with Peter Barth
This week we were joined by Bellingcat's Peter Barth.Peter has been researching a cold case murder from Corpus Christi, Texas, 1971. As part of his research , he's uncovered links to multiple murders and high profile criminal networks, and learnt some invaluable research tips along the way. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 3rd of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artl
"Mapping Shootings" with Cecília Olliveira
This week we were joined by Fogocruzado founder and journalist Cecília Olliveira.Cecília launched Fogocruzado after working on a story and discovering that data on armed violence in Rio and elsewhere in Brazil, something she was seeking at the time for the investigation, was not being robustly collected. She came in to our Server to discuss the power of data and why plotting data that hasn’t befor
"Monitoring Wagner Mercenaries in Africa" with Lou Osborn
This week we were joined by Swiss-based NGO Inpact’s Lou Osborn.Lou is one of the lead researchers in their flagship All Eyes ON Wagner project team. Within the conversation she broadened our knowledge on the current economic and political status of Russian PMCs in Africa and raised the difficulties in reporting on these types of groups.This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 05th
"Protecting the people within your research" with Eliza Anyangwe
This week we spoke to The Fuller Project's Eliza Anyangwe about the steps her newsroom takes to protect their sources. We highlighted the basic precautions you should consider when speaking to those with lived experience of the topic you're reporting on and the differences between traditional investigations and open source research when it comes to human-centric storytelling. The talk was hosted b
"Chinese influence operations and disinformation campaigns" with Jasper Hewitt
This week we spoke with DoubleThink Lab’s Jasper Hewitt as we explored the new forms of digital propaganda. We discussed spamouflage operations in the US elections to AI influencers pushing state lines on TikTok. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 8th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingca
"Tracing a Drug Cartel" with John Mooney and Connor Plunkett
This week we spoke to John Mooney and Connor Plunkett about their investigation into the Kinahan cartel. We discussed the considerations you need to make when reporting on large scale operations and how they found a hidden side to one of Irelands most notorious cartel bosses.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday April 24th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in t
"Monitoring the environment from Space" with Lisa Broekhuizen
This week we spoke to Lisa Broekhuizen from Space4Good, looking at how satellite imagery can help show large scale impacts on our environment from deforestation to the growth of trees. The talk was hosted by Giancarlo Fiorella on Thursday April 10th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks discussed:
"Identifying Explosive Ordnance in Social Media Imagery" with Andro Mathewson
This week we spoke to Andro Mathewson from Centre for Information Resilience on identifying explosive ordnance seen in imagery on social media. Explosive ordnance are munitions that contain explosives, and can detonate without warning, killing or injuring civilians long after conflicts have ended. Andro wrote a guide to easily identify the most common types of EO and in this talk he walked us thro
"Using the Open Source Munitions Portal" with The OSMP Team
This week we spoke to Joe Dyke and Joe Emmett from AirWars and Nick R. Jenzen-Jones from Armament Research Services (ARES). Together they work on the Open Source Munitions Portal, a database of different munition types for open source research analysis. The team walked us through the uses of the OSMP, the many exciting features they've added over the years and why the project remains a vital reso
"Covering Gender Based Violence" with Alexa Koenig
This week we spoke to Dr. Alexa Koenig from UC Berkeley. Alexa has spent much of her recent career looking into how digital investigations could aid accountability for war crimes and gender based violence. Within this discussion we focused on her work covering gender based violence and what lessons she’s learnt from the various groups she’s spoken to and worked with, from legal professionals to su
"Funding Open Source Research" with Mareike Vitt
This week we're joined by Bellingcat Senior Fundraiser Mareike Vitt. Mareike is here to share invaluable tips on sourcing sustainable funding for open source research and journalism efforts. In the discussion we spoke about the current funding trends and how you as an individual or as an organisation can stand out in grant applications and when reaching out to those all important potential donors.
"Building Open Source Research into a Newsroom" with Mike Yambo
This week we're joined by Mike Yambo, open source investigator from the popular African news outlet Nation. Mike explains how he managed to establish open source research practices in his traditional newsroom and how he taught himself those skillsets. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 30th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:Mike Yambo's work at Nat
"Investigating Art Crime" with Lynda Albertson
This week, we're back for the new year with a new topic, exploring the nexus of art theft, trafficking, and intelligence. We spoke with Lynda Albertson from the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art about the process of collecting and analysing information related to art crimes. How can open source research help tackle the world's cultural crimes? The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher
"We are Bellingcat" Q&A session with Eliot Higgins
This week, we decided to change the format a little to mark the final stage talk of the year. We were joined by founder of Bellingcat, Eliot Higgins to discuss how he feels about the last 10 years of open source research as Bellingcat celebrates its decade anniversary. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Links mentioned:'We A
“Monitoring Damage to Cultural Heritage in Volatile Regions” with Caucasus Heritage Watch
This week, we spoke to Dr Adam Thomas Smith, Distinguished Professor of Arts & Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University and Dr Lori Khatchadourian, Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University about their work at Caucasus Heritage Watch. CHW focuses on monitoring at-risk heritage caught in the cross-fire of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict an
"Studying Russia's Digital Grasp" with Dr Mariëlle Wijermars
This week, we spoke to Dr Mariëlle Wijermars about internet governance in authoritarian states like Russia. We discussed the current strategies of the Russian government in internet crackdowns both at home and abroad and the trend of bots, online propaganda and banned media outlets in attempts at ongoing censorship. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 8th 2024. Music featur
"Researching Central Asia: Strategic Insights and Defence Data" with Michael Hilliard
This week, we talk to Michael Hilliard. He and his colleagues at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs recently released their report titled "The Armed Forces of Central Asia". We discuss the complex geopolitical landscape in Central Asia, and what defence capacity the countries have to tackle their strategic challenges. The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 24th 2024. Music f
"Researching Online Extremism and Terrorism" with Elizabeth Pearson
This week we talk to Elizabeth Pearson. Together with her colleagues she recently worked on the REASSURE report (https://voxpol.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Online-Extremism-and-Terrorism-Researchers-Security-Safety-Resilience.pdf )- which is published with the online extremism and terrorism research network VOX-Pol. The report describes experiences regarding safety and security of researchers wh
"Revealing the Bellingcat Toolkit" with the Bellingcat Team
This week's stage talk is focused on our new and updated toolkit! We've packed every useful open source research tool into one place to help assist new and old researchers, journalists and NGOs. Johanna Wild, who lead the project, joined us on stage to talk through the new developments. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 26th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Jo
“Investigating a Massacre in Burkina Faso" with The Bellingcat Team
This week's stage talk is about a militant attack in Burkina Faso that happened in late August, in which over 100 unarmed civilians died. We explore how Bellingcat investigators went to work trying to locate and verify graphic imagery claiming to be associated with the massacre. Content warning: Discussion of civilian harm, abuse and death. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday Septem
“Tracking Deforestation with Open Data” with Luiz Toledo
This week's stage talk is about using open sources in environmental focused investigations. We spoke to freelance journalist Luiz Toledo about his recent work covering deforestation policy gaps. He uncovered his stories using open databases and FOIA requests. Note that Luiz's mic has some distortion in the recording. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 29th 2024. Music featur
"Investigating protest movements and the police response using open sources" with the Bellingcat team
In this week's stage talk we discuss open source research methods of covering protest movements and any corresponding violent action. Using the example of recent clashes in Bangladesh, our team unpack how they go about reporting on this topic, sharing their favourite resources, techniques and advice.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 15 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Ar
"A Collaborative Model For Big Impact With Local Investigations" with Sam Stecklow
This week we were joined on stage by Sam Stecklow, from the not-for-profit newsroom The Invisible Institute. Within the talk we discussed their work on making police complaint data publicly accessible and explored their collaborative models, funding and large data projects.The talk was hosted by Giancarlo Fiorella on Thursday August 1 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Join our Discord Se
“Tracking Wildfires Using Open Sources” with Aram Shabanian
This week we were joined on stage by Aram Shabanian, the Open-Source Information Gathering Manager at the New Lines Institute and long time Bellingcat contributor. Aram shared a long list of interesting open source tools that citizens and journalists alike can use to help monitor wildfires. Find the full list of tools shared by Aram here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SJHzw5cSenCvEq7iGE
"Mapping the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Gaza"- with the Bellingcat and Scripps News team
This Stage Talk is about the impact of conflict on cultural heritage sites and how, as open source researchers, we can monitor the scale of destruction. The discussion was based around our latest documentary with Scripps News, which you can watch in full hereTools: Planet Sentinel Hub Google Earth Ollie Ballinger's damage probability map tool of GazaWikimapiaAnnique's analysing satellite imagery t
"Extremism in Gaming Spaces" with Rachel Kowert and Linda Schlegel
In this Stage Talk we discuss extremism on digital gaming platforms with experts Rachel Kowert and Linda Schlegel. We talk about how and why extremists are using digital gaming spaces for radicalisation and mobilisation efforts, but also about prevention efforts to stop extremists from exploiting these gaming communities.You can find Linda and Rachel's book here: www.routledge.com/Gaming-and-Extre
“Getting Started In Open Source Research” with Sofia Santos
In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Centre For Information Resilience's Sofia Santos. Sofia also runs a website called Gralhix.com which provides exercises and guides for those needing to practice their open source research skillsets. The discussion on stage was all about how to get into our industry, Sofia provided invaluable tips and resources for beginners. The links we shared during th
"Exploring the Digital Profiles of Human Smugglers” with Carlos Gonzales
In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Bellingcat' Research Lead, Carlos Gonzales. Carlos unpacked a series of recent investigations, delivered by Bellingcat and partners into human smuggler operations across South America and into the US. You can find a link to Bellingcat's investigation into the digital coyote here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/30/a-phantoms-tale-the-coyote-influ
"Publishing on closed messaging platforms” with Sipho Kings
In this week's episode, co-founder and director of The Continent, Sipho Kings joined us. The Continent is an award winning journal, distributed weekly to audiences, covering 54 countries. It's published as an old fashioned newspaper of sorts, on a beautifully designed PDF, and distributed via word of mouth, on closed messaging platforms. In the talk we spoke about the benefits and limitations of
"Justice and Accountability with Open Source Research" with Natasha Pereverzina
This week we spoke to a representative from Bellingcat's Justice and Accountability Unit, Consultant Natasha Pereverzina. Bellingcat’s Justice and Accountability Unit is a joint project with the Global Legal Action Network. Through years of collaboration, we have developed and tested a step-by-step methodology for investigators to follow, hopefully ensuring the viability of open source information
"Researching the Troubled Teen Industry" with Bellingcat Discord community member Allison Jenkins
This week's live Stage Talk was slightly different, we were joined by a Discord community member/open source researcher, Allison Jenkins. Allison was speaking on an ongoing project that she was looking for support on. Allison has lived experience of the Troubled Teen Industry and realised there was a lack of comprehensive and easy to access information on the industry for concerned parents or for
”Politics in the Age of Disinformation” with Sasha Issenberg
In this week's live Stage Talk we were joined by Sasha Issenberg, an author and political writer, speaking on how political parties around the world but particularly in the US, have previously and are currently responding to election mis and disinformation. You can find Sasha's full list of books here: https://www.sashaissenberg.com/copy-of-sasha-s-other-writingsAnd he can be found on X here: http
"The Role Of The Fact Checker" with Alice Milliken and Hannah Ajakaiye
In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by fact checkers, Alice Milliken and Hannah Ajakaiye. In the talk we discussed the role of a fact checker in this digital age and how these skillsets are vital for journalists, researchers and the wider public. We also spoke about how AI has had an impact on verification techniques. Hannah's profileA link to one of the social videos produced with Hannah for
"Investigating An Oil Spill With Open Sources" with Logan Williams
In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Bellingcat reseracher, Logan Williams and some Discord community members who have recently become Bellingcat contributors. They were there to speak on a series of investigations into an environmental disaster which had been evolving since February 7th in Trinidad and Tobago. Bellingcat and these discord members used open sources to reveal details about t
"Teaching Media Literacy" with Giancarlo Fiorella
In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Bellingcat' Director of Research and Training, Giancarlo Fiorella. Giancarlo detailed Bellingcat's efforts in the education space and how training high school students in media literacy may be one solution to the issue of disinformation. You can find a link to the Student View project here: https://thestudentview.org/resources-hub/ And our available wor
”The Secretive World of AI Pornography” with Kolina Koltai
Warning: This episode discusses explicit adult content and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).This week we were joined by Bellingcat Researcher Kolina Koltai, discussing her latest research focus into nonconsensual sexual AI generated imagery and the communities and companies set up to create and distribute AI porn. Her research so far has led to restrictions on one company's payment providers and
"Making Investigating Companies Easier" with George Dyer
For the first stage talk of 2024 we were joined by Bellingcat Technical Fellow George Dyer. George is a developer and an entrepreneur, he is the cofounder of Informatism, an AI and data research firm that is currently building a financial news and data platform. During his time at Bellingcat George built a useful toolkit for financial researchers and journalists. The toolkit allows users to naviga
"Tracking Damage In Gaza and Other Conflicts” with Ollie Ballinger
For our final Stage Talk of 2023, Ollie Ballinger joined us on stage. Ollie is a lecturer in Geocomputing at University College London and a regular Bellingcat contributor. He is known for his development of useful tools for open-source research. In this session, he shares the details behind his latest tool, a map that allows you to estimate probable damage in a given area based upon Sentinel-1 sa
"The Risk Of Moral Injury In Open-Source Research” with Hannah Storm
This week journalist and mental health first aider Hannah Storm joined us on stage. Hannah co-authored the first study into moral injury and the media for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She also launched the Headlines Network, an organisation set up to create connections and drive conversations towards improving mental health in the media and communications industries. During t
”The Use Of Auto-Generated Music Videos To Fuel Hate” with Pooja Chaudhuri
This week new Bellingcat researcher Pooja Chaudhuri joined us on stage. Pooja is experienced in following the movements of far-right groups in India. For her first article for Bellingcat, Pooja investigated the phenomena of auto-generated music videos on YouTube and how some of these lyric videos were based upon songs that encourage the expulsion of muslims from India. During the talk she unpacks
”Analysing Historical Imagery with Open-Source Methods” with Annique Mossou and Foeke Postma
This week Bellingcat researchers Annique Mossou and Foeke Postma joined the Bellingcat Stage Talk stage. Both researchers have a passion for unravelling historical secrets and have recently published articles relating to old mysteries. During the talk they discussed these pieces of research (linked in this description), expressed their reasoning as to why investigating old photographs should be se
“The War Came To Us: Life and Death In Ukraine” with Christopher Miller
This week we spoke to Christopher Miller from the Financial Times. Chris wrote a book titled "The War Came To Us: Life and Death In Ukraine' , the book is the Bellingcat' Discord Book Club's Book of the Month for September. During the talk Chris answered the audience's questions on life and war in Ukraine and his own experiences of reporting. You can find how to purchase the book via this link: ht
"PeakVisor, a mountaineering tool useful for geolocations" with Sophie Tedling
Listen in as Bellingcat tech fellow Sophie Tedling breaks down how to use a tool, built for mountaineers, for geolocations and other open-source research purposes. She also shares her personal experience as an open-source researcher with Bellingcat's Global Authentication Project. If you have a suggestion for the developers of PeakVisor after listening to this episode you can reach out to them at
"How to monitor live feeds" with Aram Shabanian
This week's Stage Talk is with Aram Shabanian. Aram works at the Newlines Institute for Strategic and Policy as the Open-Source Information Gathering Manager for the Strategy and Innovation Department. In the talk he shares details on how to monitor traffic cameras, news channels and live webcams using free to access tools. This is an audio recording of a live video presentation.The tools discusse
“Collaborating with our discord community” with Youri van der Weide
We speak to Bellingcat researcher Youri van der weide about his latest article looking into incidents from the IDF raid of Jenin, West Bank produced alongside Bellingcat discord members. Youri discusses how the discord community members got involved in the research and how Bellingcat hope to work with our wider community in the future. The talk was hosted in the Bellingcat discord server on Thurs
"Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace" with Narine Khachatryan
In this Stage Talk episode, Narine Khachatryan, a Bellingcat researcher and trainer, spoke honestly to the Bellingcat discord audience about her recent experience of burnout and follow up therapy. During the talk, audience members also shared their own experiences and concerns. This talk was not intended to provide medical advice to anyone currently suffering from mental health issues but to rais
"Investigating Mainstream Outlets Selling Satanist Neo-Nazi Material" with Tristan Lee
Bellingcat researcher and trainer Tristan Lee joined an audience in the Discord server to discuss his latest investigation, "The Mainstream Publishers, Distributors and Bookshops Selling Satanist Neo-Nazi Books ". Tristan unpacked what the group 'The Order Of Nine Angles (O9A)' represents and how he discovered that material affiliated to them were on sale in major bookstores. He also discussed me
"Mapping the Impact of Conflict" with Aiganysh Aidarbekova
Aiganysh Aidarbekova, an investigator and researcher at Bellingcat returns to the Bellingcat discord server to unpack her recent investigation into the destruction of civilian homes and buildings along the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, following clashes between the two countries in September 2022.
"Insights At RightsCon" with Bellingcat's Researchers
Bellingcat researchers Charlotte Godart, Logan Williams, Aiganysh Aidarbekova and Tristan Lee came to the discord server to discuss their experiences of Rights Con, a large human rights conference that took place in Costa Rica at the start of June. The conference features an array of different speakers, from tech companies to government representatives to human rights defenders , with a focus part
"How Fascism Works" with Dr. Jason Stanley
Dr. Jason Stanley came by the Discord server to talk to us about his book, "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them". During the talk, Dr. Stanley provided an overview of the main ideas in his book, and began his conversation by arguing that fascism and fascist politics are experiencing an "acceleration" at the international level. Dr. Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at
