Open-Source Intelligence: An Investigative Journalism Workshop

February 26, 2026
12:00–14:00PM EST
© Sara Creta.
 
Open-source intelligence (OSINT), publicly available data sources used in the verification of information and events, is integral to the work of many investigative journalists. Increasingly hostile or inaccessible reporting environments, and the weaponisation of disinformation, have intensified the need for verifiable source information to ensure the authenticity and integrity of independent reporting.
 
In this special extended online event, we examine the application of open-source intelligence strategies within media and justice contexts. This two-hour workshop will introduce a range of practical OSINT tools, consider accessibility and online safety, and examine case studies, including long-term operations within closed states and recent high-profile events across the U.S. and Europe, where OSINT tools have enabled critical forensic analysis and reporting.
 
Join David Campbell in discussion with a panel of expert guests; Documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist, Sara Creta, whose research focuses on the intersection of emerging technology and human rights; Davide Piscitelli, Advanced Researcher at Forensic Architecture, a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London; and Francesco Sebregondi, architect and researcher specialising in digital investigation, particularly the use of visual and spatial analysis to document violence and human rights violations.
 

Participants

Davide is an Advanced Researcher at Forensic Architecture, a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London. Since joining it in 2021, his work has centred on developing methodologies that use simulation and predictive modelling as both forensic and speculative frameworks, bridging scientific analysis with situated knowledge. His research also explores how environmental violence and ecological processes can be examined through simulation-based approaches.
David is an educator with a uniquely varied history of research, writing, strategy, and management within academia, government, and non-profit organizations. Since 2021, David has been working with The VII Foundation, where he is the Director of Education, responsible for the foundation’s education programs, online and hybrid events, and Dispatches: The VII Foundation Blog.
Francesco Sebregondi is an architect and researcher specialising in digital investigation, particularly the use of visual and spatial analysis to document violence and human rights violations. He is the founding director of INDEX, an independent investigative NGO established in 2020, contributing evidence on cases of public interest to courts and media alike.
Sara Creta is a documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist, and researcher working at the intersection of emerging technology and human rights. For more than a decade, her practice has focused on documenting war crimes, forced displacement, extractive economies and systems of impunity, combining long-term field reporting with digital and forensic investigation in some of the world’s most restricted conflict and border regions.