Prerequisites

• Basic familiarity with journalism or media work.
• Basic research and internet skills.
• Ability to work with digital tools remotely.

Course Description

Environmental crimes are no longer marginal issues—they directly impact communities and the sustainability of resources, often remaining underreported. In a world where economic interests intersect with environmental concerns, the role of the investigative journalist becomes crucial in exposing violations, documenting evidence, and turning environmental issues into impactful media stories.

Course Objective

By the end of this course, participants will:
• Understand the concept and types of environmental crimes.
• Apply investigative journalism methodologies to environmental issues.
• Develop research skills and gather information from multiple sources.
• Analyze environmental data and use it effectively in media.
• Build a comprehensive investigative story around an environmental issue.

Course Outline

• Introduction to environmental crimes:
- The concept and types of environmental crimes (pollution, resource depletion, environmental violations).
- The impact of environmental crimes on society and the economy.
- The general legal framework for environmental issues.

• Fundamentals of environmental investigative journalism:
- Steps in building an investigative report.
- Formulate hypotheses and key questions.
- Ethical considerations in environmental reporting.
- Risk management during investigations.

• Research and information gathering:
- Environmental information sources (reports, datasets, witnesses).
- Use open-source intelligence (OSINT).
- Interview techniques for sensitive issues.
- Verify information and documents.

• Analyzing environmental data:
- Interpret environmental reports and data.
- Use basic data analysis tools.
- Turn data into understandable narratives.
- Identify patterns and connections.

• Building the investigative story:
- Structure the investigative report.
- Write the investigative narrative.
- Integrate evidence and testimonies.
- Present the story in multiple formats (text, video, multimedia).

• Publishing and impact:
- Strategies for publishing environmental investigations.
- Manage reactions and external pressures.
- Measure the impact of investigative reporting.
- Protect sources and information.

Course Benefits

• An electronic graduation certificate by Al Jazeera Media Institute.
• Initial investigative project ready for further development.