10th Global Investigative Journalism Conference

The sales of weapons and military technology is big business, both legal and illegal. Since the outbreak of the war in Syria weapons have flooded that region. What are the sources of the global arms trade? Who are the people making fortunes from war? What are the pipelines and who are the brokers behind them? How can you get your hand on documentation of weapon sales and check if they are legit? These are not just stories of shady dealers but also of corrupt governments, as in India where it took digging to expose the Choppergate scandal involving helicopter sales tied to politicians and military officials.

This all-star panel will help you follow the trail of weapons and money around the world.

Kleptocracy has become the favored system of government around the world. Rise to power, promote your friends and family, kill an independent press, judiciary and oversight bodies, and then steal your country blind -- this is the pattern that has unfortunately become the norm. An estimated US$1 trillion flows illegally out of developing and emerging economies annually, proceeds of crime, corruption, and tax evasion—more than is received in foreign investment and international aid. Here are four experts at tracking and documenting this global theft of the commons, including experts on the extraordinary looting of Africa and the emergence of East European mafia states. 

\"Follow the money.\" That was Deep Throat\'s secret advice to Bob Woodward at the height of the Washington Post\'s Watergate investigation. Indeed, there’s a reason the FBI hires so many accountants – so they can dig into financial records and figure out where it came from and where it’s headed. The paper trail has changed -- money now moves digitally and business registries are databases – but this lets journalists do more than ever before in tracking people and companies across borders. Here are experts in deciphering company records who can help guide you on your way.

It’s not easy to report on corruption unless you understand how it really works. This panel will look at common crimes like money laundering, tax evasion and bribery -- at how they actually work and how you can detect and prove them. It will help identify the key patterns that let you understand if your story is about money laundering or something else. Crime patterns change regularly and we will look at the newest trends and most creative criminal solutions being used. 

No issue cuts across social and economic lines like corruption. Payoffs, conflicts-of-interest, and corrupt practices contribute not only to an unfair playing field but also to poor development, environmental destruction, and organized crime. In its various forms, corruption is perhaps the number one issue faced by journalists. Here are four leading journalists who have investigated extensively on the topic. They'll talk about what techniques they use to follow the money, develop sources, and publish stories that corrupt officials thought would never appear.

Making sense of hidden assets and arcane financial structures is one of the toughest jobs in journalism. Here are three examples of groundbreaking projects by reporting teams in very diverse places: how hundreds of Pakistani officials failed to even file tax returns; how traders evaded the Kimberly Process to move billions of dollars in illicit diamonds out of Africa; and how allegations of fraud, conflicts of interest, and tax avoidance dog lottery systems around the world.