Data-Driven Human Rights Investigations

Abstract

Journalists often have to rely on non-governmental organisations and their sources when they research human rights abuses in remote and dangerous environments. It is highly likely that such collaborations will increase in the future, due to the budget cuts for major investigations in many media outlets. In many ways, the techniques of NGOs, advocacy groups and other human rights fact-finders are similar to those of journalists. But to some extent they differ, for example when it comes to the underlying political agenda that many organisations follow. This chapter explores, what exactly human rights investigations entail, why this work is important for journalists and to what extent the developments of data journalism have reached human rights investigations. It will also give examples of successful data-driven investigations conducted by NGOs while at the same time pointing out the difficulties that arise in the special circumstances surrounding human rights fact-finding.