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 Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 25th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Sketchy Boats website: https://sketchy.boats/

Sketchy Boats GitHub: https://github.com/christianpanton/those.sketchy.boats

Christian's pages: https://bsky.app/profile/pa.nton.cx

https://christian.panton.org/

Lloyds list investigation on false flags that Christian contributed to: https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154326/Massive-fraudulent-flag-operation-linking-over-20-separate-fake-sites-uncovered

Bellingcat investigation into the ships smuggling grain from occupied Crimea: https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154326/Massive-fraudulent-flag-operation-linking-over-20-separate-fake-sites-uncovered

Bellingcat's Ship Detection Tool (built with Ollie Ballinger): https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/05/11/peering-beyond-the-clouds-a-guide-to-bellingcats-ship-detection-tool/

And Ollie's GitHub page: https://oballinger.github.io/

#maritime channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/920298016123023400

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. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

New America Future Frontlines: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/

Their Wagner project: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/uncovering-the-wagner-group/

And Proxy Warfare project: https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/future-proxy-warfare/

New America covering Hamdi Bouta's murder https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/reports/inquiry-murder-hamdi-bouta/introduction/

Our previous Stage Talk with All Eyes on Wagner: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2061764/

Coverage of the IDF's lavender programme: https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/

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/bellingcat

Links discussed:

DoubleThink Lab website: https://doublethinklab.org/

DoubleThink Lab medium: https://medium.com/doublethinklab

What is FIMI: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/beyond-disinformation-what-fimi_en

Graphika on spamouflage: https://graphika.com/reports/spamouflage/

US report from VOA and DoubleThink Lab: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/doublethink-lab-and-voice-of-america-us-election-joint-observation-mission-final-report-d5f2dae85e27

Ben Nimmo, the breakout scale: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-breakout-scale-measuring-the-impact-of-influence-operations/

Single File chrome extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/singlefile/mpiodijhokgodhhofbcjdecpffjipkle?hl=en&pli=1

Bellingcat auto archiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

Patriotism for sale: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/patriotism-for-sale-wechat-channels-information-ecosystem-5c6a0f7c6358

DFR Lab: https://dfrlab.org/

Wenhao substack: https://wenhao.substack.com/

Discourse Power substack: https://discoursepower.substack.com/

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 the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Bellingcat's reporting on this here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/30/kinahan-cartel-wanted-narco-boss-exposes-whereabouts-by-posting-google-reviews/

and here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03/22/nowhere-to-run-the-online-footprint-of-an-alleged-kinahan-cartel-associate/

Sunday Times reporting on Oliver Hermann https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/kinahan-investigation-oliver-hermann-leveris-jkvrp8n8w

GHunt tool: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/ghunt

Whois lookup: https://www.whois.com/whois/

Outscraper: https://outscraper.com/

Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

Digital safety tips - Bellingcat video: https://youtu.be/o9uFeVVIiVg

Kinahan's google reviews account: https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107715424953684019563/reviews

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/bellingcat

Links discussed:

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 through it.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday March 27th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Andro's guide and key: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2024/07/31/a-beginners-guide-to-identifying-explosive-ordnance-in-social-media-imagery/

Small Arms Survey: https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/

Conflict Armament Research: https://www.conflictarm.com/

OSMP: https://osmp.ngo/

Repository that Andro built: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19xNmsQpcz7UwHOPy1Zrwud-2jVdctulT5W3_0fUNn8k/edit?gid=0#gid=0

CIR: https://www.info-res.org/myanmar-witness/

Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

CORD database: https://www.ordata.info/

Book recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Military-Ordnance-Identification-Investigations/dp/0815369425

Bulletpickers library: https://www.bulletpicker.com/technical-manuals.html

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 resource for all open source researchers. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday March 13th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links mentioned:

The OSMP: https://osmp.ngo/

Airwars: https://airwars.org/

ARES: https://armamentresearch.com/

OSMP glossary: https://osmp.ngo/resources/glossary/

OSMP visual guide example (3D model): https://osmp.ngo/collection/small-diameter-bomb-gbu-39-visual-guide/

OSMP Israel and Gaza collection: https://osmp.ngo/collection/israel-and-gaza-2023-2024/

OSMP on X: https://x.com/munitionsportal

OSMP on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/munitionsportal.bsky.social

Bellingcat toolkit: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/09/24/bellingcat-online-investigations-toolkit/

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 survivor groups. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 20th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-mali-mr-al-hassan-convicted-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity-committed

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/03/03/sexual-and-gender-based-violence-open-source-researche-osint-digital/

https://www.refworld.org/reference/research/gbrfco/2014/en/101109

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4895271

https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/publications/evaluating-digital-open-source-imagery-a-guide-for-judges-and-fact-finders/

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/case-studies/2014/08/23/the-hills-of-raqqa-geolocating-the-james-foley-video/

https://www.ohchr.org/en/publications/policy-and-methodological-publications/berkeley-protocol-digital-open-source

https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/publications/gender-persecution-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/

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. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 13th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

Funds for NGOs : Subscribe to newsletter, frequent overview of current calls for grants, fellowships etc. https://www.fundsforngos.org/

Specific insights for funds for NGOs: https://www2.fundsforngos.org/

Funds for Individuals: https://fundsforindividuals.fundsforngos.org/

Funds for US: https://us.fundsforngos.org/

Sample Proposals for many areas: https://www.fundsforngos.org/proposal_category/sample-ngo-or-nonprofit-grant-proposals/

Global Forum for Media Development https://gfmd.info/

Overview of current funding opportunities: https://gfmd.info/find-funding/

Extensive fundraising Guide: https://fundraising-guide.gfmd.info/

Check out other resources e.g. grant writing classes: https://www.nonprofitready.org/grant-writing-classes

Bellingcat workshops/training: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

Bellingcat's current donation pathway: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/

Bellingcat's original website campaign is still here! https://brown-moses.blogspot.com/

Freelance cross border funding example: https://www.investigativejournalismforeu.net/

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 Nation: https://nation.africa/kenya/author-profiles/mike-yambo-4180312

Ben Strick, YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bendobrown

Bellingcat guides: https://www.bellingcat.com/category/resources/

Witness: https://www.witness.org/

Code For Africa: https://opportunities.codeforafrica.org/

Anatomy of a killing - BBC Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbnLkc6r3yc

Bellingcat's telegram phone number checker tool: https://github.com/bellingcat/telegram-phone-number-checker

How to use the telegram phone number checker video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLJgnlilEBs&t=1s

Sudan story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/africa/news/look-the-fire-is-inside-your-houses-where-are-you-sudan-s-war-within-4683754

Bellingcat DRC coverage: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/01/29/m23-rebels-goma-congo-fighting-clashes-drc-kivu-control/

Shabaab story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/the-digital-footprints-of-suspected-shabaab-financier-4391768

Police beating story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/finding-the-location-of-viral-video-of-man-beaten-by-police-4304224

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 on Thursday January 16th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

In our Discord Server you can find our art-crime channel: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

ARCA: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/

Lynda's example 1: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-1/

Example 2: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-2/

Example 3: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-3/

Bellingcat investigations/guides focused on old polaroid analysis: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/04/solving-world-war-ii-photo-mysteries-with-open-source-techniques/ ,

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/08/09/using-new-tech-to-investigate-old-photographs/

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/16/untangling-the-mystery-of-the-worlds-first-rooftop-solar-panel/

Interpol Stolen Works of Art Database: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app

India Pride Project: https://x.com/indiaprideproj?lang=en

Lost Arts of Nepal: https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/

Carabinieri TPC's smartphone app: https://apps.apple.com/it/app/itpc-carabinieri/id858588594

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=itpc.carabinieri.it&hl=it

The Antiquities Coalition: https://theantiquitiescoalition.org/

ARCA training: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/postgraduate-certificate-programmes/

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 Are Bellingcat', the book: https://www.bellingcat.com/book/

GQ interview with lost dog conversation: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/eliot-higgins-bellingcat-interview

Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Bellingcat Open Source Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

The Nation open source research coverage of the protests in Kenya: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/eight-hours-of-rage-how-the-finance-bill-2024-led-to-kenya-s-parliament-invasion-4744254

First steps into OSINT: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/11/09/first-steps-to-getting-started-in-open-source-research/

NYT piece on bomb crater detection: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.html

Command Line tools video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3gm-ud91v0

Jupyter Notebooks help: https://github.com/bellingcat/open-source-research-notebooks

Frank Zappa - Eliot's recommendation: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kv0M4wqpMkWqa5f1mbtlogpYO78mBpkws

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.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 28th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Bellingcat GitHub Repository: https://github.com/orgs/bellingcat/repositories

1xBet investigations: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/10/21/1xbet-hosts-thousands-of-amateur-sports-streams-on-its-website/

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/11/19/volunteers-find-1xbet-stream-sites/

Upcoming Bellingcat training on the Command Line: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/september-30-2025-command-line-tools-for-open-source-researchers-for-absolute-beginners-americas-europe-friendly-time

Bellingcat Tech Series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq6cQ--4f90icDJUwiGcPrFFLLguuZ0ht

Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Tech Contributors in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1173619361882329149

Tools and sites in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/709755421836967978

Tool Support in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/947175222937800754

Search Grid Tool: https://grid.bellingcat.com/

Council Transcript Search Tool: https://council-search.bellingcat.com/

and GitHub link for the code for that tool: https://github.com/bellingcat/CouncilSearcher

Filmot (YT Transcripts): https://filmot.com/

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 and was founded in 2020 to monitor and document endangered and damaged cultural heritage using high-resolution satellite imagery. We also discussed Bellingcat's work monitoring similar damage in Gaza and Ukraine. The talk was hosted by Jake Godin on Thursday December 5th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

You can find all of CHW's work on their website: https://caucasusheritage.cornell.edu/

One of Bellingcat's investigations covering cultural heritage damage in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/06/26/gaza-israel-destroy-destruction-damage-cultural-history-heritage-archaeology-conflict-war/

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 featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Mariëlle's publications: https://mariellewijermars.com/

Relevant articles:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/30/kremlin-forced-us-tech-firms-shut-down-an-app-its-opponents-were-using-now-what/

https://cepa.org/article/russias-social-media-self-censorship-law-is-misguided-and-the-west-must-avoid-making-the-same-mistake/

Bellingcat RuNet webinar: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/december-10-2024-bellingcat-online-workshop-on-runet-investigations-4-hour-americas-friendly-time/

Example of Russian bot networks on X impersonating Bellingcat: https://x.com/EliotHiggins/status/1838872568041816103

Hugo Mercier’s book Not Born Yesterday might be relevant. Interviews include this one: https://youtu.be/P2iIwEqUecA?feature=shared

Mariëlle's Horizon project https://www.arm-project.eu/

Link to story about telegram: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240827-free-speech-and-homeland-kremlin-opportunistic-response-to-telegram-boss-pavel-durov-arrest-in-france

Bellingcat's archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

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 featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

You can find the first chapter of the report "Tajikistan" here: https://oxussociety.org/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia-tajikistan/

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 who work on digital extremism and terrorism. We explored her learnings and took questions from the audience.

The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 10th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

For advice on looking after your mental health as a researcher you can look to our guide https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

and find helpful resources on the DART center's website (https://dartcenter.org/)

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.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Link to article on the Toolkit launch : https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/09/24/bellingcat-online-investigations-toolkit/

New toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Bellingcat volunteer community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community

If you have questions around joining the Volunteer Community - reach out to volunteer@bellingcat.com

Invid: https://www.invid-project.eu/

Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/

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 September 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/09/04/burkina-faso-barsalogho-massacre-attack-jihadi-militia-military-human-rights/

(You can find the 'screenshots' referenced repeatedly in the recording in the investigation link above)

ACLED: https://acleddata.com/

Wagner in Africa Discord Channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1054884622955184228

Detail about Chirpwire: https://disinfo.africa/inside-al-shabaabs-digital-propaganda-machine-05cbdb04ed4f

Bellingcat's auto-archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

How to prevent, identify and address vicarious trauma: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2018/10/18/prevent-identify-address-vicarious-trauma-conducting-open-source-investigations-middle-east/

Giancarlo's how to maintain mental hygiene as a researcher https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

Wassim Nasr: https://x.com/SimNasr

Héni: https://twitter.com/MENASTREAM/

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 featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Luiz's investigations:

https://www.icij.org/investigations/deforestation-inc/

https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/desmatamento-amazonia-embargos-icmbio/

https://www.occrp.org/en/feature/criminal-gangs-are-logging-the-worlds-last-brazilwood-trees-to-make-violin-bows

https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/operation-do-re-mi-the-brazilian-bow-makers-under-investigation-for-dealing-in-endangered-wood

Luiz's newsletter: https://news.fiquemsabendo.com.br/

FOIA tools:

https://www.404media.co/foia-forum-with-a-pacer-expert-7-31-1pm-est/

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

https://x.com/JasonLeopold/status/1804630789205942322

https://portaldatransparencia.gov.br/

Environmental/deforestation resources:

https://brasil.mapbiomas.org/

https://infoamazonia.org/en/

https://ambiental.media/

https://dadosabertos.ibama.gov.br/dataset/fiscalizacao-auto-de-infracao

https://cruzagrafos.abraji.org.br/

https://climatecrimeanalysis.org/

https://oxpeckers.org/

https://eia-international.org/

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 Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed in the recording:

Investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/08/07/bangladesh-overthrow-resignation-sheikh-hasina-footage-open-source

Links from UN/ Amnesty on policing and weapons here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2023/10/repression-trade/

Regarding rubber bullet usage https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2023/03/Amnesty-position-paper-kinetic-impact-projectiles.pdf

Policing manual from Amnesty https://www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2017/01/book_1_0.pdf

UN : Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/basic-principles-use-force-and-firearms-law-enforcement

UN: Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons In Law Enforcement https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/LLW_Guidance.pdf

Bellingcat Auto-Archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

Bellingcat's Search Grid Generator tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2024/08/05/tracking-your-search-a-guide-to-the-grid-generator/

NASA-FIRMS: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/

Bellingcat guide to NASA-FIRMS: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/10/04/scorched-earth-using-nasa-fire-data-to-monitor-war-zones/

Bellingcat's guide to maintaining mental hygiene as an open source researcher: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

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 Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Find the full list of links shared by Sam during the talk below:

Civic Data Project Live site: http://CPDP.co

Kicking the pigeon: https://invisible.institute/kicking-the-pigeon

Code of Silence: https://theintercept.com/series/code-of-silence/

https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/Resources/61e475d6-97b0-4eef-8d62-23766553a041/1121846.pdf

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/02/laquan-mcdonald-shooting-a-recently-obtained-autopsy-report-on-the-dead-teen-complicates-the-chicago-police-departments-story.html

https://champaign.cpdp.co/

https://invisible.institute/ypp

https://invisible.institute/somebody-podcast

https://chicagopolicetorturearchive.com/

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/10/15/mauled-when-police-dogs-are-weapons

https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/the-killing-of-harith-augustus/

https://www.btsurface.com/

https://chicagomissingpersons.com/

https://invisible.institute/illinois-police-data

https://invisible.institute/data-access-transparency

https://ipmnewsroom.org/sean-grayson-sonya-massey-sangamon-county-sheriff-misconduct/

https://www.chicagocopa.org/data-cases/case-portal/

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/1SJHzw5cSenCvEq7iGEyhHhRKAHq1vOcVlJy4sYAcchM/edit?gid=0#gid=0

And additional tools referenced in the chat here:

Aram's livestream guide https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/11/09/using-livestreams-to-monitor-crises-in-gaza-and-beyond/

Look up your local area's wildfire pocket card with this link: https://www.wildfire.gov/wims/pocket-card-table

Bellingcat's OSINT Forest area tracker https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/08/18/a-new-tool-shows-what-war-has-done-to-ukraines-forests/

Canadian map resource shared by an audience member: https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/interactive-map

OnXMaps: https://www.onxmaps.com/

Link to our Discord channel for tool idea pitches: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1173992891945861160

Wildcad.net: http://www.wildcad.net/WildCADWeb.asp

Oregon specific references:

Odffire https://odffire.com/

Arcgis view: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6329d5e4e13748b9b9f7f33f06a3c376/?fbclid=IwAR2HH7Zxyi-vqihq8pWQJKzynrFK19bKFow-VjTAn3Puz6lZtHpz5JrTgP4

Inciweb https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/

Oregon Dept of Forestry Course: https://odftraining.thinkific.com/courses/media-access

The IMSR report shows national fire deployments in the US. In the off season it's updated every Friday. Peak fire season it's daily. : https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 18th of July in the Bellingcat Discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 14th of August 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

You can learn more about leyla's work here https://www.leylahussein.co.uk/

The Cruel Cut Channel 4 Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiC_gpE7y053Qlgb9fU0ykM-BggXpfkmj

One month old FGM case: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6200g5d4jlo

The Girl Generation: https://thegirlgeneration.org/

Eliza's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2041897/#about

Alexa's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/

Our Discord Server channels that were mentioned:

#gender-based-violence-misogny : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1118448280435687506

#bellingcook : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1018196475932590090

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 here

Tools:

Planet

Sentinel Hub

Google Earth

Ollie Ballinger's damage probability map tool of Gaza

Wikimapia

Annique's analysing satellite imagery to monitor settlements, video guide

Relevant research:

The Byzantine mosaic https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/emergency-safeguarding-recently-discovered-al-bureij-mosaics-gaza

Jake's X thread on the demolition of the mosaic https://x.com/JakeGodin/status/1805965185653395721

Bellingcat's investigation into the 8219 IDF unit. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/29/weve-become-addicted-to-explosions-the-idf-unit-responsible-for-demolishing-homes-across-gaza/

CNN visits a destroyed graveyard: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/01/29/idf-gaza-graveyard-destruction-diamond-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn

Damage to Ukraine's cultural heritage sites by Bellingcat and Scripps News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HiGgcuB2y4

Organisations referenced:

EAMENA: https://www.eamena.org/

Heritage for Peace: https://www.heritageforpeace.org/

Aliph Foundation: https://www.aliph-foundation.org/

Caucus Heritage Center (Cornell) https://caucasusheritage.cornell.edu/

This talk was recorded on July 3rd, 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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…ok/9781032482996

Other links that were mentioned in the talk: www.takethis.org/2024/05/resilient-resources/ www.stopspying.org/banned-for-being www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUoIVZ3vEHk www.theguardian.com/games/2024/mar/…ame-consultants www.isdglobal.org/explainers/discord-extremism/ www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.…791/html?lang=de

This talk was recorded on June 20th, 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download Discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 the talk can be found here:

Centre for information resilience https://www.info-res.org/

Eyes of Russia Project: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/07/24/over-500-days-of-the-russia-ukraine-monitor-map/

When starting to write up your conclusions its also worth checking your work against this list too: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/04/25/oshit-seven-deadly-sins-of-bad-open-source-research/

Bellingcat's video guide to working with OSINT tools without coding knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymCMy8OffHM&list=PLq6cQ--4f90icDJUwiGcPrFFLLguuZ0ht

Bellingcat's mental health hygiene guide: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

Sofia's colleague Ben Strick's OSINT YouTube 'Bendobrown': https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFPX1Vfqk3ehZKSFeb9pVIHqxqrNW8Sy

This talk was recorded on June 5th 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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-influencer-on-tiktok/

And the wider series of investigations via our partners El Clip: https://www.elclip.org/traileres-trampa-migrantes/

The following investigations were also mentioned in the talk looking at other regions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001z1st

https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/117240-001-A/data-sources/

This talk was recorded on May 23rd 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 distributing on these platforms, and what it's like working in a small newsroom covering so many regions.

Links:

The Continent

Chat 263

The Oxpeckers

Code For Africa

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 9th of May in the Bellingcat Discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 in a court setting. Its aim is to ensure that any material discovered by Bellingcat’s dedicated Justice and Accountability Unit is gathered in accordance with rules on admissibility of evidence so as to make it suitable for use in future legal proceedings and other accountability processes. Natasha unpacks what its like working within the unit and what their end goals are. You can find more information on the unit on Bellingcat's website here: https://www.bellingcat.com/what-is-bellingcats-ja-unit-december-2022/

And on GLAN's website here: https://www.glanlaw.org/online-open-source-methodology

You can also find the mock trial recordings here: https://www.glanlaw.org/osint-mock-trial and Nick Waters talk on this unit at the International Journalism Festival here: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2024/war-crimes-investigations-and-accountability-using-open-source-techniques

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 25th of April in the Bellingcat discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 potential future accountability. So over the last few years she has been building a publicly accessible information database on the institutions and companies involved in the industry, using open source techniques. At the time of the talk Allison was having difficulty finishing the project and getting it ready for public view, due to funding and resource restrictions.

If you want to help Allison with her work, join our Discord server and ask for further information: www.discord.gg/bellingcat

Links that were mentioned in the chat:

The background article on the TTI: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/cult-spawned-tough-love-teen-industry/

https://xjdp.aspi.org.au/

WASP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Association_of_Specialty_Programs_and_Schools

Allison (and her ArchivEye tool) is featured in the article of the 2023 Bellingcat Hackathon here: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/06/16/third-hackathon-open-source-tools/

Project from the Bellingcat hackathon: https://github.com/eastrd/ArchivEye

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 11th of April in the Bellingcat discord server. Music courtesy of Artlist.

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-writings

And he can be found on X here: https://twitter.com/sissenberg

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 28th of March in the Bellingcat discord server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 profile

A link to one of the social videos produced with Hannah for the combatting health misinformation campaign

Alice's profile

Bellingcat training sign ups

Bellingcat YouTube

*Please note that during the course of this live talk we faced technical issues in the Discord Server. These issues are reflected in the recording.

This talk was recorded on March 15th 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 the vessel leaking oil and who was likely responsible.

Find all three investigations here: https://www.bellingcat.com/?s=tobago

And find our partners the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian's version of the third investigation here: https://guardian.co.tt/news/oil-spill-secrets-panamanian-firm-at-centre-of-tobago-oil-spillcargo-valued-at-us2m-6.2.1940419.ae386d7e8e

In the talk we also referenced our work on the Russian grain smuggling operations, you can find that research here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/21/russias-ghost-ships-and-the-evolution-of-a-grain-smuggling-operation/

This talk was recorded on March 7th 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 Merel Zoet on Thursday the 31st of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Article covering the case Brand refers to: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974

Lost Art.De: https://www.lostart.de/de/start

Arthur's YouTube: https://youtu.be/ye8sDfUMnhc?si=Jqx6qugYnbYSEFOd

Bellingcat Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

Bellingcat Discord Art Crime channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1314267278535036988

Interpol App: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app

ARCA Blog: https://art-crime.blogspot.com/

Madonna and the stolen art story: https://www.npr.org/2023/01/17/1149646372/french-museum-finds-a-missing-painting-in-madonnas-personal-collection

Arthur's book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440872/hitlers-horses-by-hedley-prole-arthur-brand-translated-by-jane/9781529106107

Arthur's TV show: https://www.arthurbrand.com/de-kunstdetective-tv/

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 workshops here: www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

This talk was recorded on February 15th 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 the closure of the discord server set up for their creator community. You can read her research into the company AnyDream here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/11/27/anydream-secretive-ai-platform-broke-stripe-rules-to-rake-in-money-from-nonconsensual-pornographic-deepfakes/

This talk was recorded on February 1st 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 navigate the US company regulatory database EDGAR with ease. EDGAR is free-to-access unlike many other regulatory databases in the US but is underused.

Find the toolkit here

And the written guide to the tools here

This talk was recorded on the January 18th 2024 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 satellite imagery and established geolocations. Researchers and organisations around the world have been using the tool adaptations Ollie has created to assess likely damage in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond. You can find a guide to what he was discussing in the talk here: https://oballinger.github.io/PWTT/paper.html and find the guide and the tool itself here: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/11/15/a-new-tool-allows-researchers-to-track-damage-in-gaza/ . The talk was hosted on Thursday the 14th of December in the Bellingcat discord server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 the talk she discusses her research and provides personal guidance on how to protect yourself from harm when researching traumatic events. Hannah is not a mental health clinician, but someone with lived experience and a research background in the topic. The talk was hosted on Thursday the 30th of November in the Bellingcat discord server. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

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 seen as important and revealed some of the tools and methods they used for their research. The talk was hosted in the Bellingcat discord server on Thursday 19th November 2023. To join the server, download discord and visit www.discord.gg/bellingcat . Music courtesy of Artlist.

Links to articles:

Annique's WW2 photo album investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/04/solving-world-war-ii-photo-mysteries-with-open-source-techniques/

Foeke's solar panel investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/16/untangling-the-mystery-of-the-worlds-first-rooftop-solar-panel/

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 https://twitter.com/PVforOSINV . This is an audio recording of a live video presentation. You can find the article Sophie continues to reference here on the Bellingcat website: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/07/13/more-than-mountaineering-using-peakvisor-for-geolocation/ You can also find out more about Bellingcat's Global Authentication Project here: https://twitter.com/bellingcatgap

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 from patterns identified, could emerge over the next few months in other regions. This talk was hosted by me Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025 in the Bellingcat Discord Server.

This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The two investigations:

Los Angeles: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/07/08/masked-armed-and-forceful-finding-patterns-in-los-angeles-immigration-raids/

Bakersfield: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/08/us-border-patrol-called-raid-300-miles-from-border-targeted-open-source-evidence-suggests-otherwise/

Related conversational threads in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1381169631263199232

https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1371571764525535242

Evident: https://www.youtube.com/@evidentmedia

CalMatters: https://calmatters.org/

The lack of local reporters in the United States: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/10/media/severe-shortage-local-news-muck-rack-journalism-index

The Atlantic article interviewing ICE officials: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/07/trump-ice-morale-immigration/683477/

People impersonating ICE: https://msmagazine.com/2025/07/10/men-impersonating-ice-agents-immigration-customs-attack-women-maga-trump/

People Over Papers: https://padlet.com/PeopleoverPapers/people-over-papers-anonymous-anonimo-lf0l47ljszbto2uj

Bellingcat Volunteer Community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community