The programme, developed by the Regional Press Development Institute (RPDI), incorporates professional training, peer learning and partnerships with experts to support investigative reporting.
The training component was part of the 18th Ukrainian Investigative Journalism Conference organised by RPDI. This included practical workshops such as “GEOINT for Environmental Investigative Partnerships”, led by Alexandre Brutelle of The Examination, as well as a panel discussion entitled “Investigating the Environment: Best Practices”. This brought together investigative journalists, editors and conservation and land use specialists to share their practical experience. The aim of these activities was to help participants identify story ideas, work with geospatial data, access specialist expertise, and develop collaboration across newsrooms.
The project is expected to be implemented between August and December 2026.
The programme development and speaker coordination took place in August, followed by the conference activities in September. The call for investigative story proposals opened in September, with the selection process and mentoring starting in October.
The period from November to December will be dedicated to reporting, publication and project evaluation. Other activities will include developing an expert database, producing short educational videos and holding an online follow-up meeting. These resources and professional connections will support participants' work beyond the project period.
Trainer, moderator and speakers:
Alexandre Brutelle, Local Partnerships Coordinator at The Examination in France, led the GEOINT workshops.
The panel was moderated by Mariana Verbovska, a freelance journalist, and featured the following speakers:
- Oleksiy Vasyliuk, Head of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group;
- Olena Mudra, investigative journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Suspilne Uzhhorod;
- Oleksandra Romanova, Land Use Specialist at the NGO Ecoaction and Land Matrix Project Coordinator in Eastern Europe;
- Linda Hourani, investigative journalist at The Kyiv Independent;
- Kateryna Rozhdestvenska, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of SODA.
Location
The workshops and panel discussion were held in Kyiv, Ukraine, as part of the 18th Ukrainian Investigative Journalism Conference, which took place from 10 to 12 September 2026. The follow-up meeting and mentoring consultations will be held online.
