Dataharvest 2026 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

In almost all research, we need to uncover information about given individuals: criminals, extremists, corrupt public officials. This workshop focuses on identifying the players in a nasty game, as well as people who can provide valuable information as sources. It delves into investigating their social media accounts, their addresses, and their networks. Details they aim to keep hidden but often fail to.

We will provide strategies, tools and tricks for finding people online. What can email addresses, social media profiles and telephone numbers reveal about a person? How can data leaks, Google reviews, and even apps like Strava offer insights for research? And what do the deceased leave behind? We go beyond abstract methods and present real-world investigation cases: Learn how an investigation can start with nothing more than a name – and end with ringing someone’s doorbell.

The examples include investigations into neo-Nazis and other extremists, police officers and unpeaceful UN peacekeepers, criminal divers, and Secret Service agents kidnapping people.