Dataharvest 2026 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

Human rights violations in prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and correctional facilities are particularly difficult for journalists to uncover: those affected are isolated, authorities are opaque, and data is often fragmented or non-existent.

How can we investigate places that hardly anyone has access to? What methods can we use to get a glimpse behind the walls or fences of those facilities? How do we obtain data? What evidence can support our investigation?

In this presentation we will explore ways to obtain information, access those closed institutions, strengthen the investigation, and develop strategic approaches.

The session will cover:
- Strategies for gaining physical access as a journalist to prisons and detention facilities
- Using Freedom of Information requests to obtain documents and datasets
- Working with fragmentary or missing data and still finding a story in there
- Building, protecting, and maintaining sources in highly sensitive environments

The presentation is aimed at investigative reporters, data- and document-driven journalists, and FOI enthusiasts who want to strengthen their ability to report on closed institutions and other hard-to-reach environments. Participants will leave with concrete tools, workflows, and ideas they can apply to their own investigations.