Join Bellingcat and a live audience in our discord server, where every two weeks we host discussions with leading voices within open source research and investigations. Be part of the audience at the next stage talk by joining our discord community here: https://discord.gg/bellingcat
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