In this episode...
Open-source intelligence goes beyond tools and techniques—it’s about making ethical decisions and understanding the real-world impact of information. In this episode, Olivia Pirie-Griffiths, Non-Executive Director at the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom and former Director of Impact and Engagement at the Centre for Information Resilience, explores how OSINT intersects with journalism to strengthen truth, trust and democracy.
Olivia makes the case for OSINT as a vital tool in the quest for truth, the need to back journalism with real protections, and why working together – not alone – is key to fixing what’s broken in our information systems.
This conversation challenges us to rethink not just what we uncover with OSINT, but how we present it—and the ethical implications that come with that responsibility.
What You’ll Learn
- OSINT in Journalism: How open-source methods are becoming essential for verifying information and combating disinformation.
- The Ethics of Information: The challenges OSINT practitioners and journalists face when using publicly available information, and how they can uphold integrity in their work.
- Shaping Public Trust: The importance of defining journalism’s role in democracy and how OSINT can be used to reinforce credibility and transparency in the media.
Resources
Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom: https://www.journalistsfreedom.com/
Centre for Information Resilience: https://www.info-res.org/
Afghan Witness, Centre for Information Resilience: https://www.info-res.org/afghan-witness/
Missing Perspectives - a social impact newsroom dedicated to challenging the underrepresentation of young women in news and media worldwide: https://missingperspectives.com/
The Centre for Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness partnered with numerous Afghan-run organizations who work towards accountability and telling the stories of Afghanistan, including:
· Zan Times, a women-led investigative newsroom that covers human rights violations in Afghanistan: https://zantimes.com/
· 8am Media, an organisation which comprises an online newspaper, research, events, awards, music and publications: https://8am.media/
· Alive in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan arm of Alive-in, an award-winning movement of grassroots journalists working to change the way people in developing or conflict-affected places are seen through human-centered, public-interest journalism: https://www.alive-in.org/tag/alive-in-afghanistan/
· Etilaatroz, a newspaper committed to reflecting the voice of all Afghan citizens: https://www.etilaatroz.com/
What’s the Point of Reading Writing by Humans?, Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, February 2023: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/whats-the-point-of-reading-writing-by-humans
Want to dig deeper?
Press Freedom in Australia White Paper, Alliance of Journalists’ Freedom, November 2024: https://www.journalistsfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AJF-White-Paper-2024.pdf
Bridging the gap: Using OSINT to report on women and girls in Afghanistan, Centre for Information Resilience, 7 March 2025: https://www.info-res.org/afghan-witness/articles/bridging-the-gap-using-osint-to-report-on-women-and-girls-in-afghanistan/
How OSINT shaped reporting on the war in Ukraine, Centre for Information Resilience, 4 March 2025: https://www.info-res.org/eyes-on-russia/articles/how-osint-shaped-reporting-on-the-war-in-ukraine/
The Ethics Centre: https://ethics.org.au/
