Announcing the Sigmas 2024 shortlist, how to identify and investigate AI audio deepfakes, and a letter from the founder of Proof

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Announcing the Sigmas 2024 Shortlist. 52 data journalism projects from 22 countries made it to the last round of the competition. Marianne Bouchart and a variety of Sigmas 2024 winners will be #ijf24 speakers.

With elections looming worldwide, here’s how to identify and investigate AI audio deepfakes. “They are easier and cheaper to create than deepfake videos, and there are fewer contextual clues to detect with the naked eye.” Sam Gregory will be a #ijf24 speaker.

Proof. A letter from our founder. By Julia Angwin. Welcome to Proof News. Proof is meant to be an answer to the existential question that journalists are struggling with right now: what is our purpose? Julia Angwin will be a #ijf24 speaker.

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily ran criticism of gov’t not just for ‘sake of criticising,’ defence says in Jimmy Lai trial. “Apple Daily didn’t criticise simply for the sake of criticising, but in the hope that by drawing attention to these matters, the government would change its policies,” Jimmy Lai’s lead defence lawyer Robert Pang said. Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien Lai, will be a #ijf24 speaker.

BBC’s Ros Atkins on AI, switching off (or not), and staying curious. The BBC News analysis editor says data and OSINT “are only going to become more important”. Ros Atkins will be a #ijf24 speaker.

Content from our partner McKinsey & Company

In today’s challenging geopolitical context
, how do we make sense of a fragmenting global order amid heightened competition and conflict? To help leaders gain a better understanding of the broad global trends that impact billions of people around the world, McKinsey, in partnership with WEF, developed a Global Cooperation Barometer. A new McKinsey Quarterly article by Oliver Bevan, Daniel Pacthod, Bob Sternfels, and Olivia White explores the five pillars of global cooperation outlined in the report—trade and capital flows, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, and peace and security.

Four things the book A Death in Malta teaches us about journalism in Europe. A gripping account of the key moments in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s life showing the naked truth of journalism in today’s Europe. Paul Caruana Galizia will be a #ijf24 speaker.

News deserts on the rise: a first comparative study indicates the fragile situation for local media across the EU. The study “Uncovering news deserts in Europe. Risks and opportunities for local and community media in the EU” by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) was published today. This research detects challenges and opportunities for local and community media in the 27 EU Member States, analysing the news deserts phenomenon from a holistic perspective.

Toolbox #3: Zetland. The Danish publisher’s product development and external digital tools. Lea Korsgaard, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Zetland, will be a #ijf24 speaker.

‘Exercising a counterpower role brings threats’: advice from the Colombian investigative journalist Diana Salinas. Digging into those with power, and investigating how money, corruption, and politics collide, is “in the DNA” of Diana Salinas and her colleagues at Cuestión Pública. Claudia Báez, co-founder and CEO of Cuestión Pública, will be a #ijf24 speaker.

Swedish research offers suggestions for better reporting on disadvantaged areas. Half of Swedes in socio-economically disadvantaged areas believe news reporting worsens the public perception of them and their neighbourhoods.

Image credit: homepage of The Sigma Awards