Young and Inexperienced, Talented and Empathetic: How to Train New Reporters for Collaborative Investigations

In 2023, a group of 50 journalists and other professionals investigated the impact of deforestation in 12 Latin American countries. The FOIA stage was tough. In Ecuador, the online platform for public information requests wasn’t working and emails sent to public officials had not been answered after more than a month; in Bolivia, it was necessary to present the requests in person; in Guatemala, authorities only provided data up to 2016, even though reporters were hunting for figures up to 2021; and the Argentinian official information only arrived a few days before publication.

“It is important to differentiate between only capturing talent and trying to identify people who are willing to collaborate. It makes no sense to think about collaborative journalism If we do not create a friendly environment.” — Jordy Meléndez, director of Distintas Latitudes

Dealing with these obstacles were the Mexican reporter Mariana Recamier, who was then 30 years old, and Venezuela’s Diana Cid, then 25. They were coordinators of the investigation led by the transnational online news site Distintas Latitudes in collaboration with Mongabay.

Even though it was their first assignment with that level of responsibility, the pair had been trained through the Latam Network for Young Journalists — an initiative from Distintas Latitudes and its parent organization, Factual, a Mexico-based communications effort that aims to find, train up and boost promising journalists across Latin America and the Caribbean. The program lasts for nearly a year and provides specialized tutorials with the aim of harnessing the talent of young reporters and making sure they are able to handle the demands and challenges that collaborative projects can presentbring.

Each year, the network opens a call for early career reporters with a cohort shortlisted from the 300 to 500 applicants, most of whom are just starting out their careers and aged under 30. Then starts a cycle of learning and conversations with a group of tutors made up of experienced investigative journalists from various countries.

The process puts the reporters through a series of “in-classroom” challenges, before they work on a big collaborative project designed to help reporters identify their own abilities and interests and learn how to spot and report a good story with clarity and intention, and how to collaborate as part of a team.

“Networks save us,” is how Jordy Meléndez, the director of Distintas Latitudes, puts it. And that’s what Recaimer and Cid said they learned with the deforestation project, when the close, constant interaction they provided each other was key to finding effective sources, sharing experiences, and persevering in the struggle for information. The result was a rich, intricately illustrated project displaying the scale of the loss in the region, an investigation that GIJN rated as one of 2023’s best from Spain and Latin America.

“Before joining the [Latam] Network, I had participated in a big investigative project, but I was a student and my role was small. This [Distintas Latitudes project] was the first time that I had a deep and extensive process because it allowed me to get to know as well as possible the realities of other countries in order to tell them the best way possible,” Mariana said.

GIJN spoke to Meléndez at the Gabo Festival in the Colombian capital Bogota after a workshop on collaborative journalism, to better understand how the Network has helped train young reporters for investigative projects.

GIJN: How did you decide to focus on promoting young people for investigative journalism?

Jordy Meléndez: When I started with all the ideas around Distintas Latitudes and the Network, 13 years ago, I was also young. Back then, it became evident to me that some journalists were not receiving high-impact university training. In journalism schools, there was no talk of data journalism, journalism with a gender perspective, or things like podcasts. Even digital journalism was somewhat new at the time.

In 2012, we held our first forum on digital media and journalism that we replicated the following year. We realized that we were creating very strong links with talented journalists from all over the region, so it occurred to me: why don’t we use those connections to create a kind of team of tutors who can teach, give advice, and interact with young journalists?

My idea with the Network was never to give classes that replace university classes, but rather that reporters could have one-on-one conversations with journalism experts from all over the region. And that’s how it started.

GIJN: What would you recommend for the selection process for newsrooms that want to start involving young reporters in their investigations?

JM: Our application form is designed not only to detect talent, but also to detect empathy. I think it is important to differentiate between only capturing talent and trying to identify people who are willing to collaborate. It makes no sense to think about collaborative journalism If we do not create a friendly environment.

Some questions have worked well for us, for example: what type of journalism do you want to do? What journalists or media outlets do you admire and why?

GIJN: What roles do young people play in Distintas Latitudes’ collaborative projects?

JM: We know that in each generation there is a diversity of profiles. There are people very interested in doing investigations while others are much better at getting on screen for spreading the content, making requests for information, etc. The challenges [we run] throughout the cycle allow us to identify those profiles.

Something that has worked well for us is dividing the teams into four large areas: research and field reporting, database creation and fact-checking, audiovisual production, and promotional strategies. This allows us to make the most of each person’s profiles and outputs, though people often participate in more than one team.

GIJN: What have you seen as a result?

JM: On one hand, there is a lot of creativity. In young minds there are fresh, renewing ideas that allow you to think outside the box, in terms of formats, angles or how to connect with audiences. That is why it is important to give them the opportunity not only to investigate, but also to propose [ideas].

We have seen that sometimes, media outlets strongly keep in mind from the beginning the type of format and the output product of an investigation; but we discovered that it works better for us to first define the topic, the angle, begin to investigate, and then return with the information we gathered in that first report. At that moment, in a creative way, we decide what type of content we want to make with the information we have and whether we need to return to the communities, with our sources to expand the information. At that point, young reporters can propose angles and formats.

People under 30 have a different way of seeing the world, they are interested in being considered. They are not always willing to submit to someone else’s prescribed narrative or format. They want to be convinced of the project or their mission and they won’t always accept empty arguments.

GIJN: What strategies have you implemented to overcome some of the challenging aspects of working with younger, less experienced reporters?

JM: First, when you give them the opportunity to propose [ideas], young journalists gain a lot of confidence, they feel empowered, and that has a positive impact on the development of the investigation itself.

“Young journalists need and deserve confidence in their investigative, coordination, and even leadership skills in high-level projects. Lack of experience does not mean a lack of talent, commitment, or responsibility.” — Jordy Meléndez

We also identified that it is important for people to get to know each other. So, we developed a series of activities for them to talk before the final investigation, get to know each other and get along. We have sessions for them to exchange books, to talk about the journalistic works that have changed their lives, etc. For us, this is the key: to create a safe environment for young people, so that they can say what they think without fear of reprisal, of being scolded, or of being told that what they are saying is nonsense. A familiar atmosphere is created, with a lot of camaraderie and trust.

And for coping with inexperience, the challenges [we encounter] are excellent. Before the final investigation, there are a series of exercises in which it doesn’t matter if they fail. At this stage, they have room to fail, and nothing happens. I suppose it must be overwhelming if you are a young journalist and join an investigative consortium or newsroom – you do not want to fail because that could mean getting fired or losing trust. That is why I think it has been fundamental to give them challenges, to go little by little, from less to more, and give them a small margin of error.

GIJN: Why is it necessary to do prior training on collaborative investigations instead of assigning young reporters specific, small tasks, as it is usually done?

JM: Learning to collaborate is a fundamental skill for the complex times we live in. From our perspective, collaborating implies learning to follow rules and teamwork methodologies, but it also requires a mental exercise of openness, trust, and constant empathy.

Young journalists need and deserve confidence in their investigative, coordination, and even leadership skills in high-level projects. Lack of experience does not mean a lack of talent, commitment, or responsibility. At Factual, we are convinced that young journalists can develop great investigations and content, with good support and guidance.

When asked about this methodology, the young members of the network highlight the empathy they perceive across the whole group, the respect for their time and the emotional support they receive for preventing burnout and protecting their mental health, the constant training, the connections with other experienced journalists and organizations, and the way it boosts their abilities and professional projects.

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Miriam Forero Ariza is a Colombian freelance investigative and data journalist whose work has been published by VICE, Colombiacheck, and El Espectador. She has more than a decade of experience in collaborative investigations, data analysis, and visualizations. She is co-author of the Iberoamerican Data Journalism Handbook.