Stage Talks with Bellingcat

Bellingcat

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

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93 episodes
Updated July 17
Explicit

Episodes93

Newest first

Aug 15, 2025 · 1 hr
“Speaking of Violence” with Leyla Hussein
This week we were joined by psychotherapist and activist Leyla Hussein. In the session we explored how reporters and researchers can make survivors of sexual violence feel safe, supported and heard, and at the same time ensure they make an impact with their work. TW: The talk contains extensive discussion of sexual violence particularly FGM. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 14th of August 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: You can learn more about leyla's work here https://www.leylahussein.co.uk/ The Cruel Cut Channel 4 Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiC_gpE7y053Qlgb9fU0ykM-BggXpfkmj One month old FGM case: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6200g5d4jlo The Girl Generation: https://thegirlgeneration.org/ Eliza's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2041897/#about Alexa's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/ Our Discord Server channels that were mentioned: #gender-based-violence-misogny : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1118448280435687506 #bellingcook : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1018196475932590090
Aug 1, 2025 · 56 min
"Detecting Stolen Art" with Arthur Brand
This week we were joined by Art Detective Arthur Brand. Arthur Brand has recovered over 200 stolen artworks throughout his career, these include famous paintings once thought lost, from Dali’s to Picasso’s. Within the talk he explains how open sources are crucial to his work and he shares valuable resources for those who are curious about the world of art crime themselves. This talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday the 31st of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: Article covering the case Brand refers to: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974 Lost Art.De: https://www.lostart.de/de/start Arthur's YouTube: https://youtu.be/ye8sDfUMnhc?si=Jqx6qugYnbYSEFOd Bellingcat Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/ Bellingcat Discord Art Crime channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1314267278535036988 Interpol App: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app ARCA Blog: https://art-crime.blogspot.com/ Madonna and the stolen art story: https://www.npr.org/2023/01/17/1149646372/french-museum-finds-a-missing-painting-in-madonnas-personal-collection Arthur's book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440872/hitlers-horses-by-hedley-prole-arthur-brand-translated-by-jane/9781529106107 Arthur's TV show: https://www.arthurbrand.com/de-kunstdetective-tv/
Jul 18, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
"Monitoring US Immigration Raids" with Bellingcat, Evident and CalMatters
This week we were joined by Bellingcat researcher Kolina Koltai and our long-standing publishing partners Kevin Clancy, cofounder of Evident Media and Sergio Olmos, an investigator from CalMatters. The conversation centered around the reliance on bystander videos for accountability of these arrests and the scale advice for other researchers on what to look out for in bystander videos and what from patterns identified, could emerge over the next few months in other regions. This talk was hosted by me Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025 in the Bellingcat Discord Server. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: The two investigations: Los Angeles: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/07/08/masked-armed-and-forceful-finding-patterns-in-los-angeles-immigration-raids/ Bakersfield: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/08/us-border-patrol-called-raid-300-miles-from-border-targeted-open-source-evidence-suggests-otherwise/ Related conversational threads in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1381169631263199232 https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1371571764525535242 Evident: https://www.youtube.com/@evidentmedia CalMatters: https://calmatters.org/ The lack of local reporters in the United States: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/10/media/severe-shortage-local-news-muck-rack-journalism-index The Atlantic article interviewing ICE officials: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/07/trump-ice-morale-immigration/683477/ People impersonating ICE: https://msmagazine.com/2025/07/10/men-impersonating-ice-agents-immigration-customs-attack-women-maga-trump/ People Over Papers: https://padlet.com/PeopleoverPapers/people-over-papers-anonymous-anonimo-lf0l47ljszbto2uj Bellingcat Volunteer Community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community
Jul 4, 2025 · 57 min
"Investigating Cold Cases" with Peter Barth
This week we were joined by Bellingcat's Peter Barth. Peter has been researching a cold case murder from Corpus Christi, Texas, 1971. As part of his research , he's uncovered links to multiple murders and high profile criminal networks, and learnt some invaluable research tips along the way. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 3rd of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: Peter's article on Bill Richardson's killing: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/27/pigeon-shoots-and-hitmen-new-leads-in-a-texas-oilmans-cold-case/ The cold case investigation groups Peter suggested: https://uncovered.com/ , https://www.solvethecase.org/ Our Discord Server channel for looking into cold cases: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1375086026275688488 Familysearch.org is free and similar to ancestry.com MuckRock: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/ For UK: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ For Australia: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/ For EU: https://www.asktheeu.org/ For Canada: https://theijf.org/open-by-default 404 Media FOIA forum: https://www.404media.co/our-new-foia-forum-6-18-1pm-et/ Missing persons: Ireland: https://www.garda.ie/en/missing-persons/ Netherlands: https://www.politie.nl/en/missing Canada: https://www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/missing-disparus/search-recherche.jsf?lang=en Interpol: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Yellow-Notices/View-Yellow-Notices Cold Case lookup Netherlands: https://www.om.nl/
Jun 23, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
"Mapping Shootings" with Cecília Olliveira
This week we were joined by Fogocruzado founder and journalist Cecília Olliveira. Cecília launched Fogocruzado after working on a story and discovering that data on armed violence in Rio and elsewhere in Brazil, something she was seeking at the time for the investigation, was not being robustly collected. She came in to our Server to discuss the power of data and why plotting data that hasn’t before been collated can illuminate otherwise hidden trends and be vital when it comes to informing the public of what is going on in their own cities. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 19th of June 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: Fogocruzado: https://fogocruzado.org.br/ Film 'Elite Squad': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861739 API link: https://api.fogocruzado.org.br/ Where did the bullets on the streets of Brazil come from?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8WWSRoC93I&ab_channel=TheIntercept Other example on how to use the data: https://theintercept.com/2018/12/13/brazil-rio-de-janeiro-drug-gangs/ Nemesis book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25329735-nemesis Upcoming book: https://www.bazardotempo.com.br/products/como-nasce-um-miliciano Aleph tool: https://aleph.occrp.org/
Jun 6, 2025 · 52 min
"Monitoring Wagner Mercenaries in Africa" with Lou Osborn
This week we were joined by Swiss-based NGO Inpact’s Lou Osborn. Lou is one of the lead researchers in their flagship All Eyes ON Wagner project team. Within the conversation she broadened our knowledge on the current economic and political status of Russian PMCs in Africa and raised the difficulties in reporting on these types of groups. This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 05th of June 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: All Eyes on Wagner: https://alleyesonwagner.org/home-2/about/ Lou's books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/32765804.Lou_Osborn Dig baby dig investigation: https://alleyesonwagner.org/2025/05/02/allez-creuse-bebe-contes-russes-de-lor-en-afrique-centrale/ Prig-IT investigation: https://dossier.center/prig-it/
May 23, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
"Protecting the people within your research" with Eliza Anyangwe
This week we spoke to The Fuller Project's Eliza Anyangwe about the steps her newsroom takes to protect their sources. We highlighted the basic precautions you should consider when speaking to those with lived experience of the topic you're reporting on and the differences between traditional investigations and open source research when it comes to human-centric storytelling. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 22nd 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: The Fuller Project: https://fullerproject.org/ Eliza's talk at the International Journalism Festival on reporting on GBV: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2025/best-practices-in-reporting-gender-related-crimes-centering-survivors-and-ethical-storytelling Eliza's CNN Afghanistan example: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/asequals/women-refugees-afghanistan-risks-as-equals-intl-cmd/ Murad code call out: https://www.muradcode.com/open-source-practitioners-guide
May 9, 2025 · 56 min
"Chinese influence operations and disinformation campaigns" with Jasper Hewitt
This week we spoke with DoubleThink Lab’s Jasper Hewitt as we explored the new forms of digital propaganda. We discussed spamouflage operations in the US elections to AI influencers pushing state lines on TikTok. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 8th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: DoubleThink Lab website: https://doublethinklab.org/ DoubleThink Lab medium: https://medium.com/doublethinklab What is FIMI: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/beyond-disinformation-what-fimi_en Graphika on spamouflage: https://graphika.com/reports/spamouflage/ US report from VOA and DoubleThink Lab: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/doublethink-lab-and-voice-of-america-us-election-joint-observation-mission-final-report-d5f2dae85e27 Ben Nimmo, the breakout scale: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-breakout-scale-measuring-the-impact-of-influence-operations/ Single File chrome extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/singlefile/mpiodijhokgodhhofbcjdecpffjipkle?hl=en&pli=1 Bellingcat auto archiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/ Patriotism for sale: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/patriotism-for-sale-wechat-channels-information-ecosystem-5c6a0f7c6358 DFR Lab: https://dfrlab.org/ Wenhao substack: https://wenhao.substack.com/ Discourse Power substack: https://discoursepower.substack.com/
Apr 25, 2025 · 1 hr
"Tracing a Drug Cartel" with John Mooney and Connor Plunkett
This week we spoke to John Mooney and Connor Plunkett about their investigation into the Kinahan cartel. We discussed the considerations you need to make when reporting on large scale operations and how they found a hidden side to one of Irelands most notorious cartel bosses. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday April 24th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed: Bellingcat's reporting on this here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/30/kinahan-cartel-wanted-narco-boss-exposes-whereabouts-by-posting-google-reviews/ and here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03/22/nowhere-to-run-the-online-footprint-of-an-alleged-kinahan-cartel-associate/ Sunday Times reporting on Oliver Hermann https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/kinahan-investigation-oliver-hermann-leveris-jkvrp8n8w GHunt tool: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/ghunt Whois lookup: https://www.whois.com/whois/ Outscraper: https://outscraper.com/ Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/ Digital safety tips - Bellingcat video: https://youtu.be/o9uFeVVIiVg Kinahan's google reviews account: https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107715424953684019563/reviews
Apr 15, 2025 · 56 min
"Monitoring the environment from Space" with Lisa Broekhuizen
This week we spoke to Lisa Broekhuizen from Space4Good, looking at how satellite imagery can help show large scale impacts on our environment from deforestation to the growth of trees. The talk was hosted by Giancarlo Fiorella on Thursday April 10th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat Links discussed:
Mar 31, 2025 · 51 min
"Identifying Explosive Ordnance in Social Media Imagery" with Andro Mathewson
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
Mar 17, 2025 · 59 min
"Using the Open Source Munitions Portal" with The OSMP Team
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/
Feb 21, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
"Covering Gender Based Violence" with Alexa Koenig
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/
Feb 14, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
"Funding Open Source Research" with Mareike Vitt
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/
Jan 31, 2025 · 52 min
"Building Open Source Research into a Newsroom" with Mike Yambo
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
Jan 17, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
"Investigating Art Crime" with Lynda Albertson
This week, we're back for the new year with a new topic, exploring the nexus of art theft, trafficking, and intelligence. We spoke with Lynda Albertson from the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art about the process of collecting and analysing information related to art crimes. How can open source research help tackle the world's cultural crimes? The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 16th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Links mentioned: In our Discord Server you can find our art-crime channel: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat ARCA: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/ Lynda's example 1: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-1/ Example 2: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-2/ Example 3: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-3/ Bellingcat investigations/guides focused on old polaroid analysis: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/04/solving-world-war-ii-photo-mysteries-with-open-source-techniques/ , https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/08/09/using-new-tech-to-investigate-old-photographs/ https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/16/untangling-the-mystery-of-the-worlds-first-rooftop-solar-panel/ Interpol Stolen Works of Art Database: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app India Pride Project: https://x.com/indiaprideproj?lang=en Lost Arts of Nepal: https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/ Carabinieri TPC's smartphone app: https://apps.apple.com/it/app/itpc-carabinieri/id858588594 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=itpc.carabinieri.it&hl=it The Antiquities Coalition: https://theantiquitiescoalition.org/ ARCA training: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/postgraduate-certificate-programmes/
Dec 14, 2024 · 58 min
"We are Bellingcat" Q&A session with Eliot Higgins
This week, we decided to change the format a little to mark the final stage talk of the year. We were joined by founder of Bellingcat, Eliot Higgins to discuss how he feels about the last 10 years of open source research as Bellingcat celebrates its decade anniversary. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Links mentioned: 'We Are Bellingcat', the book: https://www.bellingcat.com/book/ GQ interview with lost dog conversation: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/eliot-higgins-bellingcat-interview Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit Bellingcat Open Source Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/ The Nation open source research coverage of the protests in Kenya: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/eight-hours-of-rage-how-the-finance-bill-2024-led-to-kenya-s-parliament-invasion-4744254 First steps into OSINT: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/11/09/first-steps-to-getting-started-in-open-source-research/ NYT piece on bomb crater detection: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.html Command Line tools video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3gm-ud91v0 Jupyter Notebooks help: https://github.com/bellingcat/open-source-research-notebooks Frank Zappa - Eliot's recommendation: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kv0M4wqpMkWqa5f1mbtlogpYO78mBpkws
Dec 6, 2024 · 59 min
“Monitoring Damage to Cultural Heritage in Volatile Regions” with Caucasus Heritage Watch
This week, we spoke to Dr Adam Thomas Smith, Distinguished Professor of Arts & Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University and Dr Lori Khatchadourian, Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University about their work at Caucasus Heritage Watch. CHW focuses on monitoring at-risk heritage caught in the cross-fire of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and was founded in 2020 to monitor and document endangered and damaged cultural heritage using high-resolution satellite imagery. We also discussed Bellingcat's work monitoring similar damage in Gaza and Ukraine. The talk was hosted by Jake Godin on Thursday December 5th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Links mentioned: You can find all of CHW's work on their website: https://caucasusheritage.cornell.edu/ One of Bellingcat's investigations covering cultural heritage damage in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/06/26/gaza-israel-destroy-destruction-damage-cultural-history-heritage-archaeology-conflict-war/
Nov 11, 2024 · 1 hr 1 min
"Studying Russia's Digital Grasp" with Dr Mariëlle Wijermars
This week, we spoke to Dr Mariëlle Wijermars about internet governance in authoritarian states like Russia. We discussed the current strategies of the Russian government in internet crackdowns both at home and abroad and the trend of bots, online propaganda and banned media outlets in attempts at ongoing censorship. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 8th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat Mariëlle's publications: https://mariellewijermars.com/ Relevant articles: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/30/kremlin-forced-us-tech-firms-shut-down-an-app-its-opponents-were-using-now-what/ https://cepa.org/article/russias-social-media-self-censorship-law-is-misguided-and-the-west-must-avoid-making-the-same-mistake/ Bellingcat RuNet webinar: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/december-10-2024-bellingcat-online-workshop-on-runet-investigations-4-hour-americas-friendly-time/ Example of Russian bot networks on X impersonating Bellingcat: https://x.com/EliotHiggins/status/1838872568041816103 Hugo Mercier’s book Not Born Yesterday might be relevant. Interviews include this one: https://youtu.be/P2iIwEqUecA?feature=shared Mariëlle's Horizon project https://www.arm-project.eu/ Link to story about telegram: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240827-free-speech-and-homeland-kremlin-opportunistic-response-to-telegram-boss-pavel-durov-arrest-in-france Bellingcat's archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/
Oct 25, 2024 · 59 min
"Researching Central Asia: Strategic Insights and Defence Data" with Michael Hilliard
This week, we talk to Michael Hilliard. He and his colleagues at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs recently released their report titled "The Armed Forces of Central Asia". We discuss the complex geopolitical landscape in Central Asia, and what defence capacity the countries have to tackle their strategic challenges. The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 24th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat You can find the first chapter of the report "Tajikistan" here: https://oxussociety.org/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia-tajikistan/