Workshop: “Investigative journalism, Innovation and Disinformation: New Perspectives in the Media Field”

On Tuesday 11 June 2024, the Department of Communication and Media Studies held a workshop entitled “Investigative journalism, Innovation and Disinformation: New Perspectives in the Media Field”, in the framework of the European project IQ Media. The event aimed to underscore the importance of investigative journalism and highlight innovative approaches driving digital transformation in the media landscape. Constantinos Mourlas, project coordinator and Professor at the Department of Communication and Media Studies (UoA) along with Catherine Sotirakou, Director of the IQ Media Hub (UoA), presented the activities and objectives of the IQ Media project.

Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, an investigative journalist, professor at Grand Valley State University and founder of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) presented to the audience the mission and initiatives of CCIJ, as well as information about the Fulbright program. He also clarified the complexities of investigative journalism presenting several cross-border investigations.

Thodoris Giaouzis, Head of Customer Relationship Management at Kathimerini, presented the features of the subscription service of kathimerini.gr. He explained the development process of the platform and clarified how readers can access exclusive content, ensuring a browsing experience enriched with cutting-edge technology.

This was followed by a panel discussion on “Investigative Journalism and Innovation”. The panel was moderated by Sotiris Sideris (Data editor – Reporters United, CCIJ) and the speakers were Jeff Kelly Lowenstein (CCIJ), Myrto Boutsi (Journalist – Reporters United), Ιοannis Papadopoulos (Journalist – Kathimerini), and Thanos Sarris (Journalist – Gazzetta.gr). The panel discussion focused on the critical role of research across all types of journalism, emphasizing its crucial importance in shedding light on complex issues. Speakers emphasized the time-consuming process of gathering and verifying information, highlighting the need for validation to ensure accuracy of the final outcomes.

The workshop concluded with an interesting presentation titled “New York Times v. OpenAI & Microsoft: a battle between copyright and innovation?” Lawyers Nikos Grigoriadis and George Pantazis from the “NGLaw” law firm discussed the dispute regarding the use of copyrighted material from the New York Times by technology companies for training their artificial intelligence models. They also provided clarification on copyright law, underscoring its wider implications and the need to adapt the law to address the upcoming realities of new technologies.