In the face of climate change, journalists need suitable investigative tools, especially those that enable open-source research on environmental issues. To support them, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is offering a practical two-part guide dedicated to ECOSINT (Environmental and Climate Open-Source Intelligence), designed to help document, analyse, and report on issues related to the preservation of our ecosystems and climate change. This first article covers methodology; the second will cover tools.
How can climate data be verified? How can environmental misinformation be detected? How can satellite data be used to document deforestation or similar issues? Open-source intelligence (OSINT) applied to environmental topics has a name: ECOSINT. This online research method applies OSINT principles to environmental journalism. It enables journalists to investigate ecological issues using public, accessible, and verifiable data by combining several interrelated aspects
- Data journalism: the use and analysis of environmental databases to obtain relevant information and give it meaning through clear graphics.
- Digital investigation techniques: the use of mapping tools, satellite imagery, and geospatial data analysis to document environmental phenomena.
- Fighting disinformation: fact-checking climate and environmental claims using reliable scientific sources.
ECOSINT in Three Steps
- Data Collection
Everything begins with identifying relevant sources on a specific topic. Open-data portals are an essential starting point. This collection phase may also involve scraping — the automated extraction of data from websites — when information is not directly downloadable.
- Data Processing and Analysis
Once collected, the data must be organized and analyzed. This crucial step transforms raw numbers into actionable information. Journalists use data-analysis tools to compile and structure information, followed by visualization software to create meaningful graphics. These tools and software are detailed in the second article.
The analysis should answer several key questions:
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- Scale: how extensive is the identified environmental issue?
- Evolution: how has the situation changed over time?
- Variation: are there geographical disparities?
- Comparisons: how does the studied region compare to others?
It is essential to “make the numbers speak” rather than simply listing them. Analysis should reveal trends, identify anomalies, and highlight significant correlations.
- Publication and Storytelling
The final step is transforming the analysis into a story accessible to the general public. This is where data visualization becomes especially important. Interactive maps, trend graphs, and infographics make information understandable and engaging.
Beyond technical expertise, several fundamental ethical principles should guide the work:
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- Maintain journalistic rigor: a beautiful graph does not replace solid analysis, even if it helps make it clearer and easier to understand.
- Create audience engagement: readers should be able to relate to the issue being covered.
- Ask the right questions of the data: what do these figures truly reveal?
- Provide context and updates: data must be placed within its temporal and geographical context to give meaning to the numbers.
- Work collaboratively: environmental data journalism benefits from cooperation between journalists, data analysts, and scientific experts.
Further Reading：
- Discover the ECOSINT tools
- Discover the RSF guide to covering the Climate Crisis
This resource was compiled by RSF in collaboration with Togo Reporting Post.