Human Intelligence
Lived experience cannot be outsourced
Build trust, but verify relentlessly
Strong HUMINT depends on relationships and human insight, but no important claim should stand without corroboration through multiple sources, documents, observation, or other evidence
Protect people and understand context
Good investigations require understanding motivations, power dynamics, culture, and risk, while safeguarding sources from exposure, retaliation, or harm.
Legitimacy comes from disciplined methodology. Credible HUMINT separates fact from interpretation, avoids confirmation bias, documents findings carefully, and prioritises fairness, transparency, and evidentiary rigor over narrative or speed
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Instruments and Mechanisms page provides an overview of the international human rights system, including treaties, monitoring bodies, special procedures, fact-finding missions and other accountability mechanisms.
Its core focus is how human rights standards are translated into oversight, monitoring, investigation and accountability. The broader principle behind the page is that human rights protections depend not only on legal frameworks, but also on institutions capable of gathering evidence, scrutinising conduct, receiving complaints and holding duty-bearers accountable.
Committee to Protect Journalist’s Safety Kit is a practical guide for journalists and investigators working in risky environments. Its core focus is reducing harm while protecting sources, information, and the integrity of investigations. The broader principle behind the guide is that good investigations depend not only on evidence gathering, but also on protecting people, preserving trust, and maintaining operational discipline.
The ICRC Guidelines on Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law set out practical and legal standards for conducting credible investigations into possible war crimes and other violations during armed conflict. They stress that investigations should be prompt, independent, impartial, thorough, and transparent enough to build trust and accountability, while also recognising the realities of conflict environments. The Guidelines cover everything from evidence collection and witness protection to command responsibility and institutional independence, aiming to help states and other actors carry out investigations that support justice, prevent future abuses, and strengthen respect for international humanitarian law.
European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation’s guidelines were developed to help civil society organisations collect and preserve information on international crimes and human rights violations in ways that may allow it to be used as admissible evidence in future national or international prosecutions. They provide practical “do’s and don’ts” to support effective documentation while avoiding actions that could undermine accountability efforts. Created in response to requests from organisations working on justice and accountability, the guidelines are intended as a practical, evolving resource shaped by ongoing experience and consultation with civil society actors.
The Global Investigative Journalist Network Resource Center seeks to help journalists expand their knowledge and skills. The Center holds more than 2,000 items in 14 languages – from tip sheets and guides to instructional videos. Use the menu on the right to navigate it or the search box below to find topics you’re interested in.
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
A tool, not an end goal.
Verification beats volume
We are entering a world where information is abundant but verification is scarce.
AI can generate summaries, identify patterns and process vast amounts of material. It cannot independently guarantee that information is true.
Follow the evidence, not the narrative
Whether the investigator is a journalist, NGO, company, regulator or AI user, the greatest risk remains the same: reaching for evidence that supports a preferred conclusion.
Good investigations allow for surprise.
Be transparent about uncertainty
The strongest investigators are not those who claim certainty.
They are those who can distinguish:
what they know,
what they think,
what they suspect,
and what they do not know.
AI often collapses these distinctions.
Good investigations make them explicit.
Bellingcat pioneers digital verification and online investigative methods. Bellincat are an indpendent investigative journalism group that uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) — such as satellite imagery, social media, videos, and public records — to investigate conflicts, corruption, environmental harm, and disinformation.
SOMO’s CSDDD Datahub is a searchable datebase that identifies which companies and corporate groups are likely to fall under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). It uses corporate data, including turnover and employee numbers, to map companies that will be required to comply with the law.
Global Witness’ Augmenta is an AI research agent that analyzes datasets by searching the internet for each entry. It is used to identify links to fossil fuel interests, such as in COP participation or political donations, and provides explanations and source references for its assessments. All positive matches are manually reviewed for accuracy.
Bellingcat pioneers digital verification and online investigative methods. Bellincat are an indpendent investigative journalism group that uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) — such as satellite imagery, social media, videos, and public records — to investigate conflicts, corruption, environmental harm, and disinformation.