Monthly Archives: March 2026

The University of Wisconsin Public Tech Media Lab in Madison is offering a Digital Investigations Bootcamp in May to provide intensive, hands-on OSINT training program in the Midwest designed specifically for journalists, OSINT practitioners, editors, and newsroom researchers.

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) uses publicly available, natively digital or digitized data to reconstruct events and verify information through transparent, replicable methodologies. OSINT has become one of the fastest-growing areas of investigative journalism, informing high-impact investigations such as Bellingcat’s MH17 reporting and BBC Africa Eye’s verification of civilian executions in Cameroon. As newsrooms increasingly invest in their digital investigative capacity, they are hiring OSINT specialists and partnering with organizations that specialize in these methods.

Benefits
Participants will acquire immediately applicable skills in chronolocation and geolocation, advanced search techniques, social media analysis and verification, safety and security practices, and ethical protocols. The program offers hands-on technical training using real investigative cases, exposure to global trends in digital investigations, a practical OSINT toolkit adaptable to local reporting contexts, and opportunities for professional networking and collaboration.

In a media environment shaped by misinformation, AI-generated deception, shrinking newsroom resources, and declining public trust, OSINT offers a practical set of investigative, verification, and accountability tools that strengthen core journalistic practice.

Speakers and Trainers
The program brings together leading practitioners from organizations with extensive experience in digital investigations, public communication, and democratic resilience, including the Public Tech Media Lab and the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center.

Confirmed OSINT trainers from the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center include Guillén Torres, a specialist in action research, methodological experimentation, and data-driven technologies for justice and accountability; Gisella Pérez de Acha, an investigative reporter focused on extremism, disinformation, and environmental issues; and Tomás Dodds, Director of the Public Tech Media Lab.

Where and When
The Digital Investigations Bootcamp will be offered as a two-day, in-person program, with participants able to choose between sessions held on May 26–27, 2026, or May 28–29, 2026. All sessions will take place at the WARF Centennial Seminar Hub at Morgridge Hall in Madison, Wisconsin. Reduced hotel rates will be available at select hotels located near Morgridge Hall, with additional accommodation details provided upon registration.

Registration
Register using this link: https://uwmadison.eventsair.com/2026ptml/regptml/Site/Register

WBA members can claim a $50 discount using this promo code: WBAOSINT26

Two attempts to peel back the veil of secrecy over the proliferation of data centers are being honored in this year’s Openness in Government Awards, or Opees, bestowed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.

The awards also recognize a district attorney who took seriously his obligations to enforce the records law and a now-deceased city council member who blew the whistle on an attempt to hide a proposed development from public view, as well as media efforts to pry loose information about police disciplinary investigations and K-12 educators accused of misconduct.

Meanwhile, a school district administrator who threatened a TV reporter and camera operator with arrest for seeking to film a public meeting received a “Nopee,” the Council’s sole negative award.

The Opee Awards, now in their 20th consecutive year, recognize outstanding efforts to protect the state’s tradition of open government, as well as highlight some threats to it. They are being announced in advance of national , March 15-21. Winners have been invited to appear at a in Madison on March 19. (See WFOIC website for details.)

“There was a lot of good reporting and advocacy on open government issues this year, and we are pleased to have such worthy winners in all categories,” said Bill Lueders, council president. “And we can safely say we’ve never had a more deserving recipient of our ‘No Friend to Openness,’ or Nopee, award.”

The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that seeks to promote open government. It consists of about two dozen members representing media and other public interests. Sponsoring organizations include the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and Wisconsin Associated Press. 

The judging committee for this year consisted of Lueders, Council Vice President Christa Westerberg, former La Crosse Tribune editor and publisher Rusty Cunningham, and Wisconsin Newspaper Association executive director Beth Bennett.

Awards are being given this year in six categories. The winners are: 

Public Openness Advocate (Popee): Vilas County District Attorney Karl Hayes

District attorneys in Wisconsin are statutorily empowered to enforce the state’s open records and open meetings laws, but in practice rarely do so. Early this year, Hayes showed how it can be done, officials in the town of Presque Isle that they needed to comply with a nearly year-old request from the Lakeland Times newspaper for records regarding the town’s computers. His intervention , and the records were released. Other DAs might look for occasions where they can turn the lever in favor of openness.

Citizen Openness Advocate (Copee): Midwest Environmental Advocates

This nonprofit public interest law firm last year filed two pivotal lawsuits challenging the secrecy surrounding data center projects. The , against the city of Racine, forced the prompt release of water usage projections for Microsoft’s Mount Pleasant campus. The , against the state Public Service Commission (PSC), contested the “trade secret” status of energy demand data for Meta’s proposed data center in Beaver Dam; that case is pending. Kudos to MEA for insisting on the public’s right to know.

Media Openness Advocate (Mopee): The Badger Project

In recent years, this nonprofit news outlet has been requesting records from police departments around the state about internal investigations of police officers and suing when they are not provided. In 2025, it filed — against a police department in Racine County, the state Department of Transportation, and St. Croix County. All led to the release of records. The Badger Project is now St. Croix County’s refusal to pay attorney fees, which could lead to the overturning of a deeply problematic state Supreme Court decision. Fingers crossed. 

Open Records Scoop of the Year (Scoopee): Tie: Tom Kertscher of Wisconsin Watch; Danielle DuClos of The Cap Times

Among much other good reporting on openness issues, the work of these two print journalists stands out. Kertscher on the secrecy surrounding data centers, including at least four projects in which local officials signed nondisclosure agreements with the companies. And DuClos on how the state Department of Public Instruction secretly investigated more than 200 Wisconsin K-12 educators of sexual misconduct or grooming behaviors toward students, a statewide audit and legislative action.

No Friend of Openness (Nopee): Deborah Kerr, superintendent of the St. Francis School District

While there were other contenders for this award, there was also little question that Kerr would be the winner and new champion. Last June, she to have a TMJ4 News reporter and camera operator arrested for wanting to film a school board meeting “because you did not give us any notice or tell us why you were here,” neither of which is required. The jaw-dropping video (see for yourself at ) went viral, and Kerr issued a weak apology, but her eruption is one for the ages. Credit reporter Megan Lee for her deft handling of the situation.

Whistleblower of the Year (Whoopee): John Sigwart

This former Port Washington city council member refused to keep the public in the dark about a clandestinely proposed microchip production facility, revealing that local officials had signed nondisclosure agreements. The city’s mayor retaliated by stripping Sigwart of his committee appointments, precipitating an end to his many years of public service, said an in the Ozaukee Press. Sigwart died in August at age 80, but his example of courage will live on.