The Samoa Observer newsroom has had the opportunity to sharpen their investigative reporting skills with trainers from the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (O.C.C.R.P.).

Led by OCCRP’s Pacific Editor Aubrey Belford and Investigative Editor Dan McGarry, the training was aimed at improving information gathering and piecing together collected data.

Mr Belford said this was also about establishing a link with the Samoa Observer and how the newspaper and O.C.C.R.P. can work together in unveiling corruption and organised crime.

“Since late 2021, O.C.C.R.P. has been working in the Pacific Islands to train reporters and work together on deeply researched investigative stories,” he said.

“We've already helped journalists in P.N.G., Solomon Island, Fiji and Palau break some pretty huge reports on organised crime, corruption, and political influence.

“The Samoa Observer is a pillar of fearless journalism in the Pacific. We're very excited to see what we can do together.”

As an investigative reporting platform for a worldwide network of independent media centers and journalists, O.C.C.R.P. is reinventing investigative journalism as a public good. In the face of rising costs and growing threats to independent media, O.C.C.R.P. provides media outlets and journalists with a range of critical resources and tools including digital and physical security and allows those covering the most sensitive topics to work in teams with trusted editors.

While upholding the highest journalistic ethics and editorial standards, O.C.C.R.P. develops and deploys cutting-edge tech tools to enable collaborative, secure data-driven investigations.

 With O.C.C.R.P. Aleph, an investigative data platform powered by software that the organisation has developed; journalists can search and cross-reference more than three billion records to trace criminal connections and patterns and efficiently collaborate across borders.

Samoa Observer Editor Alexander Rheeney said the training was an eye-opener for the journalists as they have been able to learn a new skill in the trade to deliver more in-depth investigative reports for the people of Samoa.

"Having the O.C.C.R.P. working with the Samoa Observer newsroom team this week only adds value to the work that our reporters are already doing,” said Mr. Rheeney.

"Having access to the tools that the O.C.C.R.P. brings and knowing how to use them will only sharpen our reporters' investigative skills and give them the confidence to take on the big stories."