How do you cover war crimes, disinformation, and human rights violations — when access is limited, trust in journalism is low, and millions of videos are uploaded online every day?

In this session, reporter and producer Haley Willis from The New York Times shares how the Visual Investigations team uses digital forensics and open-source intelligence (OSINT) to uncover the truth behind some of today’s most urgent and contested news stories. Hear about the team's award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in recent years, including the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Israel's bombardment of Gaza. 

Willis will provide insight into some of the core tenets of visual investigations: collection and verification of evidence, transparency, and narrative storytelling. She will talk through a wide range of investigative approaches used by the Visual Investigations team — from gathering evidence on the ground in Bucha, Ukraine to training an artificial intelligence model to identify craters left by Israeli bombs.