Journalist, BBC Verify

Transparency is an essential element in ensuring audiences feel they can trust the BBC's journalism. There has never been a more important time to ensure news consumers understand not just what we know, but how we know it – and BBC Verify is at the heart of this as we find new ways to share more of the important, thoughtful work that goes into verifying, fact checking and sourcing our journalism. The unit brings together the BBC's best analysts, fact-checkers, data specialists and designers from across domestic and global teams with expertise in data journalism, disinformation and the latest Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and verification techniques.
 
This role supports a range of open-source journalism within BBC Verify, working with the wider team to help tell exciting stories using innovative and impactful formats. The successful candidate will have a wide range of open-source journalism skills that are relevant to both on-the-day verification and medium-term investigations. You should be able to generate ideas that feature innovative forensic storytelling.
 
The role will report to the Open-Source Journalism team leader within BBC Verify.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

You’ll work side by side with some of the best open-source journalists in the business – working on daily verification and longer-term investigations.

Together, we’ll create stories that really matter and reach audiences around the world. Plus, you’ll have access to outstanding training and development opportunities to keep growing your skills and career.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Daily gathering and verification of video, audio and stills, including logging and communication of verification work 
• Analysis of satellite imagery
• Use of ship/plane tracking tools
• Contributing to complex open-source journalism projects 
• Generating  ideas for open-source journalism-related projects, including longer-term stories
• Writing articles and live page posts for online and scripting for television and radio
• Producing or contributing to the production of social videos related to open-source journalism and verification.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Extensive understanding of a range of OSINT techniques and experience of using them in daily and longer-term journalism
• Experience of verification of video, audio and stills in a fast-paced news environment
• Excellent geolocation and chronolocation skills; solid grounding in a range of social media platforms including Telegram
• Experience of satellite image analysis
• Experience of writing stories for online.

DESIRABLE:

• Experience of ship/plane tracking tools
• Extensive knowledge of tools and processes used around verification
• Understanding of AI generated media and use of AI tools in open-source journalism
• Have an OSINT specialism that you are working to develop.