Shows / Backlight
Backlight
Backlight is a podcast produced by the investigations team at Lighthouse Reports. Every month we take you inside real world investigations to explain how they work, who works on them and how to get involved. New episode on the last Thursday of every month.
Episodes
BacklightJournalism Q&A episode; pitching stories, career advice, fellowships, funding & more
How do I break into the industry? How do I make my pitch stand out? What happens when you publish a story and nothing changes? You sent us your questions, and…
BacklightNothing is apolitical w/ Afghan journalist Zahra Joya (Beyond Borders Podcast swap)
This month we’re swapping feeds with the Beyond Borders Podcast, and bringing you an episode we think you’ll want to hear. Afghan journalist Zahra Joya —…
BacklightDo you need to go to journalism school? Part 2 (Teacher Edition) w/ Lam Thuy Vo and Ron Haviv
In this episode we speak to two educators from two very different corners of the field who are doing their best to prepare students for a changing industry…
BacklightDo you need to go to journalism school? w/ Laís Martins and Shoeb Abdullah
Does journalism school still matter? This episode follows two early career journalists who got into the field in completely different ways: one who went to…
BacklightReclaiming the migration narrative w/ Coco Khan, Sakhr Al-Makhadhi & May Bulman
Fear, crisis, invasion. That's the way migration gets spoken about and the far right is often the one setting the tone. So how can journalism push back against…
BacklightLessons from Local News w/ M. Lothian-McLean, J. Mori & P. Prasanna
The antidote to news fatigue might be closer to home than you think. This episode dives into the strategies local outlets use to build connection with their…
BacklightHow can the media win back our trust? w/ Ed Lee, Joi Lee & Isaac Saul
Trust in the media is at an all-time low. So what’s going wrong? Who’s actually fixing it? And what can we learn from alternative news models emerging around…
BacklightRethinking journalism awards w/ Patrick Boehler and Jennifer Athanasiou-Prins
Everyone loves to win awards. But what does it mean to reward good journalism? In the latest Backlight episode, Beatriz and Tessa speak to Jennifer…
BacklightHow to report on Sudan w/ Aziz Alnour & Sabrina Slipchenko
People in Sudan are facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Telling stories about what is happening on the ground has never been more urgent, or more…
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How to make an investigative podcast (Live from GIJC 2025)
Reporting live from the world’s biggest investigative journalism conference in Malaysia last year, Tessa and Beatriz bring you a crash course on how to make an…
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How to become an undercover reporter
You’ve seen it in movies, but what does undercover reporting actually look like in real life? In this episode of Backlight, we go behind the scenes of two…
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Journalism in a Free Syria
What is the role of accountability journalism in post-Assad Syria? We explore this question with Syrian journalists Lighthouse digital investigator Bashar Deeb…
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Highlights from seasons 2 & 3
We've put together a highlights reel featuring some of our favorite episodes from Seasons 2 and 3 of Backlight. This special short episode was created in…
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Who is journalism for?
How can journalists make sure their stories reach the people they’re about? This month on Backlight, we talk to journalists who are rethinking how and who they…
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Tracking deforestation from space
From recording the scale of war damage in Gaza, to tracking environmental crime in Brazil, remote sensing technology has become an invaluable tool for…
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What journalists can learn from content creators
What would journalism look like if it wasn’t written for an editor, but for your best friend over dinner? In this Backlight episode, we dive into how news…
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Become a money trails expert
This month we’re sharing tips and tools to help you become an expert in financial investigations. From digging around corporate records, to tracking down…
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The cost of Europe’s structural racism
Many European economies are in decline, struggling with job shortages in critical sectors. At the same time, these same countries are locking qualified…
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Don’t leave AI reporting to the experts
This month, we discuss how journalists can investigate the ways AI is shaping the world around us and push for accountability from the companies and…
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Investigating border deaths in the shadow of US election
In this episode we take you behind the scenes of our latest U.S.-Mexico border investigation, Drownings and Deterrence in the Rio Grande. This episode is a…
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How to get sources to talk
This episode we talk to reporters Tomas Statius and Elena DeBre about getting sources to talk. We cover: How to cultivate sources Three techniques on getting…
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Protecting mental health in the newsroom - what we’ve learnt
This month we discuss the hidden toll journalism can take on your mental health and share tips for staying grounded in high-pressure environments. We talk to…
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How to fund your investigation
This episode, we dive into the essential fuel that allows cross-border investigative journalism to happen —money. Beatriz and Tessa first chat with Timothy…
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Making your investigation count at election time. What we’ve learned
2024 is the year of elections! For public interest journalism, it's prime time to get vote-shifting findings in front of people when they’re paying the most…
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Inside Europe’s biggest journalism conference
Journalism conferences can be an exclusive and costly space. So last month, Beatriz took her microphone to Perugia, Italy to give you some sneak peaks of the…
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How to become an open source investigator
This episode, we dive into the skills and techniques used in open-source reporting (yes it’s more than just stalking people on social media!). Beatriz and…
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What it’s like being a fellow at Lighthouse
Fellowship applications are now open! This month we’re bringing you a bonus episode with one of our recent fellows Jonathan Moens. We speak about his…
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How to force a UK U-turn: Lessons from our Afghan left behind investigation
Hello and welcome back to Backlight! In this episode, we talk to our investigations editor May Bulman, and social affairs correspondent from The Independent…
BacklightWelcome to Season 2
In this episode, we’ll give you an overview of what you can expect from us this year as well as reflect on some highlights from Season 1. And here are the…
BacklightLeft Behind
Following the West’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last August, thousands of people who served alongside European governments found themselves abandoned…
BacklightDrowning in Lies
On the night of 13 June, hundreds of men, women and children lost their lives when a boat trying to reach Europe capsized on Greek waters. A Lighthouse reports…
BacklightEurope’s Potemkin Lobby
Europe’s biggest and most powerful farming lobby group, Copa-Cogeca, has dominated E.U. agricultural policy for decades. On the strength of its history and…
BacklightGhost in the network
A network of confidential sources in the telecom industry and unprecedented access to a dataset of global titles - reveals the hidden operations of a…
BacklightUnmasking Europe’s Shadow Armies
This month on Backlight we are speaking to filmmaker and journalist Nicole Vögele, one of the reporters behind our Unmasking Europe’s Shadow Armies…
BacklightSuspicion Machines
Unprecedented experiment on welfare surveillance algorithm reveals discrimination. This month we chat to Lighthouse investigations editor, Eva Constantaras…
BacklightBlack Sites
How refugees are being arbitrarily detained and tortured at secret facilities along EU borders before being illegally forced back across borders. This month we…
BacklightAlgorithm Addiction
Every month we’ll be interviewing a lead contributor behind one of our investigations. This month we chat to Lighthouse investigative reporter Gabriel Geiger…