Manisha Ganguly (Bengali: মণীষা গাঙ্গুলী, born 13 January 1995) is an investigations correspondent at The Guardian,[1][2][3] specialising in Open Source intelligence[4][5][6] to expose war crimes.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Doctor Manisha Ganguly | |
---|---|
Born | Kolkata, India | 13 January 1995
Alma mater | University of Westminster |
Occupation | Investigative journalist |
Employer | The Guardian |
Known for | Investigative journalism and open-source intelligence |
Awards | Amnesty International UK Media Award (2023)
Forbes 30 Under 30 (2021) George Weidenfeld Special Preis for Courageous Reporting, Axel Springer Award (2020) Amnesty International UK Media Award (2020) |
Website | manishaganguly |
She previously worked as investigative documentary producer for BBC News, where she received multiple awards for her work investigating human rights abuses[13] internationally. She lives in London, United Kingdom.[14]
Early career edit
While living in Kolkata, India, Ganguly was recruited into journalism when she was in high school by the national newspaper The Times of India after winning a writing competition.[13][15]
After the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder, Ganguly began reporting on violence against women and was subject to rape and death threats online.[13] She was the founder and editor of feminist counterculture webzine, Eyezine, which consisted of mostly women reporting on violence against women.[16] The website was central to documenting the campus rape which sparked the 2014 Jadavpur University protests.[17] Its investigation into subsequent riot police assault against students sparked mass protests and shut down the city,[13] and resulted in more than 100,000 readers in one month for the website.[18] The webzine also came under attack from the state for reporting on human rights abuses in the Kashmir conflict.[13]
Ganguly received a full scholarship to study a Master's in journalism at the University of Westminster in London, and moved to the United Kingdom. She considers India to be a hostile environment for women in journalism.[13] Her first role in investigative journalism in the UK was for The Daily Telegraph.[19]
Recent work edit
For the BBC, her investigative documentaries exposed double-tap attacks by Russian planes in Syria and war crimes by Turkish-backed forces in the Syrian civil war,[20][21] foreign meddling, violations of the UN arms embargo, desecration of the bodies of prisoners of war and civilians in Libya,[22][23] use of cluster munitions in Ukraine,[24] human trafficking in the Middle East,[14][25] uncovered the training of the killers of journalist Jamal Khashoggi,[14] discovered China's most famous MeToo activist who had been missing.[26] In 2022, Ganguly's investigation documented the torture of Russian anti-war prisoners in a Moscow police station and the identities of the officers,[27] which resulted in the officers being sanctioned by the EU.[28]
Ganguly was interviewed about her investigative reporting on Ukraine by Bellingcat,[29] El Mundo,[30] ARTE,[31] L'Orient Le Jour,[32] Marie Claire.[13]
Ganguly investigated Team Jorge, a team of Israeli contractors led by Tal Hanan, claiming to have meddled in more 30 elections worldwide and Aims, their software to launch bot armies[33][34][35] with the Guardian and Forbidden Stories. It resulted in the suspension of French broadcaster Rachid M'Barki of BFMTV.[36]
She investigated NTC-Vulkan, which develops a Russian disinformation network and cyberweapons used by the Russian military and intelligence agencies as a part of the Vulkan Files.[37] Ganguly acquired the Pentagon Leaks from Discord for the Guardian,[38] and reported that half the special forces deployments in Ukraine consisted of UK special forces.[39] Ganguly investigated the lineage of colonial looting of jewellery in the royal collection owned by Elizabeth II, and the British royal family.[40][41] Ganguly exposed the US and Germany training of Saudi border forces accused of mass killing migrants on the Yemen border.[42]
Ganguly has reported on transnational repression of dissidents on European soil, focussing on Saudi Arabia[43] and Iran.[44]
During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Ganguly's Instagram account was restricted by Meta while seeking blood donations for injured journalists.[45] Ganguly led the Guardian's investigation into the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion,[46] reporting that the crater at the blast site required kinetic energy inconsistent with a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) aerial bomb, and was also inconsistent with an airstrike, concluding that it was "more likely to be a weapon that failed and released its payload over a wide area." She investigated damage to Gaza's hospitals including by Israeli munitions,[47][48] the Jabaliya refugee camp airstrikes,[49] conducted damage assessment of northern Gaza,[50] and wrote that Israel appeared to be receiving munitions from a US War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel for the war in Gaza.[51][52]
Ganguly worked with a consortium of investigative journalists to uncover more than 1,000 unmarked graves of deceased migrants and refugees on the borders of Europe.[53]
Academic work edit
She holds a PhD titled "Future of Investigative Journalism: The Age of Automation, A.I. & Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)" from the University of Westminster.[54][55] It is the first PhD in OSINT mapping the impact on investigative journalism.[56][57][58] Ganguly's research also focussed on incidences of PTSD and the mental health impact of looking at graphic violence in OSINT investigations in war zones. She is a vocal proponent of women's representation and diversity in the OSINT space and investigative journalism.[59]
Ganguly has stated that OSINT investigations help confirm ground reality during war and fact-check claims made by state actors.[60][47]
In 2023, following the Twitter takeover by Elon Musk and banning of ElonJet, Ganguly expressed concern for Twitter becoming "an inhospitable platform for the OSINT community".[61] Ganguly also criticised the verification of the account of assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Musk for Twitter Blue, tweeting: "Jamal Khashoggi deserves better".[62][63] She attributed the new verification rules on X to the disinformation put out by OSINT accounts, and "OSINT grifters".[64]
Recognition and awards edit
Ganguly has won a number of awards for her work including the 2020 George Weidenfeld Special Preis for Courageous Reporting,[65][66] In April 2021, Ganguly was included by Forbes magazine on their annual 30 Under 30 in the media category.[67] She has won international awards including One Young World journalist of the year 2022,[68][69] MHP 30 to watch under 30 in 2021[70] and 2020,[71] WeAreTechWomen's TechWomen100 2021,[72] Best Investigation at the Asian Media Awards 2021,[73] Outstanding Young Journalist at the Asian Media Awards 2020,[74] Women of the Future Award [75]and two Amnesty International Media Awards for Best Investigation in 2020 and 2023.[76][77][78]
Ganguly's journalism was shortlisted for the Association of International Broadcasting Young Journalist Award,[79] One World Media Award for Coronavirus Reporting,[80] Outstanding Young Journalist at the Asian Media Awards [81] in 2020, and for the Broadcast Awards in 2021,[82] for the Digital Investigative Journalism Award 2023,[83] twice for the British Journalism Award 2024,[84] and twice for the UK Press Awards 2024.[85]
References edit
- ^ Ahmed, Mariam (1 December 2022). "The Guardian taps Ganguly to serve on investigations team". Talking Biz News. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "GIJN hosts webinar on investigating the war in Ukraine [Worldwide]". International Journalists' Network. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "DIG Awards 2023. The Video Jury". DIG Awards & Festival. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "OSINT and the Future of Investigative Journalism" with Dr. Manisha Ganguly, retrieved 17 December 2022
- ^ "First Steps to Getting Started in Open Source Research". bellingcat. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Qué es OSINT: herramientas de fuentes abiertas que sirven para investigar sobre un suceso · Maldita.es - Periodismo para que no te la cuelen". Maldita.es — Periodismo para que no te la cuelen (in Spanish). 24 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Ganguly, Manisha (2 March 2022). "15 Tips for Investigating War Crimes". Global Investigative Journalism Network. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "15 tips for investigating war crimes in Ukraine and beyond". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Så avslöjar du krigsbrotten - Scoop". www.scoopmagasin.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Royaume-Uni : La traque des preuves de crimes de guerre - Regarder le documentaire complet". ARTE (in French). Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Investigazioni on line e riconoscimento facciale contro i crimini di guerra". la Repubblica (in Italian). 14 March 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Israel Collecting Digital Evidence for War Crimes Case Against Hamas". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Καρκάνη, Γεωργία (26 September 2023). "Πολυβραβευμένη δημοσιογράφος γράφοντας ως φοιτήτρια για τα γυναικεία δικαιώματα πυροδότησε διαδηλώσεις που έκαναν μια πόλη να νεκρώσει - Marie Claire". Marie Claire | Ό,τι έχει σημασία για τις γυναίκες (in Greek). Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "Manisha Ganguly". Forbes. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Meet the young editors of tomorrow's India". The Times of India. 8 August 2012. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Braun, Johanna (18 June 2021). Hysterical Methodologies in the Arts: Rising in Revolt. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-66360-5.
- ^ "Γράφοντας ως φοιτήτρια για τα γυναικεία δικαιώματα, πυροδότησε διαδηλώσεις που έκαναν μια πόλη να νεκρώσει". iNewsgr.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Braun, Johanna (16 November 2020). Performing Hysteria. Leuven University Press. ISBN 978-94-6270-211-0.
- ^ "Tips for up-and-coming investigative journalists | Jamlab". Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Death of a peacemaker". BBC News. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Idlib 'double tap' air strikes: Who's to blame?". BBC News. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ Libyan conflict: Suspected war crimes shared online - BBC Newsnight, retrieved 15 April 2022
- ^ Libya's 'Game of Drones' - Full documentary - BBC Africa Eye | BBC Arabic, retrieved 15 April 2022
- ^ "Ukraine war: What weapon killed 50 people in station attack?". BBC News. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ Maids for Sale: Silicon Valley's Online Slave Market - BBC News, retrieved 15 April 2022
- ^ China's Silenced Feminist, retrieved 6 April 2023
- ^ Russian detainees expose police officer who tortured them - BBC World Service, retrieved 6 April 2023
- ^ "Violence against women and girls: EU sanctions nine individuals and three entities under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime". www.consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Fiorella, Giancarlo (9 November 2021). "First Steps to Getting Started in Open Source Research". bellingcat. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Los detectives de los crímenes de guerra: "Pude identificar en un vídeo a los culpables y localizar al familiar de una víctima"". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 11 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Royaume-Uni : La traque des preuves de crimes de guerre - Regarder le documentaire complet". ARTE (in French). Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Documenter les crimes de guerre en Ukraine : une opération à double tranchant". L'Orient-Le Jour. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Wednesday 15 January, The Monocle Daily 2402 - Radio". Monocle. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ Höfner, Roman (15 February 2023). "Storykillers-Recherche: Wie die Undercover-Reporter sich bei Team Jorge einschlichen". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections, retrieved 20 March 2023
- ^ "French broadcaster BFMTV suspends presenter amid Israeli disinformation scandal". Nieman Lab. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Harding, Luke; Ganguly, Manisha; Sabbagh, Dan (30 March 2023). "'Vulkan files' leak reveals Putin's global and domestic cyberwarfare tactics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Moore, Hannah; Ganguly, Manisha; Borger, Julian; Atack, Alex; Glasser, Tom; Zygadlo, Rudi; Cassin, Elizabeth (18 April 2023). "The Pentagon leaks: how did US security files end up on Discord? - podcast". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Davies, Harry; Ganguly, Manisha (11 April 2023). "Up to 50 UK special forces present in Ukraine this year, US leak suggests". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Samachar, Asia (10 April 2023). "Plundered stones from Punjab and India". Asia Samachar. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "What we know so far about British royals' wealth and finances – Guardian Staff". BHARATA BHARATI. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Beaumont, Peter; Ganguly, Manisha; Borger, Julian (30 August 2023). "Germany and US trained Saudi forces accused of killing Yemen migrants". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Ganguly, Manisha (8 June 2023). "Threatened Saudi dissident told to live like Edward Snowden by Met police". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Ganguly, Manisha (22 September 2023). "Iranian activists across Europe are targets of threats and harassment". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Il ban di Instagram sui contenuti relativi a Gaza: costa sta succedendo". Giornalettismo (in Italian). 18 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Ganguly, Manisha; Graham-Harrison, Emma; Burke, Jason; Morresi, Elena; Kirk, Ashley; Swan, Lucy (18 October 2023). "Al-Ahli Arab hospital: piecing together what happened as Israel insists militant rocket to blame". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b Galil, Tarek A. el (7 December 2023). "As Arab Investigative Journalists Meet, Gaza War Dominates Discussions". Al-Fanar Media. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Ganguly, Manisha; Morresi, Elena; Kirk, Ashley; Moore, Bryony; Symons, Harvey (1 December 2023). "Hospital damage in Gaza during Israeli offensive – a visual investigation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; Ganguly, Manisha; Morresi, Elena (1 November 2023). "Cratered ground and destroyed lives: piecing together the Jabalia camp airstrike". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Ganguly, Manisha; Swan, Lucy; Scruton, Paul (4 November 2023). "More than 1,000 craters: satellite images show destruction of northern Gaza Strip". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Achcar, Gilbert (4 January 2024). "The first US-Israeli joint war". Le Monde diplomatique. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Davies, Harry; Ganguly, Manisha (27 December 2023). "Gaza war puts US's extensive weapons stockpile in Israel under scrutiny". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ team, Border graves reporting. "Revealed: More than 1,000 unmarked graves discovered along EU migration routes". the Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Ganguly, Manisha | University of Westminster". www.westminster.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "OSINT and the Future of Investigative Journalism" with Dr. Manisha Ganguly, retrieved 20 March 2023
- ^ "How Bellingcat gets 15,000 people on Discord to talk about investigative journalism". Nieman Lab. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ The Future of Investigative Journalism | Dr Manisha Ganguly, retrieved 15 December 2023
- ^ "How Bellingcat gets 15,000 people on Discord to talk about investigative journalism". Nieman Lab. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "OSINT and the Future of Investigative Journalism" with Dr. Manisha Ganguly, retrieved 31 March 2023
- ^ "The Israel-Hamas war highlights the power (and the limits) of open-source reporting | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism". reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Dr. manisha ganguly | STATE of OSINT". stateofosint.com. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "These celebrities 'subscribed to Twitter Blue.' Except they're dead". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "The Detroit News". www.detroitnews.com. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "The Israel-Hamas war highlights the power (and the limits) of open-source reporting | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism". reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "2020". Axel-Springer-Preis (in German). Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Axel Springer Preis 2020, retrieved 15 April 2022
- ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2021: Media & Marketing". Forbes. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Manisha Ganguly named Journalist of the Year 2022". www.westminster.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Sajia (17 March 2022). "Afghan Journalist among Winners of 'Journalist of the Year Award' The Killid Group". The Killid Group. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "MHP Mischief 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards 2021". MHP Mischief. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Manisha Ganguly recognised as a 'Mischief + MHP 30 To Watch Young Journalist' for her work in international affairs". www.westminster.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "TechWomen100 Awards | Winners 2020". WeAreTechWomen - Supporting Women in Technology. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Asian Media Awards 2021 Winners". Asian Media Awards. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Asian Media Awards 2020 Finalists". Asian Media Awards. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Women of the Future Award Press Release 2022" (PDF).
- ^ "Amnesty Media Awards". Amnesty Media Awards. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Manisha Ganguly and her team at BBC Arabic win Amnesty Media Award". www.westminster.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Amnesty Media Awards - 2023 Finalists". Amnesty Media Awards. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Manisha Ganguly shortlisted for two young journalist awards". www.westminster.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ Manager, Chloe Choppen Comms. "Announcing the longlist for Coronavirus Reporting Award 2020". One World Media. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ Baddhan, Lakh (1 October 2020). "Asian Media Awards 2020: Finalists list". BizAsia | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Shortlist 2021 - Broadcast Awards 2021". 27 June 2021. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "The 2023 DIG Awards Finalists". DIG Awards & Festival. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (27 October 2023). "British Journalism Awards shortlist 2023: Best public interest reporting of last year revealed". Press Gazette. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "Shortlist 2024". The Press Awards. Retrieved 25 January 2024.