The Signals Network coordinates broad international media consortium to investigate and report on Human Rights Watch research on EdTech
New York – May 25, 2022 – EdTech Exposed is an independent collaborative investigation that had early access to Human Rights Watch’s report, data, and technical evidence on alleged violations of children’s rights by governments that endorsed education technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The consortium provided weeks of independent reporting by more than 25 investigative journalists on six continents and seven languages.
The investigation was coordinated by The Signals Network, an international non-profit organization that supports whistleblowers and helps coordinate international media investigations that speak out against corporate misconduct and human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch provided financial support to The Signals Network to establish the consortium, but the consortium is independent from and operates independently from Human Rights Watch.
The Signals Network manages and oversees media consortia as a way to broaden the impact of critical public good information. “Media working together on a coordinated investigation increases the number of people reached by the critical information and allows media to focus on different aspects of the story,” said Delphine Halgand-Mishra, Executive Director of The Signals Network and a pioneer in coordinated media consortia. “Importantly, we believe that major stories impacting people around the world should be reachable and readable by people impacted by them. As such, we work with media on six continents and in a wide range of languages.”
The potential reach for the EdTech Exposed story is more than 185 million readers in seven languages. The media organizations involved include ABC (Australia), Chosun Ilbo (Republic of Korea), El Mundo (Spain), Folha de São Paolo (Brazil), The Globe and Mail (Canada), Kyodo News (Japan), McClatchy/Miami Herald/Sacramento Bee/Fort Worth Star Telegram (USA), Mediapart (France), Narasi TV (Indonesia), OCCRP (Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia), The Daily Telegraph (UK), The Wire (India), and The Washington Post (USA).
On June 8, 2022, Human Rights Watch will release all its data and technical evidence, to invite experts, journalists, policymakers, and readers to recreate, test, and engage with its findings and research methods.
