Sonja Peteranderl

A questionable business model of the global arms industry is emerging, leading from the theater of war to the holiday island of Sardinia, where the Rheinmetall subsidiary RWM Italia supplies a global bomb supermarket – as part of a Matrushka system that includes lucrative deals with partners in the Middle East. With the "internationalization strategy", a network of subsidiaries and joint ventures abroad, companies like Rheinmetall are in a position to circumvent local arms laws and controls, which are actually intended to prevent military equipment with German DNA from being used in war zones such as Yemen.

European weapons are used in conflicts, civil wars and human rights violations. Which are the routes they take, and how does this trade circumvent international law? Three teams of journalists have investigated this shady trade with a combination of data journalism, open source research and old-fashioned journalism and share their methods.

Will Artificial Intelligence soon put journalists out of work? Algorithms and journalism: this is a combination that has long aroused skepticism among editors and journalists. But publishers and media companies are now also using algorithms to solve a task that is actually intended for editors: text production. Automated writing of texts is gaining acceptance worldwide. Forerunners are the USA, where the AP news agency or the Washington Post, for example, rely on so-called Robo texts. German editorial offices are also slowly beginning to integrate automated text productions into everyday editorial work. But the scepticism remains - despite the great potential of the technology.

Organized crime on the Internet: Criminal groups such as gangs and drug cartels rely on digital innovation and, like terrorists, use social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and apps as PR portals and recruit new employees as well. How does technology change the drug war? Which platforms and which technologies are used by criminal organisations? How can you verify whether social media profiles really do belong to criminals? How do I move safely on the net and create an inconspicuous fake profile for my research? Which tools are suitable for the visualization of networks and research? In recent years, reporters Julia Jaroschewski and Sonja Peteranderl have analysed the development of organized crime in Latin America and provide an overview of criminal trends and new challenges for investigators.

More than 700 million internet users, innovations such as super apps, Fintech or Artificial Intelligence (AI), rapid growth rates, massive investments in start-ups and innovation: China's digital landscape is booming, for the government digitalization is at the top of the agenda - and it sets the guidelines for the network and innovations. What does China's digital media landscape look like? Which trends determine the Chinese Internet and the start-up scene? What impact will China`s citizen scoring system (SCS) on society and how will new laws on digitisation and cyber security shape the future development of the country?

Between firewall, social media and selfie cult: The Internet works differently in China. Instead of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Chinese use social networks such as Wechat and Weibo - and despite censorship create new scope for searching for identity, social and political reconstructions. The digital economy is also booming. Chinese entrepreneurs are working on the future in start-ups and maker spaces and are also looking for business models beyond US copycats – but the rules of the game are dictated by the state.

Drugs, weapons, deals: Gangs and cartels are also active in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, dealers sell drugs online. But how do I track down criminals online as a journalist? How can I check if there are actually criminals behind suspicious social media profiles? How do I move safely on the net and create an inconspicuous fake program for my research? How do I organize the findings and create a visual overview of criminal activities, actors and networks in social media?

More than just a game: With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 Olympics, everyday life is changing into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. With the military occupation of about 200 of Rio's more than 1000 slums, the presence of the UPP peace police and investments in infrastructure, the favelas and thus the city as a whole should become safer. However, problems such as police violence, corruption or a lack of infrastructure remain for the favela inhabitants. New conflicts arise, such as resettlements for controversial projects, cable cars in favelas, and conflicts between police and drug gangs. Julia Jaroschewski and Sonja Peteranderl have investigated phenomena such as the Brazilian occupation strategy (UPP) and the impact of the digitalization on the favelas. They live in Rio's biggest favela Rocinha, report live from the favela and also blog during the World Cup on the favelawatchblog.com (Twitter @buzzingcities).

Live streamed murders and terror attacks, check in after the disaster, traumatizing photos and videos: In the digital age, terrorist attacks and crime are maximised through social networks, but they can also help those affected and the police to clarify the situation. How should social networks deal with violence? Do we need a new media ethic to deal with recordings of torture, violence and terror? And how should algorithms deal with cruel images and events like terrorist attacks - and can they do the work alone?

False news as a journalism challenge: What means
responsible journalistic work in the age of "fake news" and how can we better frame the debate around false information, rumours and political propaganda online - and fight them? What does it take for today's work of journalists in a technical respect and which role play transparency and open data?