Terrifying and crucial all at the same time. This is the work Anonymous wishes they did. The book is a fast read, but chock full of important work.

The author gives a good overview, in a conversational tone, about how online sleuthing works. Though there are some technical aspects to the process, he underlines how careful, diligent clue gathering can be helpful in real cases, and anyone can be successful at it.

We are Bellingcat: Global Crime, Online sleuths, and the Bold future of News by Eliot Higgins.

We are Bellingcat gives you a front row seat of how social media dominates and takes over frontline newspapers. By doing dangerous online sleuthing in dangerous times and situations. For example Syrian War with Assad when it first came on to Russia poisoning with novichok. A group of in-depth investigative journalists.
Who look for valid information and sources and try bring the truth to light. Who also expose the ugly truth that people would rather have not upfront.
Eliot Higgings searching for the truth and by exposing it and to bring forth Bellingcat is a great gift to society. I’m glad I got a chance to read this book.

This Arc was given to me by Netgalley in Exchange for an honest review.
March 2nd 2021 is when We are Bellingcat comes out grab a front row seat.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for sharing this ARC.
Like many I think, I had not heard of Bellingcat until their recent work with CNN investigating the Russian poisoning of Putin’s nemesis, Alexai Navalny. So when I saw this title I was intrigued to find out who and what they are. It’s a fascinating history of how the organization organically developed, expanded and continues to expand their work and setting standards for online investigations. Lots of good information about disinformation as well and what they’re working on to help educate citizens to question more of what they see online. Overall, very interesting for anyone and more so for those interested in digital sleuthing.

I really found a lot of value in this book! I would absolutely recommend this to any journalism course or media ethics course on the high school or college level. (A little warning: some of the cases included may be too grim for 9/10th graders.) While not always an objective re-telling, this part oral history part how to guide for internet sleuthing has a lot of fascinating stuff for any ELA teacher to use in the classroom.