On September 11-12, a two-day specialized OSINT (open-source intelligence) training was held in Almaty for 25 top graduates of regional offline trainings conducted in spring 2025.

The participants included journalists, editors, journalism faculty members, and students from Atyrau, Karaganda, Kostanay, Astana, Shymkent, Turkestan, Kyzylorda, and other cities across Kazakhstan.

The program was focused on practical tools and methods for working with open sources. Participants explored geolocation using maps, tools for face search and recognition, as well as brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for future fact-checking articles and materials.

The sessions were conducted by experienced international trainers and practicing journalists from OCCRP and Bellingcat.

As a result of the training, participants will prepare and publish their own fact-checking articles.

This workshop is part of a broader program implemented by MediaNet to strengthen media literacy and critical thinking. The next stage will include offline lectures on media literacy and critical thinking for 8th–9th grade students in Almaty, scheduled for October and November 2025.

The training was organized by MediaNet International Center for Journalism with the support of The Nippon Foundation.