In partnership with Forbidden Stories, ARIJ held a two-day in-person workshop in Amman on 8 and 9 July 2026 titled “Safety Box & Investigative Journalism,” bringing together 17 journalists (71% female) from Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon to strengthen their capacity to protect their sources and sharpen their investigative practice.

At the core: source protection through the SafeBox Network

Day one started with an introduction to Forbidden Stories and its investigations, before turning to the SafeBox Network and how journalists can use it as a deterrent. A serving member of the network shared first-hand testimony, followed by a session on securing sensitive information through the platform and a live demonstration with a hands-on exercise. Extended question-and-answer segments followed each section, providing participants with an opportunity to test the tool against the risks they face in their own reporting.

Sharpening the craft: hypotheses, pitches, and story ideas

Day two opened with an important question: Why is your pitch rejected when your idea is strong? From there, ARIJ’s editors walked journalists through what makes a pitch succeed, the hypothesis as the investigation’s compass, and the four questions every investigation must answer. The afternoon was entirely practical, with participants framing their own hypotheses, pitching them to the trainers, then developing their ideas and building mind maps around them.

Post-session feedback recorded an overall satisfaction rate of 91% with the training.

Participant Voices

Asmaa, a journalist from Palestine, said: “Learning about Forbidden Stories and knowing we can find a haven to protect our data if we come under threat, and clarifying our hypotheses and how to focus on a specific angle and develop the idea.”

Mahdi, a journalist from Lebanon, pointed to the value of “being given examples of pitches ARIJ’s editorial board had rejected, which helped us understand ARIJ’s methodology and how to submit proposals.”

Mayar, a journalist from Palestine, added: “Networking and meeting colleagues from different regions, which showed us the conditions they work under and let us learn from their experience, and discovering a platform that stores our material and sources securely.”