About CCIJ:
The Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) is a nonprofit organization that supports cross-border reporting incorporating investigative, data and visual storytelling; offering capacity-building programs for journalists worldwide. Through collaboration, mentorship, and storytelling, CCIJ tackles urgent global issues and amplifies underreported voices.
Learn about CCIJ’s experimental Fortnite game:
Data Vault Canyon is CCIJ’s groundbreaking multiplayer journalism game built inside Fortnite, designed to turn real investigative reporting into an immersive, interactive experience. Inspired by investigative series—Democracy Deferred—into Nigeria’s 2023 presidential elections, the game drops players into a chaotic canyon moments after an explosion at a hidden newsroom.
The game uses sound, environmental storytelling, and motion cues to mirror the urgency and moral weight of real investigative work.
Designed with multiplayer logic, Data Vault Canyon gives each player their own story progression while exploring the canyon together. It blends journalism, gameplay, and civic education, making complex investigations accessible to digital-native audiences through exploration, choice, and consequence.
Whether you’re a journalist, a gamer, or both, this webinar will help you:
- Find out more about CCIJ’s work and experiments with Augmented Reality (AR), smartphone-friendly tech and gaming
- Find out the step-by-step process of game worldbuilding with the CCIJ Metaverse Designer
- Join the discussion and Q&A to collectively explore the power of immersive, interactive experiences for investigative reporting and storytelling
During the Virtual Newsroom Visit, we will hear from:
- Jeff Kelly Lowenstein: CCIJ Founder & Executive Director
- Nelly Kalu: CCIJ Editorial Projects & Products Manager
- Serena Stelitano: CCIJ Metaverse & Game Designer
- Fola Folayan: Communications & Partnerships Manager
What are the Virtual Newsroom Visits?
Virtual Newsroom Visits – a series of virtual live events, open to the wider public and promoted in our IPI members’ network, as well as the IPI’s Local News and Innovation Network. In the series, we invite experienced, innovative independent media organizations to share the BTS of their media business. These first-hand stories serve as a resource and inspiration for other journalism organizations striving to make a positive impact in their communities.
The broader goal is to level up the floor of the industry’s understanding and knowledge and create opportunities for exchange, helping our peers to do the best journalism for our communities. We now open the 5th season of IPI’s newsroom visits, organized as part of IPI’s Local News & Innovation Network, which hosts our Slack community for peer-to-peer discussion. Do you want to be a part of this series? Get in touch via innovation[at]ipi[dot]media.
>> Explore the previous Newsroom visits
IPI’s virtual newsroom visits are made possible by support from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF). The views and opinions expressed on IPI’s website and other publishing platforms do not necessarily represent IPI’s views.