How to use Telegram for online journalism investigations

Credit: Andrea di Valvasone #ijf25 via Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).

The Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) investigation into Russian theft of Ukrainian grain was made possible by a job posting on the private messaging platform, Telegram.

The visual investigations unit uncovered a Russian message which specifically detailed the pickup locations and final destinations for the grain shipments, along with contact information for potential employees, who were able to verify the details.

Investigative journalist Jane Lytvynenko revealed how Telegram can provide critical information for investigations like this, speaking at last week's International Journalism Festival (11 April 2025).

How does Telegram work?

• One-to-one messages: Telegram by default does not offer end-to-end-encryption, meaning direct messages are not necessarily secure, unless you use secret chats.
• Group chats: capable of hosting up to 200,000 members, available as open and closed groups, and can vary widely in focus.
• Channels: a one-way broadcast system for announcements, information and updates, often used by legitimate news outlets and most useful for investigations.
• Telegram bots: internal applications which perform a variety of tasks, frequently used by channel admins for communications.

What can you do there?

• Verification during breaking news: direct messaging anyone on the platform.
• Community monitoring: observe the narratives of disinformation campaigns, protest movements, and various special interest groups. 
• Accessible media files: store shared images and videos safely because of less stringent moderation policies and retention of metadata (unlike most platforms).
• Network analysis: monitor which channels are cross-referencing and cross-promoting each other.
• Gather evidence: verify the authenticity and origins of digital content.

Native tools and in-built features

• Detailed chat history: export a channel's entire output, including media shared before a user joined, available in both user-friendly HTML and JSON formats (useful for spreadsheets).
• Accessible metadata for media verification: save media files directly to a computer, then use metadata analysis tools (like metadata2go) to analyse images, videos and audio files to figure out when they were made or if they have been tampered with.
• Content searching by date: in-channel search functions allow users to narrow in on date ranges when searching for specific events and related discussions, although advanced Boolean search operators are not supported.
• Intelligent channel discovery: "similar channels" are suggested in the search function, based on shared subscribers and can help map networks.
• Comment sections: can be turned off, but when turned on, can provide valuable spaces for monitoring public sentiment and identifying potential eyewitnesses to events.
• Folders: to organise conversations and channels.

Expanding channel discovery

Search functionality within Telegram is limited, but there are other ways to find broadcast channels.

• Google search: try searching for "site:t.me [keywords]" for more targeted and comprehensive search results.
• Try X (formerly Twitter): often, channels promote themselves or their content on X, making it a valuable secondary discovery platform.
• Cross-platform search strategies: search for the Telegram URL ("t.me") within relevant groups on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, to uncover niche Telegram communities of interest.

Case example: The WSJ investigated the missing persons crisis in Mariupol. Searching for Telegram links within Facebook groups dedicated to the city proved crucial in identifying local neighbourhood channels documenting the siege.

External toolkits

Sometimes, you need some other tools to get the job done.

• Statistics and analysis: TGStat (very good, but note its Russian origin) or Telemetrio (a non-Russian alternative). Both good for comprehensive channel statistics, advanced post search functionalities, and insights into channel mentions and related communities, with both free and paid subscription options. 
• Advanced search: TelepathyDB offers a more specialised set of functions, including reverse image search, making it particularly valuable for investigations involving visual evidence and large datasets. 

Security tips

• Use disposable phone numbers for account creation.
• Limit the app's access to personal data.
• Remove metadata from sensitive media before sharing.
• Attempt to move sources to more secure, encrypted platforms like Signal or Wire.
• Download the desktop app for full feature access.
• Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Parting words of wisdom from Jane

• Look out for monetisation strategies: advertisements and donation pledges can indicate how disinformation is funded and sustained.
• Channel admins: normally do not reveal their identification, but they might slip up with a name or pronoun.
• Track usernames: users sometimes opt for the same username across multiple online platforms.
• Keep a record: run a spreadsheet for all the channels you follow, as the platform maxes out on 500 channels, and it can be a pain to keep searching for them.
• Get acquainted: there are initiatives out there to help, like the volunteer collective Geo-Confirmed, which specialises in conflict monitoring using Telegram data, and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which also incorporates Telegram information into its analysis.
• Metadata rules: ...and worth repeating is that what makes Telegram unique is its preservation of metadata, so make full use of it.

"I cannot stress enough how much the metadata is a gold mine," says Lytvynenko. "You are always bound to get lucky. If you don't see it on one video, check it on another video."

We used a transcription tool, Good Tape, and a generative AI Gemini, to help structure this article before it was edited by a human.

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