SKUP 2026

How did a global network of social media influencers become linked to baby deaths across the world?

In this session, Guardian investigations correspondents Lucy Osborne and Sirin Kale take the audience behind The Birth Keepers – The Guardian’s year-long investigative podcast and written series examining the Free Birth Society, an international movement promoting “freebirth” and rejecting medical assistance during pregnancy and childbirth.

They will share how they reported on a closed digital community, verified infant deaths across borders, and worked methodically with vulnerable sources. The session will explore the investigative methods behind the project, the ethical dilemmas involved in reporting on grief, belief and motherhood, and the challenges of scrutinising charismatic online influencers. Osborne and Kale will also discuss how they combined rigorous accountability journalism with compelling narrative storytelling across both audio and print.