The 5-Minute Interview: Hamish Boland-Rudder, Online Editor of the ICIJ

The ICIJ uses Neo4j and Linkurious for investigative journalism, particularly in offshore finance cases. They chose Neo4j due to its speed and simplicity compared to SQL relational databases, which also allowed for a single developer deployment. Hamish Boland-Rudder notes that the graph visualization provided by Linkurious is intuitive and valuable for journalists, allowing them to understand complex relationships between data points. The most interesting results from using Neo4j and Linkurious include being able to see and report on nuanced relationships between nodes, such as attorney-client relationships. If starting over, Hamish would use Neo4j and Linkurious earlier in the investigation process, prioritizing their setup and utilization for better reporting outcomes. Overall, the tools have been a valuable asset for ICIJ's investigative work, enabling more effective data analysis and reporting.