“They have earned their reputations over the past four years by being the first to report key developments later confirmed by mainstream research and reporting — such as the split between the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, the burst of jihadi recruitment in the West, and the entry of Hezbollah into the Syrian battle.” They are not part of any intelligence department. They don’t work for the government. They are self-made experts with an internet connection. From The Boston Globe’s Thanassis Cambanis: The Jihadi Hunters.