Documented is an investigative watchdog and journalism project committed to holding the powerful interests that undermine our democracy accountable.
We believe that hard-hitting, investigative journalism is needed now more than ever.
Corporations and wealthy donors have far too much power and influence in our political and justice systems. Profits and shareholders are too often put ahead of everyday people. The very real and urgent dangers of climate change are being downplayed or ignored. Our democracy itself is under attack.
None of us are neutral in these fights, and we don't pretend to be. Documented works to level the playing field by pulling back the curtain on those in power to expose corruption. We publish and report on documents, audio, video and other materials that lay bare corporate interests and their network of operatives’ best laid plans to rig the system.
Documented passionately believes that investigative journalism that holds the powerful accountable, serves a critical role in society. To have as large an impact as possible, we frequently partner with other journalists and media outlets with far greater reach in both formal and informal capacities. We do this either as media partners, or as issue experts. If you are a journalist or editor, we have more details on how to contact us about partnerships here. We also occasionally provide our research to non-profits, academics, policymakers or other interested groups for use in their work.
The findings of our investigations have appeared in most (if not all) major US print, online and broadcast news outlets. This has included The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Intercept, NPR, MSNBC and CNN. Our research and reporting has been frequently cited by policymakers, in particular during congressional oversight hearings, and has been used repeatedly by campaign groups pushing for progressive change.
In 2019, a small group of independent publishers banded together to form a new cooperative called the Brick House. We raised about $90,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, and launched in December 2020.
After three years of publishing at the Brick House, we're investing our combined knowledge and resources in a much more ambitious expansion of our cooperative: FLAMING HYDRA. Each of Flaming Hydra's 60 members agrees to contribute a minimum of one original piece per month to an ingenious, brief and captivating daily newsletter, in exchange for an equal share of the subscription proceeds, payable monthly. Flaming Hydra members retain the rights to their work absolutely.
Subscribers to Flaming Hydra will receive articles and essays, comics and criticism, humor, literature, photos, and reviews, with surprises each weekday. Because there are a lot of us, only a small amount of work is required of each member. We're sharing audiences, work, and resources, so that all can benefit and thrive.
RSS: https://flaminghydra.com/rss-feeds/
If you're a subscriber you have access to a personal, paid RSS feed as well.
In the years since this site first launched as “Reporting by Matt Taibbi,” there have been significant changes in the national media landscape. The corporate press is dying, with once-prestigious TV channels losing audience at breakneck speed. As those organizations struggle, the explosive growth of independent podcasts and sites like Substack re-kindled interest in reporting generally. One of the reasons virtually all the reporters on the #TwitterFiles story came from Substack was due to our indepdent status. While corporate outlets forgot how essential the building of trust is in maintaining faithful audiences, independents on sites like Substack have no choice but to pay close attention to the problem, succeeding only through the slow process of building relationships with subscribers over periods of years.
FindYourNews.org is a place for you to discover and connect with nonprofit newsrooms that are producing fact-based, public service journalism.
Whether you are a resident looking to find a newsroom in your neighborhood or a funder exploring opportunities to support the field, this site is designed to help you learn about quality news sources across North America.
From local news to in-depth reporting on pressing global issues, members of the INN Network tell stories that otherwise would go untold – connecting communities, holding the powerful accountable, and strengthening democracy.
All newsrooms listed on the site are required to be members of the Institute of Nonprofit News (INN). To become a member of INN, a news organization must be organized as a 501(c)(3) corporation, or be fiscally sponsored by one, and uphold standards for editorial independence, excellence in news coverage, and ethical behavior – including transparency about their funding.
Our toolkit includes satellite and mapping services, tools for verifying photos and videos, websites to archive web pages, and much more. Most of the tools that we include can be used for free. Bellingcat’s Online Investigation Toolkit has a long tradition but our newest version is special: It is offered in collaboration with the Bellingcat volunteer community.
You can also download the tool lists for each category in csv format, or the whole site as a PDF.
In many countries, websites, social media and blogs are controlled by oppressive leaders. Young people, in particular, are forced to grow up in systems where their opinion is heavily manipulated by governmental disinformation campaigns. But even where almost all media is blocked or controlled, the world’s most successful computer game is still accessible. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) uses this loophole to bypass internet censorship to bring back the truth – within Minecraft.
Providing access to independent information to young people around the world through a medium they can playfully interact with. Journalists from five different countries now have a place to make their voices heard again, despite having been banned, jailed, exiled and even killed. Their forbidden articles were republished in books within Minecraft, giving readers the chance to inform themselves about the real political situation in their countries and learn the importance of press freedom.
The map can be downloaded from a public Google Share.
It's also running on a public Minecraft server: visit.uncensoredlibrary.com
AlgorithmWatch is a human rights organization based in Berlin and Zurich. We fight for a world where algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) do not weaken justice, democracy, and sustainability, but strengthen them.
What is known? What isn’t known? Knowable Magazine, the digital publication from Annual Reviews, seeks to make that knowledge accessible to all. Knowable Magazine explores the real-world significance of scholarly work through a journalistic lens. We report on the current state of play across a wide variety of fields — from agriculture to high-energy physics; biochemistry to water security; the origins of the universe to psychology.
Knowable Magazine content is thoroughly researched, reported, edited, copy-edited and fact-checked. Review articles in Annual Review journals provide ideas, but editorial decisions and reporting decisions are made by the magazine staff, guided by what will best inform and intrigue readers. In this task they are guided by a Magazine Advisory Group, which includes leading journalists and communicators working in a variety of media.
Most APIs are undocumented and hidden in plain sight. Being able to find these APIs can provide a rich, reliable, and scalable method of building your own datasets. Learn how to find them in the wild, and how they’ve been used in past investigations.
Forbidden Stories ensures that journalists under threat can secure their information. We provide them with the ability to drop their sensitive information into one of our secure communication channels. If something happens to them, we will ensure the survival of their stories, beyond borders, beyond governments, beyond censorship.
Floodlight is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action. Floodlight has partnered with NPR, the Intercept, HuffPost, the Guardian, Grist, the Los Angeles Times, The Texas Tribune and more.
The Digital First Aid Kit is a free resource to help rapid responders, digital security trainers, and tech-savvy activists to better protect themselves and the communities they support against the most common types of digital emergencies. It can also be used by activists, human rights defenders, bloggers, journalists or media activists who want to learn more about how they can protect themselves and support others. If you or someone you are assisting is experiencing a digital emergency, the Digital First Aid Kit will guide you in diagnosing the issues you are facing, and refer you to support providers for further help if needed.
A mirror of the site can be downloaded for archival and offline use: https://digitalfirstaid.org/dfak-offline.zip
Git repo: https://gitlab.com/rarenet/dfak
License: Creative Commons By-Attribution v4.0
A website detailing which candidates recieved how much money from whom, and when.
Where the candidates stand on the matters that matter.