Open access
COLLABORATIVE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. THE CASE OF BELLINGCAT
Karolina POLIŃSKA1
Publication language: Polish
scientific paper
Quest Editor of the Issue Dominika Popielec
Transformations No. 1(128)2026, Publication date: 31 March 2026
Keywords: investigative journalism, non-profit, open source, online journalism
Abstract Although for more than a decade we have been hearing about a crisis in investigative journalism, it is not dying. Technological changes have enabled the development of new ways of organizing journalism that holds power to account. An example is Bellingcat, an organization that has been achieving success for over a decade thanks to its specific and unique operational structure. The aim of this article is to analyze this activity and to identify its key features for potential implementation in other organizations. This article demonstrates a model of collaboration oriented toward multidimensionality, both across different types of partners (non-profit organizations, traditional media, volunteers) and in thematic and temporal terms.
Doktor nauk społecznych, adiunkt w Instytucie Dzienni-karstwa i Komunikacji Medialnej Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach. Jej główne pole badawcze to dziennikarstwo śledcze w perspektywie politycznej, Polska
ORCID: 0000-0002-2816-9858
E-mail: karolina.polinska@us.edu.pl