bellingcat

Bellingcat is an independent investigative journalism network specializing in open-source and digital forensics reporting. Founded in 2014 and based in the Netherlands, it leverages publicly available data, satellite imagery, social media, and crowdsourced intelligence to produce high-impact investigations that hold governments, corporations, and other powerful actors accountable. Its work spans global security, conflict, organized crime, environmental violations, and human rights abuses, often uncovering stories inaccessible through traditional reporting methods. Bellingcat’s methodology emphasizes transparency, reproducibility, and data-driven evidence, allowing the public and other journalists to verify findings and engage critically with complex events. Funded primarily through grants, donations, and reader contributions, Bellingcat operates independently of commercial or political influence. This financial and editorial independence enables the organization to pursue meticulous, long-term investigations that set a benchmark for open-source journalism worldwide.