Founded | 2014 |
---|---|
Founder | David Schraven |
Type | Non-profit |
Focus | Investigative journalism |
Location | |
Area served | Abuse of power, corruption, environment, education, health, social justice, right-wing extremism, religious extremism |
Method | Foundation and member supported |
Key people | David Schraven (publisher), David Crawford (senior reporter) |
Employees | 20 |
Volunteers | >500 |
Website | correctiv |
Correctiv (self-styled CORRECT!V) is a German nonprofit investigative journalism newsroom based in Essen. It is run by CORRECTIV – Recherchen für die Gesellschaft gemeinnützige GmbH ("CORRECTIV – Investigations for the Society Charitable Limited"), which also runs the online journalism academy Reporterfabrik.[1]
Its stated goal is "to give citizens access to information."[2] With about 20 staff members, Correctiv claims to be the first nonprofit investigative center in Germany. Correctiv describes itself as an organization that is "one of the many answers to the media crisis."[2] Correctiv occasionally publishes reports in multiple languages beside German including Arabic, English, French, Russian and Turkish, via its website and partner outlets.
Correctiv was initiated in 2014 by the charitable organization "CORRECTIV – Recherchen für die Gesellschaft" ("CORRECTIV – Research for Society") based in Essen and has been supported by the Brost Foundation with a grant of €1 million per year for three years.[3]
Correctiv.Lokal, a network for joint research by local journalists, bloggers and experts, was launched in August 2018 together with the Rudolf Augstein Foundation.[4]
In May 2020, the Salon5 youth editorial team was founded with the support of the Ruhr Conference of the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the RAG Foundation.[5]
Correctiv is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network.[6]
Correctiv is a nonprofit organization and exempt from taxation under German law. The funding comes largely from establishment foundations and corporations, such as George Soros' Open Society Foundations, Google Germany GmbH, and German Telekom,[7] as well as membership fees and donations from the users and readers. All donations of more than €1000 are listed on the website. Despite depending on establishment foundations and corporations for most of its funding, Correctiv claims to be "nonprofit, independent and investigative".[2]
David Schraven is the publisher and Jeannette Gusko the executive director.[8]
Correctiv wants "to make investigative and informative journalism affordable and accessible to media organizations throughout Germany."[2]
Correctiv reported amongst other things on
Correctiv described the Flight MH17 as one of the greatest war crimes of modern times. Over several months it gathered facts, investigated in eastern Ukraine and Russia, and found witnesses to the missile launch, unveiled a clear chain of evidence that MH17 was downed by a BUK missile ground-launched by a unit of the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade from Kursk. The brigade unit operated in mid July on Ukrainian territory without displaying national emblems.[24] [25]
Main article: Meeting of right-wing extremists at Potsdam in 2023 |
In January 2024, Correctiv published a report titled "Secret Plan Against Germany" (German: "Geheimplan gegen Deutschland") that described a meeting between AfD and CDU members and far-right elements to plan a program of forced "re-migration" of immigrants and others considered undesirable.[26][27] The report led to mass demonstrations in Germany against AfD.[28]