Direkt36

Direkt36 is a non-profit investigative journalism media organisation founded in 2015 in Hungary whose mission is to expose wrongdoings and abuse of power. It aims to provide Hungarian and international audiences with investigative and accountable reporting.

Direkt36 distances itself from the cycle of breaking and daily news; its journalists focus on in-depth investigative stories.

"Direkt36's mission is to expose abuse of power, corruption, negligence, and waste or misuse of other public goods by conducting investigative reporting. We believe that investigative journalism is one of the most effective tools to fight against wrongdoings as it raises the risk of such activities and increases society's moral sensitivity, " the organisation states on its website.

Furthermore, the team actively participated in international investigative journalism projects; Direkt36 is a member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). As a member of these organisations, Direkt36 broke the Pandora Papers and the Pegasus stories in Hungary. The team also wrote about the businesses of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's family.

"Independent journalism is the foundation of democracy, and when journalism is in trouble, democracy is as well," the co-founder András Pethő says.

The newsroom gets funding from individual donations, non-profit organisations and foundations, such as the Open Society Foundations or FRITT ORD. "Our goal is to receive the most of our income from the ones whom we are working for: our audience," the media states.

Direkt36 has a unique way of publishing its stories: with partnership contracts with major news sites (most recently Telex, before that, 444.hu).