What Documented does

Documented is an independent, nonprofit newsroom founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York City, producing original journalism and practical resource guides for the city's immigrant communities. It publishes in four languages — English, Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian Kreyol — distributed across a WordPress-based website (documentedny.com) plus dedicated channels on WhatsApp (Documented Semanal), WeChat, TikTok, and Nextdoor. Its core products include the multilingual website, the thrice-weekly Early Arrival Newsletter, and topic-specific verticals covering immigration, labor, housing, and health.

A second product line is built around proprietary data and partnerships. The Wage Theft Monitor, launched in August 2023 in collaboration with the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic, is an interactive database and map of more than 33,000 New York businesses found guilty of wage theft, representing over 100,000 workers. Documented.info, launched in October 2024 with the International Rescue Committee, is a dedicated information platform for NYC asylum seekers and migrants. In 2024, Documented received a $2 million Knight Foundation gift to launch Building Bridges, a three-year national training program for immigrant-serving newsrooms; the first cohort of six newsrooms launched in January 2026.

The business model is a nonprofit operating model rather than a commercial one. Documented is funded primarily through foundation grants — including Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Democracy Fund, Walton Family Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation — supplemented by individual donations collected via GiveButter and limited advertising solutions. There is no paid subscription product; all journalism and resource guides are freely accessible. Newsroom leadership is held by Executive Director and Co-Founder Mazin Sidahmed, Co-Founder and Special Projects Editor Max Siegelbaum, and Editor-in-Chief Ethar El-Katatney, supported by roughly 20 named editorial, product, and operations staff across a four-language footprint.

Name

Documented

Legal name

Documented

Website

https://documentedny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Documented is a New York City nonprofit newsroom founded in 2018 that produces original journalism and resource guides for immigrant communities in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian Kreyol across web, WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok, and Nextdoor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multilingual Nonprofit News

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB), Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

Keywords

• Multilingual immigrant journalism
• Nonprofit newsroom services
• Community engagement journalism
• Immigrant resource guides
• Wage theft monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: Documented operates as a nonprofit newsroom funded primarily through foundation grants and individual donations. Their supporters include major foundations such as Ford Foundation, Knight Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and many others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Documented is a nonprofit news organization that publishes original investigative journalism, responsive reporting, and actionable resource guides for New York City's immigrant communities in four languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian Kreyol. It distributes content across its website, WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok, Nextdoor, email newsletters, and social media, while also producing investigative data projects such as the Wage Theft Monitor and offering a national training program (Building Bridges) for immigrant-serving newsrooms.

Product overview

Documented is a nonprofit newsroom offering a multi-platform journalism ecosystem for immigrant communities in New York City. The core product is its multilingual news website (documentedny.com) publishing original reporting in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian Kreyol. Key products include the Wage Theft Monitor database, Early Arrival Newsletter, Documented Semanal (WhatsApp), WeChat Official Account, and the Building Bridges training program. The organization operates across WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok, and Nextdoor for audience engagement, with resources spanning legal services, housing, labor rights, health, and immigration topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wage Theft Monitor: The largest public repository of data on New York businesses found guilty of wage theft
• Building Bridges: An Immigrant Media Training Program
• Documented Semanal
• Early Arrival Newsletter

Products and services

• Documented Website (documentedny.com)
• Wage Theft Monitor
• Early Arrival Newsletter
• Documented Semanal (WhatsApp Newsletter)
• Building Bridges: An Immigrant Media Training Program
• WeChat Official Account
• Documented.info Platform
• Immigrant Resources Hub

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Latino USAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for content collaboration on stories affecting Latino immigrant communities.
• The GuardianminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for content collaboration and audience reach.
• Univision 41 - Nueva YorkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for Spanish-language content collaboration serving Latino immigrant communities.
• WNYCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with New York public radio station for content collaboration.
• The New York TimesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for content collaboration.
• ProPublicaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInvestigative journalism partnership, including collaboration on wage theft reporting.
• Associated PressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for content sharing and collaboration.
• The MarkupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInvestigative journalism partnership for technology and data journalism.
• THE CITYminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal NYC news partnership for coverage of immigrant communities.
• The Marshall ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership covering criminal justice and immigration intersection.
• New York MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for New York-focused content collaboration.
• International Rescue CommitteecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with IRC for the Documented.info platform launched October 2024 for NYC asylum seekers and migrants.
• Cornell Law School First Amendment CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal partnership that helped file lawsuit against NY State DOL for wage theft data through FOIL requests.
• Conecta ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Immigrant News Coalition announced July 2025.
• El TímperominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Immigrant News Coalition announced July 2025.
• Sahan JournalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Immigrant News Coalition announced July 2025.
• Listening Post CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Immigrant News Coalition announced July 2025.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• THE CITY: Nonprofit, member-supported local newsroom covering NYC neighborhoods and underserved communities. Directly comparable to Documented as a fellow NYC-focused nonprofit news outlet serving immigrant and working-class audiences; Documented already lists THE CITY as an active media partner.
• Conecta Arizona: Bilingual (Spanish/English) nonprofit newsroom covering Latino and immigrant communities in Arizona. Direct peer in immigrant-serving, multilingual community journalism; coalition partner with Documented in the Immigrant News Coalition.
• El Tímpano: Nonprofit news outlet covering Oakland's Latino and Mayan-immigrant communities through community-driven reporting. Direct peer in multilingual, community-led immigrant journalism; coalition partner with Documented.
• City Limits: Long-running NYC nonprofit newsroom covering urban policy, poverty, and immigrant communities. Direct peer in nonprofit local journalism focused on NYC's underserved populations and immigrant issues.
• Sahan Journal: Nonprofit newsroom covering immigrant and refugee communities of color in Minnesota. Direct peer in nonprofit immigrant journalism serving underrepresented communities; also a coalition partner with Documented.
• WNYC: Major NYC public radio station and nonprofit newsroom with immigrant and community-focused programming. Direct peer in NYC nonprofit local journalism; listed as an active media partner with Documented.

Broad incumbents

• The Marshall Project: National nonprofit newsroom covering criminal justice. Comparable in nonprofit, impact-driven editorial model and partnership-based coverage of immigration-criminal justice intersections with Documented.
• ProPublica: Large national nonprofit investigative newsroom. Comparable as a nonprofit investigative journalism partner; has collaborated with Documented on wage theft reporting and operates at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• The Markup: Nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on data and technology accountability. Comparable in nonprofit investigative model and data-journalism ethos; Documented has a formal investigative partnership with The Markup.

Emerging players

• MLK50: Nonprofit investigative newsroom in Memphis covering economic justice and workers' rights. Comparable as a small nonprofit newsroom with similar audience-development and impact-oriented model; one of Documented's deputy editors previously worked there.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/documentedny
• Facebookfacebook.com/documentednyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/documentedny
• Instagraminstagram.com/documented.ny
• TikToktiktok.com/@documentedny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Documented