What Correctiv does

CORRECTIV, formally "CORRECTIV – Recherchen für die Gesellschaft gemeinnützige GmbH", is a German nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2014 and headquartered in Essen, with additional offices in Berlin and a regional presence in Switzerland. It is self-described as the first nonprofit investigative newsroom in the German-speaking countries, producing long-form investigations across politics, Russia/Ukraine influence, climate, the economy, and social issues, alongside a dedicated fact-checking service (CORRECTIV.Faktencheck).

Its product portfolio is a multi-platform journalism stack: the core investigative reporting platform on correctiv.org; the free daily Spotlight newsletter; the CrowdNewsroom crowdsourced investigation platform; CORRECTIV.Sunlight, which verifies political candidates' biographical claims before elections; a free searchable database of 6+ million historical NSDAP membership records; a live-updated Sanktionstracker on Russia sanctions; youth editorial through Salon5; theater productions staged across 50+ European theaters; and books/merchandise sold through CORRECTIV.Verlag. Notable investigations include the Gazprom-Lobby network in German politics (2022), the Doppelganger disinformation campaign, the Vatican abuse archives, and sanctions evasion for Russian naval technology, several of which were presented to EU institutions.

Revenue is generated via reader donations and sponsorships, membership programs (StartHub and supporter tiers with recurring billing), publishing and merchandise sales, and engagement-driven campaigns tied to CrowdNewsroom petitions. Operating geographies span Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg, and CEO/Publisher David Schraven leads the organization together with prokurists Florence Wild and Saadet Andirinli.

Name

Correctiv

Legal name

CORRECTIV – Recherchen für die Gesellschaft gemeinnützige GmbH

Website

https://correctiv.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CORRECTIV is Germany's first nonprofit investigative newsroom, producing long-form investigations, fact-checking and crowdsourced reporting across politics, disinformation and democracy issues, funded by donations and serving general readers in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Fact-checking services
• Nonprofit newsroom
• Transparency databases
• Crowdsourced investigations

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: CORRECTIV relies heavily on reader donations and sponsorship campaigns, particularly for specific initiatives like CORRECTIV.Sunlight (candidate verification before elections) with a stated goal of 300,000 EUR to expand candidate checking operations.
2. Membership Programs: The organization offers various membership options including StartHub and supporter memberships with access to a personal supporter login for managing donations and newsletter subscriptions.
3. Publishing and Merchandise Sales: CORRECTIV.Verlag publishes investigative books, graphic novels, and literary formats on societal, political, economic, and cultural topics. Sales through the CORRECTIV Collection merchandise line (hoodies, T-shirts, socks, cups) and the online shop.
4. CrowdNewsroom Participation: Crowdsourced journalism platform where citizens participate in investigations, with open petitions and supporter campaigns driving engagement and funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CORRECTIV is a German nonprofit investigative newsroom that produces original investigative reporting, structured fact-checks, and a free daily newsletter (CORRECTIV Spotlight) for a general audience of readers, donors, and newsletter subscribers. It commercializes supplementary offerings including subscription supporter memberships, an online shop selling books and games, and live theater adaptations of its investigations across 50+ European venues.

Product overview

CORRECTIV is a German nonprofit investigative newsroom offering a multi-platform journalism portfolio. The core offering consists of investigative journalism and fact-checking services, supplemented by educational products (Projekt G game), engagement platforms (CrowdNewsroom), transparency initiatives (CORRECTIV.Sunlight candidate checks), and regional operations (CORRECTIV.Schweiz). Additional offerings include newsletter (Spotlight), youth media (Salon5), publishing (Verlag), video content, live theater adaptations of investigations, historical research tools (NSDAP database), and specialized trackers (Sanktionstracker). The organization operates as a platform-plus-multiple-arms model, with journalism as the central product complemented by various engagement, educational, and transparency tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CORRECTIV.Spotlight: Free daily newspaper via newsletter delivering key news and their relevance to readers
• CORRECTIV.Faktencheck
• CORRECTIV.Europe
• CORRECTIV.Sunlight

Products and services

• Investigative Journalism Platform CORRECTIV's flagship platform featuring in-depth investigations into politics, Russia/Ukraine, climate, economy, and social issues, distributed as articles and multimedia on correctiv.org for the general public. Free access, supported by donations.
• CORRECTIV.Faktencheck (Fact-Checking Service) A dedicated fact-checking service that debunks misinformation, rumors, and half-truths, operating as part of an international network of fact-checkers to combat targeted disinformation. Used by readers and referenced by media partners.
• CORRECTIV Spotlight (Free Daily Newsletter) A free daily email newsletter delivering the most important news highlights and their personal relevance to readers' lives. Distributed via correctiv.org/newsletter/.
• CrowdNewsroom Platform Collaborative platform where citizens participate in investigations by sharing experiences and contributing to large research projects; used by CORRECTIV and partners such as DER SPIEGEL for surveys and source gathering.
• CORRECTIV.Sunlight (Candidate Verification) Transparency initiative that verifies candidates' biographies, educational backgrounds, professional history, and potential conflicts of interest before elections, aiming to establish candidate checks as a democratic standard.
• Projekt G – Das Spiel (Investigative Journalism Board Game) Educational board game where players investigate a secret meeting with threatening plans and defend their findings before an editorial board, designed for game nights, workshops, and educational programs to make investigative journalism tangible.
• CORRECTIV.Verlag (Publishing and Merchandise Shop) Publishing operation that releases investigative books, graphic novels, and literary formats on societal, political, economic, and cultural topics, alongside merchandise (hoodies, T-shirts, socks, cups) sold through shop.correctiv.org.
• NSDAP-Datenbank (Historical Nazi Party Membership Database) Free searchable database containing over six million historical Nazi Party membership records, searchable by name, first name, date of birth, or place of birth. Used by citizens, journalists, and researchers for historical accountability research.
• Theater Productions (Live-Journalism) Investigative theater productions performed across a network of over 50 European theaters, adapting CORRECTIV investigations into staged performances for theater-goers and event audiences.
• Salon5 (Youth Editorial Department) Youth editorial department where young participants learn media skills and experiment with formats, built on a web radio foundation; produces podcasts and YouTube content for peer audiences.
• CORRECTIV.Schweiz (Swiss Operations) Swiss-focused operations with local citizen collaboration and journalism, conducting investigations such as pension fund investments in weapons for Swiss audiences.
• Sanktionstracker (Russia Sanctions Tracker) Live-updated tracker monitoring all sanctions imposed against Russia, answering key questions about their effectiveness for citizens and researchers tracking the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

Quantifiable outcome

• Exposed the Gazprom-Lobby network influencing German energy policy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Policy Network Analytics (PNA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with PNA, a private initiative for transparency in politics, to analyze openly available data and visualize hidden political networks. This partnership produced the comprehensive Gazprom-Lobby investigation revealing extensive Russian influence networks in German politics.
• DER SPIEGELcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative investigation on new drugs in Germany (opioids, Tilidin, Benzos, Fentanyl) using CORRECTIV's CrowdNewsroom platform. Joint effort to create comprehensive picture of the drug crisis affecting Germany.
• Welt am SonntagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint investigations including Russian naval technology sanctions evasion research and Rheinmetall corruption investigation. Collaborative media partnership producing high-impact investigative journalism.
• Lettvijas Radio (Latvian Radio)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative investigation partner in the Russian naval technology sourcing investigation, providing cross-border journalism cooperation between Germany, Latvia, and international outlets.
• European Parliament Special Committee on Foreign InterferencecoreOthersCORRECTIV was invited to present its Gazprom-Lobby research findings to the EU Parliament's committee on foreign influence in democratic processes, demonstrating the organization's impact on European policy discussions.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)minorOthersPartnership referenced in historical context of German-Russian forums, though the foundation has since distanced from pro-Russian events after the Ukraine invasion.
• LensEUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean media network collaboration bringing EU topics closer to citizens through cross-border journalism partnerships.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• FragDenStaat: German nonprofit freedom-of-information platform that crowdsources and files FOI requests. Thematically adjacent to CORRECTIV.Sunlight and CrowdNewsroom, focused on transparency rather than full investigative journalism.
• netzwerk recherche: German association of investigative journalists that promotes investigative quality and provides training/networking. Comparable as a German investigative-journalism ecosystem player, though organized as a membership association rather than a newsroom.

Direct peers

• Bellingcat: Netherlands-based nonprofit investigative collective specializing in open-source investigations of conflict and corruption. Highly comparable to CORRECTIV's cross-border investigations (Russia/Ukraine, sanctions evasion) and reliance on grants/donations.
• The Markup: US nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on technology and its impact on society. Comparable to CORRECTIV as a nonprofit digital-first investigative outlet funded by donations, with a strong data-journalism emphasis.
• ProPublica: US-based nonprofit investigative newsroom funded primarily by donations and foundations. Closest analog to CORRECTIV's nonprofit investigative model, with a similar mix of deep investigations, data journalism, and reader-supported funding.
• Follow the Money: Dutch nonprofit investigative platform focused on financial flows, lobbying, and corruption in Europe. Closely comparable to CORRECTIV's Gazprom-Lobby and political-transparency investigations, with a similar European nonprofit funding model.
• Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP): Global investigative journalism network focused on organized crime and corruption, with collaborative cross-border investigations and a donor-funded nonprofit structure similar to CORRECTIV's collaborative model with Der Spiegel and Welt am Sonntag.
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ): Global network coordinating cross-border investigative projects (Panama Papers, Pandora Papers). Comparable to CORRECTIV in orchestrating large-scale international investigations and distributing impact across many partner outlets.

Broad incumbents

• Der Spiegel: Germany's flagship investigative news magazine, with a paid-circulation commercial model. Functions as both a direct competitor for scoops and a strategic collaborator with CORRECTIV (joint drug investigation via CrowdNewsroom).
• Süddeutsche Zeitung: Major German national daily with a strong investigative track record. Comparable audience overlap with CORRECTIV Spotlight and overlapping coverage of German politics and accountability journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/correctiv_org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@funfacts_de
• Facebookfacebook.com/correctiv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/correctiv
• Instagraminstagram.com/correctiv
• GitHubgithub.com/correctiv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Correctiv