Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy

What Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy does

Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy (Hebrew: שומרים – המרכז לתקשורת ודמוקרטיה) is an Israeli nonprofit investigative journalism organization operating under the legal name "The Center for Media and Democracy Ltd.," registered as a charitable limited liability company (חל"צ). Its primary surface is the website shomrim.news, where it publishes original investigative reporting covering Israeli politics, government, security, the judiciary, the economy, healthcare, environment, and international affairs, with the stated objective of equipping Israeli citizens to participate in a transparent democratic society.

The organization runs a multi-format content operation: investigative articles, data-driven investigations and short data videos, photography galleries (around twelve distinct projects), long-form special-project series, podcasts distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean, an email newsletter, and a WhatsApp community channel. An audio-narration partnership with the Center for Accessible Culture provides accessible versions of articles, and selected pieces additionally carry an AI-generated dynamic audio summary produced via Google NotebookLM. Reach is amplified through co-publishing partnerships with Israel's leading commercial outlets — ynet, Mako, Calcalist/TheMarker, N12, and Channel 13 News — and through international investigative collaborations under the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) network.

The business model is donation-funded; there is no paywall, subscription, or advertising revenue stream, and no revenue or budget figures are publicly disclosed. Distribution is intentionally multi-channel: owned website, organic social (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), WhatsApp community, podcast platforms, and syndicated co-publishing. The technology footprint is conventional rather than proprietary — a Webflow-hosted CMS, a UserWay accessibility widget, podcast hosting via Podbean, and a CKAN-based public-data directory called "Mida L'am" — with the Google NotebookLM integration representing the only documented AI capability. Talent is reinforced through a 2024 investigative fellowship partnership with Reichman University that combines academic research with Shomrim's newsroom training and methodology.

Name

Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy

Legal name

The Center for Media and Democracy Ltd. (המרכז לתקשורת ודמוקרטיה בע"מ, חל"צ)

Website

https://shomrim.news

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Israeli nonprofit investigative journalism outlet publishing original reporting on politics, government, security, and democracy across multiple digital formats via its website, co-publishing partners, and social channels. Funded by donations with no paywall.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Information (51)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Data journalism
• Nonprofit media
• Public interest reporting
• Government accountability

Headquarters

HQ city

Tel Aviv-yafo

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable support: As a registered nonprofit charitable company (חלצ) called 'The Center for Communication and Democracy Ltd', Shomrim operates primarily on donated funds. The organization explicitly states it is committed to publishing investigations based on facts that are trustworthy and free of conflicts of interest, suggesting reliance on reader/donor support and grants rather than commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Shomrim is an Israeli nonprofit investigative journalism outlet that publishes original, fact-based investigations covering government, security, democracy, economy, healthcare, environment, and international affairs. The core offering is a multi-format editorial portfolio (investigative articles, data investigations, data videos, photo galleries, special long-form projects, podcasts, newsletter, and a curated database index of Israeli government open data) distributed free of charge to the Israeli public and co-published with leading Israeli and international media outlets.

Product overview

Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy is an Israeli investigative journalism organization offering a multi-format content portfolio centered around original investigative reporting. The core product is investigative articles (תחקירים) covering politics, democracy, security, society, health, and environment. Supporting products include Data Investigations (תחקירי דאטה) combining data analysis with journalism, Data Videos (סרטוני דאטה) presenting data in visual format, Photography Galleries (גלריות) for visual storytelling, Special Projects (פרויקטים מיוחדים) for long-form coverage, Podcasts for audio distribution, a Newsletter for direct subscriber delivery, and a Database Index (מאגרי מידע) of Israeli public data sources for research. The organization operates primarily as a content publisher, not a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investigative Articles (תחקירים)

Quantifiable outcome

• Following Shomrim's exposure of police plans to purchase unapproved facial recognition cameras, the police cancelled the procurement
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reichman UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShomrim, in partnership with Reichman University (Universitat Reichman), launched an investigative fellowship program for outstanding students. The program offers a hybrid practicum combining academic-applied research with journalistic training and access to Shomrim's investigative tools and methodology. This partnership serves as a talent pipeline and academic collaboration for the organization.
• The Center for Accessible Culture (המרכז לתרבות מונגשת)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShomrim has a special collaboration with the Center for Accessible Culture (founded by the Central Library for the Blind and Reading Impaired) to produce audio narrations of investigative articles. This partnership ensures accessibility of journalism for people with visual impairments and reading disabilities. The audio content is distributed via Shomrim's official podcast channels on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean.
• Ynet (ynet.co.il)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShomrim co-publishes selected investigations with ynet, one of Israel's largest news portals. Articles attributed to Shomrim appear on ynet's platform, extending reach to its mass audience.
• Mako (mako.co.il)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShomrim co-publishes investigations with Mako, an Israeli media platform, on topics including social issues, technology, and society.
• Calcalist (TheMarker, calcalist.co.il)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShomrim collaborates with Calcalist and its business newspaper TheMarker on investigative reporting, including stories on government accountability, military affairs, and public policy.
• N12 (Mako News N12 Magazine)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShomrim's investigations appear in partnership with N12's magazine content platform, covering topics such as social issues and public affairs.
• Channel 13 News (13tv)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShomrim co-publishes selected investigative reports with Channel 13 News, expanding audience reach to its television and digital viewers.
• OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShomrim participates in OCCRP's international investigative network, contributing to cross-border investigations including those covering Russian cognitive warfare operations (in collaboration with James O'Brien OCCRP), and other international stories involving Israeli entities. This partnership provides Shomrim with international investigative resources and audiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• +972 Magazine: Online, nonprofit, Israeli-focused investigative and analytical magazine covering democracy, occupation, and social justice; the closest direct peer in terms of nonprofit digital-only investigative model targeting Israeli and international audiences.
• Bellingcat: Open-source investigative outlet with strong emphasis on data-driven cross-border investigations and networked collaboration with regional partners; comparable to Shomrim in methodology and OCCRP-style collaborative model, though operating primarily in OSINT/conflict contexts.
• OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project): Global nonprofit investigative journalism network of which Shomrim is a member; both are nonprofit, donor-funded investigative outlets focused on cross-border accountability reporting.
• Local Call (שיחה מקומית): Israeli nonprofit online magazine producing investigative reporting and analysis on politics, occupation, and civil society; shares Shomrim's nonprofit digital-publication, Israeli-public-interest framing.

Broad incumbents

• ProPublica: Largest US-based nonprofit investigative newsroom; comparable as a donor-funded, no-paywall investigative outlet with measurable policy impact, though at a much larger scale and with broader resource base.
• Haaretz: Israel's leading left-leaning broadsheet with a strong investigative-journalism tradition; comparable to Shomrim as an Israeli accountability-focused outlet, but operating at far larger scale with subscription revenue and a broader remit beyond investigations.
• The Intercept: US-based nonprofit investigative outlet publishing accountability-driven reporting on government, security, and corporate power; comparable to Shomrim as a donor-funded digital investigative publication with no paywall and strong ideological framing.
• TheMarker Investigates: Investigative arm of Calcalist/TheMarker; directly comparable as an Israeli investigative outlet that frequently partners with Shomrim on co-published stories about government accountability and military affairs.
• Calcalist / TheMarker: Major Israeli business/news outlet that co-publishes Shomrim investigations; comparable in publishing accountability-driven investigative work on government, military, and policy, but operates a broader business-news franchise with significantly larger resources.

Others

• Shomrim sister outlet — Public Investigator / Mida L'am: Adjacent project operated by Shomrim ('Mida L'am' / Public Information) that aggregates Israeli government open data via CKAN; comparable as an enabling/infrastructure layer within Shomrim's broader investigative-journalism stack.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HashomrimOrg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCopN6RQi4nBhXPj_NEbdsFg/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/hashomrim.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shomrim-the-center-for-media-and-democracy
• Instagraminstagram.com/shomrim.news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Shomrim – The Center for Media and Democracy