Our model

What is Disclose?

Disclose is a non-profit investigative media and a NGO dedicated to the right to information. Our investigations reveal information on topics of public interest: climate change, public health, financial crime… In addition to our investigative work, we provide citizens with tools to become whistleblowers (investigation guides on the environment, on judicial decisions, on European institutions…).

Disclose is an association under the French law of 1901, which owns two companies: Disclose Films, producing our documentaries for television, and Disclose Editions, adapting our written stories to comics.

When was Disclose launched?

Disclose was launched in December 2018, following a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than 80,000 euros. Our first investigation, “Made in France,” was published in April 2019. It reveals “top secret” documents from the State proving that weapons sold by France to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were used against civilians in Yemen.

Who works for Disclose?

Disclose is managed by Mathias Destal and Geoffrey Livolsi, who are also editors-in-chief and co-founders of the association. Alongside them are Rémi Labed, datajournalist, and Pierre Leibovici, journalist in charge of impact and reader engagement.

Disclose also includes several dozen independent journalists. For each investigation, we work with specialized investigative journalists (arms sales, environmental crimes, sexual violence, etc.). It is impossible to list them all here, but you can find their signature at the bottom of each of our investigations.

Why did we choose the non-profit status?

By opting for an association under the French law of 1901, the co-founders of Disclose wanted to build a model of independent organisation that would develop a strong relationship of trust with its readers. It is managed by a bureau and an independent board of directors, composed of five journalists: Basile Lemaire, Leila Miñano, Valentine Oberti, Magali Serre, and Nicolas Serve.

Why does Disclose make its articles freely accessible?

We believe that information is a common good and should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources. That is why, unlike most French-speaking investigative media, we have not locked our articles behind a paywall. Other media rely on a similar model abroad: Correctiv in Germany, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism in the United Kingdom, and ProPublica in the United States.

Where does the name “Disclose” come from?

We chose this language to reach audiences beyond France who can read our investigations on the English version of the site. And, more trivially, because we thought Disclose sounded good!

Our independence

Who funds Disclose?

Disclose is funded by both French and international philanthropic foundations (68% of our resources in 2022) and by donations from readers (32% of our revenue in 2022). We publish the amount granted by each foundation in the “Funding” section of our site. Alongside foundations, Disclose is supported by its readers (2,052 individual donors in 2022), for an average amount of 58 euros per donation.

To avoid any risk of conflict of interest, Disclose refuses donations from companies and corporate foundations, does not ask for or receive public subsidies, and prohibits the use of advertising.

Is Disclose an independent media?

Yes, and we have put in place several mechanisms to ensure the independence of our editorial board. First, no donor has any influence on our editorial line, nor knowledge of ongoing investigations. Secondly, as Disclose is an association, its potential profits do not give rise to any dividends and are reinvested in full in the operations of the following year. Finally, as we do not accept any advertising revenue, Disclose has no reason to fear pressure from a company or public body.

Who controls the independence of the editorial board?

The financial independence of Disclose and its disinterested management is controlled by a board of directors and a supervisory board. In addition, an editorial committee participates in the choice of investigations, the composition of teams, and ensures respect for journalistic ethics. The list of members of Disclose’s various bodies is published on the “Team” page of our site.

Our investigations

Which are the topics Disclose investigates on?

Disclose reveals information on topics of public interest with the objective of holding economic and political powers accountable for their actions. We do not forbid ourselves any subject, but we have a particular inclination for those that expose injustices and violations of human rights and the environment.

Our editorial line is reflected in the eight categories we have chosen to classify our articles:

• Environmental crimes
• Climate crisis
• Financial crime
• Human rights
• Public health
• Top secret
• Food safety
• Sexual violence

How does Disclose decide to launch an investigation?

When we explore a potential investigation topic, we ask ourselves several questions: is it of public interest? Will we be able to reveal unseen and documented information? And does the subject have a direct or indirect link to France? If the answer to these three questions is positive, then we start an investigation, which often lasts for several months.

Several scenarios can lead us to launch an investigation:

• Either a source transmits confidential information to us;
• Or one or more independent journalists propose us an investigation after having carried out convincing pre-investigation work;
• Or we directly commission an investigation from recognized journalists for their specialty on a subject or for their skills (for example, the automated collection of large volumes of information on the web or the monitoring of maritime transport flows).

How many investigations do we publish each year?

In 2022, Disclose published 24 in-depth investigations. This number varies from year to year because no investigation is alike: some are carried out in a few weeks, others are the result of a year or more of work.