NetherlandsOwnership & classification
Founded: 2014
Ownership
Bellingcat is an open-source investigative outlet founded in July 2014 by British citizen-journalist Eliot Higgins, who initially funded it via a Kickstarter campaign. Since 2018 the website has been operated by the Netherlands-based non-profit Stichting Bellingcat (Bellingcat Foundation), with an associated Bellingcat Productions BV; Higgins is its creative director. It is an independent NGO, not owned by any state, party or corporate parent.
Funding
Funded through grants from foundations and democracy/press-freedom funders (including the Open Society Foundations, National Endowment for Democracy, Porticus and Adessium), plus a major prize from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, alongside reader donations, workshops and in-kind tech support. It accepts no funding from governments it investigates.
Affiliation & stance
A non-partisan investigative collective best known for open-source work on MH17, Syria chemical attacks and the Navalny poisoning; critics on the left have flagged some of its US/European democracy-fund grants, but it operates as an independent Dutch foundation without party or state ownership. It is therefore INDEPENDENT (CENTER_LEFT is a reasonable read of its outlook).
Editorial lean
- Our estimate
- Lean Left
- Measured from coverage
- Centerbased on 9
83/100
Factual
80/100
Objective
10
Articles
10
reports
Top stories
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Recent coverage
Venezuela's death toll rises to nearly 2,300, with more than 10,000 injured.
The death toll from recent earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to at least 2,295, according to parliamentary speaker Jorge Rodríguez, who announced this during a press conference. The number is expected to increase further, with 11,267 people reported injured and tens of thousands still missing. Over 12,800 people have been accommodated in emergency shelters, and 25 temporary camps have been set up, primarily in the heavily affected coastal city of La Guaira and the capital, Caracas. These camps provide beds, mattresses, food, and medical assistance to those who lost their homes. The government has deployed more than 26,000 military, police, fire department, and rescue service personnel, along with approximately 17,000 volunteers to assist with logistics. However, some Venezuelans report not receiving adequate help in their local areas. The earthquakes struck the northern part of Venezuela last week, and authorities have recorded hundreds of aftershocks, which experts predict could continue for months. Earlier today, it was confirmed that the Dutch USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team, which had been searching for survivors in Venezuela, would return to the Netherlands.
Burning Forests: Tools for Tracking and Reporting Wildfire Damage
This article explains how to track and analyze wildfire damage using open-source tools and satellite data. It highlights the importance of identifying fire locations and assessing their impact on ecosystems, particularly in protected areas like Sicily’s Zingaro Nature Reserve. The piece uses a case study of wildfires in 2025 that devastated parts of the reserve, leading to ongoing closures. It outlines methods such as Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, multispectral imaging techniques, and software tools like Copernicus Browser and QGIS for detailed analysis. The article emphasizes the role of these technologies in understanding fire patterns and their connection to climate change.
Poster Boy: Sanctioned Kinahan Cartel Lieutenant Found Playing Padel in Dubai
This article reports on Ian Dixon, a sanctioned member of the Kinahan cartel, who was recently seen playing padel in Dubai. The Kinahan cartel, an Irish organized crime group, is alleged to be a $1.5 billion transnational network engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering, and arms smuggling. Dixon, along with other cartel leaders, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2022. The article reveals that Dixon's participation in racquet sports has left a digital footprint, leading to new evidence of his activities since the sanctions. It also mentions the ongoing legal proceedings against Daniel Kinahan, the cartel's leader, who was arrested in Dubai and faces extradition to Ireland. The report highlights the cartel's connections to Iranian intelligence and Hezbollah, and notes that their conflicts have resulted in at least 18 murders across multiple countries.
How to Use AI to Help Find Civilian Harm
Bellingcat has developed a machine learning model to identify and prioritize Telegram posts that may contain evidence of civilian harm during conflicts, particularly in Ukraine since February 2022. The organization collected over 2,500 verified incidents of civilian harm and built a dataset using 5,848 confirmed posts containing harm and 48,545 posts without harm to train the model. The approach reduces the time needed to sift through vast amounts of social media content, allowing researchers to focus on verification rather than discovery. The model uses natural language processing techniques like multilingual transformers and cosine similarity to analyze text, while also considering metadata such as post timing and engagement. The project highlights both the potential of AI in humanitarian research and the challenges of organizing large volumes of user-generated content.
Super-Potent Synthetic Opioids Spread Across US Amid Fentanyl Crackdown
The article recounts the tragic death of Ashley Delgado, a 29-year-old woman from Cleveland, Ohio, who succumbed to an overdose involving potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes, specifically protonitazene and metonitazene. The piece highlights her journey from aspiring medical professional to someone battling opioid addiction, detailing her progression from prescription opioids to fentanyl. It emphasizes the growing danger posed by these less-known synthetic opioids amid ongoing efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis.
Heading Off: New Technique Helps Track Grain Smuggling Expansion to Libya
A Russian bulk carrier, Grumant, was tracked using satellite imagery and AIS data to show it departed from the occupied Ukrainian port of Feodosia with grain and arrived in Libya. This marks the second known instance of Russian ships transporting grain from occupied Ukraine to Libya. Previously, the Damas Wave delivered grain to Misrata under the UN-recognized Government of National Unity. Bellingcat used a new method involving heading data from AIS information to verify the ship's route. Five other ships linked to smuggling Ukrainian grain have been sanctioned by the EU, and one by the U.S.
Tracing Digital Links Between Viory and Ruptly
Bellingcat investigated potential connections between Viory, a video news agency based in the Global South, and Ruptly, a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned media outlet Russia Today. The report identified several digital links, such as shared IP addresses, a security certificate linked to Ruptly used by Viory, and data sharing between the two entities. Both organizations denied any connection.
The ‘Lost’ Villages of Myanmar’s Rakhine
This article reports on the ongoing conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine State, focusing on the destruction of villages and allegations of civilian casualties during clashes between the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group, and Myanmar's military junta. Survivors describe witnessing mass killings and the burning of at least 40 villages in Buthidaung Township between April and May 2024. Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that the AA may have killed over 170 Rohingya people in one village, calling the incident a 'massacre.' The military is accused of forcing Rohingya into conscription, exacerbating violence. While the AA denies civilian casualties, evidence suggests systematic destruction, with aerial imagery showing entire villages like Htan Shauk Khan reduced to rubble. The situation remains opaque due to restricted access and lack of responses from both the military and the AA. The article highlights the broader pattern of violence linked to the 2021 military coup.
Banned Russian Submunitions Found After Mali’s Military Announces Airstrikes
An investigation by Bellingcat and Jeune Afrique reports that unexploded Russian-made cluster munition bomblets were found in the village of Tadjmart, northern Mali, following airstrikes claimed by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa). Despite Mali being a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans such weapons, the presence of these banned submunitions raises concerns. Social media footage analyzed by Bellingcat shows the unexploded ShOAB-0.5 bomblets, matching the location of FAMa's airstrikes. Russia's Africa Corps, under government control, supports Malian military operations. The conflict in Mali, ongoing since 2012, has intensified with coordinated attacks by Tuareg separatists and Islamist militants. Additional footage shows damaged buildings, though the extent of destruction does not align with cluster munition use.
Satellite Imagery Shows Ongoing Demolitions Across Southern Lebanon
Satellite imagery analyzed by Bellingcat reveals extensive destruction across 46 out of 54 towns and villages within Israel's 'Yellow Line' in southern Lebanon, with some areas entirely flattened. This damage has occurred primarily in the past few weeks, despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The analysis uses PlanetScope satellite data, which highlights the extent of destruction over two months into the US-Israeli war against Iran. Reports indicate that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has reportedly stated plans to destroy homes near the border, mirroring tactics used in Gaza. Multiple international outlets, including the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times, have documented this destruction, though Bellingcat provides comprehensive satellite coverage of the entire region.
Overlooked
Under-reported & one-sided
Nothing flagged as overlooked yet.