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Home - Seek Initiative
    • Let’s INVESTIGATE

    Seek Initiative supports citizens investigating in the public interest.

    FIND OUT HOW
    The world needs more investigators.

    Seek supports community leaders, citizen journalists, NGOs and activists to drive change in their communities through grassroots investigations. Whether you are investigating who polluted a river, how local government is spending your tax money, or the failings of a local healthcare system, Seek can strengthen your research.

    We believe communities know better than anyone else about their own needs, challenges, and possibilities for change. We don’t do investigations. We help people identify the resources, training, and mentoring they need to carry out their own.

    GET STARTED
    Six steps to investigative impact.

    SEEK’S APPROACH HELPS CITIZENS AND COMMUNITIES SAFELY DISCOVER, GATHER, VERIFY, AND SHARE INFORMATION.

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    1
    MAP YOUR INVESTIGATION.
    Explore the scope and potential impact of your investigation using our 10 Pathways framework to create a unique research roadmap.
    2
    ACQUIRE SKILLS.
    Identify and acquire skills crucial for effective investigations, whether it’s navigating freedom of information requests or mastering the art of interviewing.
    3
    DIG DEEPER.
    Undertake grassroots investigations with curiosity and confidence. Seek’s 10 Pathways inspire and guide deeper online and offline investigations on any issue, anywhere.
    4
    BUILD A NETWORK.
    Connect with Seek’s diverse network of people who can support you to develop your investigation — from people just getting started, to experts and media contacts.
    5
    ACHIEVE IMPACT.
    See your investigation through to the end by working with Seek’s mentors, adopting new techniques, and evolving your storytelling.
    6
    PAY IT FORWARD.
    As your investigation experience grows, Seek helps you share your knowledge and lessons back to a global community to inspire and inform others.
    Local knowledge is POWER

    Meet the people using Seek Initiative to build grassroots investigations.

    “We incorporated the Seek Initiative’s methodology into our curriculum, using the 10 Pathways to boost the work of 20 bloggers, journalists and activists working in Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea-Conakry, Togo and Benin. More than 50% of the group are women and they used Seek‘s approach to research under-reported problems in the health sector – from forced C-sections in Mauritania, to hazardous biomedical waste in Senegal.”

    Aisha Dabo

    Africtivistes, Senegal

    “We incorporated the Seek Initiative’s methodology into our curriculum, using the 10 Pathways to boost the work of 20 bloggers, journalists and activists working in Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea-Conakry, Togo and Benin. More than 50% of the group are women and they used Seek‘s approach to research under-reported problems in the health sector – from forced C-sections in Mauritania, to hazardous biomedical waste in Senegal.”

    “In Guatemala, Acción Ciudadana has trained 510 social auditors over the past three years, using the Seek Initiative’s 10 Pathways. 59% were women, 53% young people and 44% part of an Indigenous group. Our social auditors have now gained the confidence and skill set to participate in decentralised anti-corruption monitoring groups.”

    Cesar Vega

    Acción Ciudadana, Guatemala

    “In Guatemala, Acción Ciudadana has trained 510 social auditors over the past three years, using the Seek Initiative’s 10 Pathways. 59% were women, 53% young people and 44% part of an Indigenous group. Our social auditors have now gained the confidence and skill set to participate in decentralised anti-corruption monitoring groups.”

    “The Seek Initiative’s approach uses a wide range of online and offline investigative techniques to help people find out what is going on in their communities. The Seek Initiative’s advice and resources have helped us turn citizens’ questions on any subject into valuable answers.”

    David Schraven

    CORRECTIV, Germany

    “The Seek Initiative’s approach uses a wide range of online and offline investigative techniques to help people find out what is going on in their communities. The Seek Initiative’s advice and resources have helped us turn citizens’ questions on any subject into valuable answers.”

    How is SEEK different?
    PEOPLE-POWERED
    We are community-driven. You decide what you want to research — we match you with the approach, skills and people to go deeper.
    OPEN TO ALL
    We believe everyone can investigate. Our approaches are used by people all over the world with different backgrounds and experiences.
    DEEPER THAN DIGITAL
    Our 10 Pathways, developed from decades of investigative practice, cover online and offline techniques, from geolocation to interviews.
    ETHICAL & TRANSPARENT
    Our transparent sourcing and evidence-based methods ensure factfulness and credibility. QAnon flunks our standards every time.
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    A WORLD OF INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

    Developed in close collaboration with Tactical Tech, our curriculum is a comprehensive learning programme that covers the full spectrum of online and offline investigative techniques.

    Discover the pathways

    Seek’s
    10 pathways of investigation

    News Reports / Academic Research
    Social Media Research
    Maps & Geolocation
    Online Public Records / Databases
    Advanced Online Research
    Interviewing / Developing Sources
    Requesting Government Records
    Surveys / Crowdsourcing
    Audio-Video Witnessing / Field Research
    Developing Data
    Get in touch
    The Seek Initiative provides citizen investigators, community activists, NGOs, and funders with training and advice to develop investigations using our 10 Pathways.
    CONTACT US
    Our founding partners
    CORRECTIV

    CORRECTIV

    CORRECTIV investigates injustice and abuses of power and runs educational programs that help citizens to participate in journalism.

    DIGLAB FOUNDATION

    DIGLAB FOUNDATION

    DigLab Foundation trains and mentors NGOs and teams of citizen investigators to dig where they stand.

    GIJN

    GIJN

    Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) supports the training of investigative and data journalists.

    TACTICAL TECH

    TACTICAL TECH

    Tactical Tech engages with citizens and civil-society organizations to explore and mitigate the impacts of technology on society.