Media Innovation for the Win!
Atlatszo: Taking down a corrupt mayor in style
Atlatszo, which is Hungarian for “Transparent”, is an award winning independent investigative journalism non-profit founded in 2011 with the main goal of promoting transparency and freedom of information in Hungary.
- Hungary
- Atlatszo
- 2023
- Hungary
- Atlatszo
- 2023
MAIN REVENUE MODEL
> The Story
This series of collaborative investigative and visual reports uncovered the scandal of how a mayor wasted EU funds on building a treetop walkway in the middle of an unforested area. When the newsroom faced legal push back from the mayor, they leveraged the information provided in court to create a virtual walk detailing how much money the mayor had spent. This series used multiple innovative audio visual formats, allowing the story to go viral among local audiences, especially as Atlatszo continued to follow up on it through their reporting during municipal elections in the same village where the mayor was running.
Impact Summary:
Network Impact
A Hungarian NGO filed a report to notify the Integrity Authority citing Atlatszo’s coverage. The Integrity authority in turn filed a complaint and issued an investigation at the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH).
Institutional impact
The mayor lost the case he filed against Atlatszo who, according to multiple resources had effectively cost him the municipal elections.
Individual Impact - Media Amplification
Atlatszo used data they managed to acquire from their lawyers as a result of the court case investigation to create viral audio visual content that resonated with the audience . Audiences were replicating Atlatzo’s approach and creating memes about the story which in turn captured both the local and foreign media’s attention leading to increased awareness among target audiences. OCCRP amplified this report by including it in an expanded collaborative investigation about stolen EU funds in Europe.
