Nikolai Atefie
Investigative Journalist,
Radio & Podcast Producer

Nikolai’s Biography

I’m a freelance investigative journalist based in Austria and Sweden. I’m researching topics including pornography, online dating, and arms trafficking for ORF, BBC, JETZT, ZDF, SVT, and Sveriges Radio, among others. Together with DOSSIER and Tortoise, I exposed Pornhub’s secret majority owner. My podcast about sexual violence on so-called ’sugar-dating sites‘ was causing a stir in Sweden.

In July 2025 our German ARD radio feature „Addiction Business – A Documentary on Illegal Online Casinos“ was released (together with Benjamin Breitegger).

My investigative podcast series Casino Leaks (Kasinoläckan) for Sveriges Radio received „highly recommended“ at the London AIB Awards 2025 in the category „Audio investigative„. >> The judges praised this as exemplary investigative journalism: deeply researched, expertly told, with a smart sound design, strong use of field recordings, and impactful on both a public and policy level. <<
Producer: Martin Jönsson, Collaborators: David Davidson & Benjamin Breitegger.

I’m a former board member of FGJ, the association of investigative journalists of Sweden. I’m a grantee of IJ4EU and Journalismfund.

Do you want me to research your tipp? Please contact me via email nikolai[at]secondnews.net or the secure messaging-app signal, my username is nikat.01