New video podcast ‘Protagonista’ goes behind the scenes with investigative journalists

What happens when the person uncovering the story becomes the story itself? 

OCCRP, investigace.cz, and Dark Riviera  present “Protagonista,” a gripping new investigative podcast hosted by veteran investigative journalist Pavla Holcová.

In this series, Holcová — who famously completed the work of her murdered colleague Ján Kuciak to topple a corrupt government — sits down with nine of Europe’s most courageous reporters. These are journalists who have been hunted by the mafia, surveilled by their own governments, and targeted by deepfake technology, yet refuse to be silenced.

“As investigative journalists, we strive to remain behind the scenes,” says Holcová. “But in countries where the line between politics and organized crime has vanished, the reporter often becomes the target. Protagonista is about that turning point, the moment the investigation becomes personal.”

Protagonista is a podcast directed by David Dusa (Dark Riviera) and produced by Emilie Blézat (Sciapode). The series is a War Room Content project, a partnership between Dark Riviera, Investigace, Sciapode, Reporters Without Borders, YLE, NeedCompany, the Segerstedt Institute, Serial Killer, SeriemCamp, co-funded by the European Union.

Episode guide

• EP 01: Stevan Dojčinović (Serbia) describes a terrifying reality where murder victims vanish into industrial grinders and criminals are celebrated on talk shows. He discusses the "house of slaughter" and what it’s like to be labeled an "enemy of the state."
• EP 02: Patrizia Schlosser (Germany) recounts the horrifying moment her own face appeared in deepfake pornography while she was investigating the digital abuse of women. A raw look at the patriarchal world of "revenge porn" and offshore profit structures.
• EP 03: Eva Jung (Denmark) details the uncovering of the Danske Bank scandal, the largest money laundering case in history. She discusses the psychological strain of touching the finances of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
• EP 04: Wojciech Cieśla (Poland) takes listeners inside the hunt for the Nord Stream pipeline saboteurs. He explores the mysterious yacht Andromeda and the personal professional mistake he had to overcome to rebuild his reputation.
• EP 05: Eoghan Macguire (U.K.) explains how digital footprints on fitness apps can expose nuclear weapon locations. He discusses the evolution of "passport-free" journalism and the ethics of geolocating war crimes from a desk.
• EP 06: Anna Babinets (Ukraine) shares the incredible story of diving for documents to expose President Yanukovych’s corruption. She discusses transitioning her newsroom to war reporting and why investigating corruption is vital even during an invasion.
• EP 07: Paul Vugts (The Netherlands) lived under 24/7 police protection after the "Mocro Maffia" marked him for death. He describes the brutal reality of the Amsterdam underworld and the cost of losing one's private life to stay safe.
• EP 08: Szabolcs Panyi (Hungary) recounts the moment he discovered the Hungarian government was using military-grade Pegasus spyware to monitor his every move. A masterclass in keeping a "cool head" while being wiretapped by your own state.
• EP 09: Atanas Tchobanov (Bulgaria) discusses the $10,000 price tag placed on his life after exposing how outdated weapons were sold to the U.S. government. He details the psychological warfare used by oligarchs and why he continues to report from exile.

About the host

Pavla Holcová is the regional editor for Central Europe at OCCRP and the founder of Czech investigative journalism outlet investigace.cz. A recipient of the ICFJ Knight Award and a former John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford, she has contributed to major cross-border projects such as the Panama Papers, the Russian and Azerbaijani Laundromats, the Pegasus Project, the Pandora Papers, and the Russian Asset Tracker.

“Protagonista” is available now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

Media Contact: media@occrp.org