About the newsroom

Independent investigative journalism on Canadian public institutions, operated from the Netherlands since 2023.

Our origin

Why this newsroom exists

Zeuven Heuvels B.V. was founded in 2023 after its editor observed a recurring pattern in Canadian parliamentary coverage: stories about committee-level irregularities were consistently dropped before they reached the verification stage. Domestic newsrooms, under resource pressure and reliant on access relationships with the institutions they cover, struggled to follow threads that required painstaking document work and no guarantee of a publishable outcome.

The idea was unglamorous but specific: build a small operation with no advertising revenue, no access bargains, and no domestic political alignment. Base it in the Netherlands, where Dutch and European press ethics provide a robust framework. Focus narrowly on the Canadian public record — committee proceedings, procurement documents, regulatory filings — and report only what can be confirmed through methodical verification.

Three years in, the model has held. We work slowly. We publish infrequently. Every investigation brief that appears on this site has gone through a structured fact-separation process: what is confirmed, what is probable, what remains unresolved. We believe this granular approach serves readers better than speed.

Our mission

“To produce fact-separated investigative journalism on Canadian public institutions, with the editorial independence that comes from operating outside the domestic media ecosystem.”

We do not accept advertising. We do not accept government funding. Our work is supported by commissioned reporting agreements with institutional clients and by direct engagement from readers who value accountability journalism conducted at a methodical pace.

Editorial standards

Fact separation

Every investigation brief explicitly labels what is confirmed by evidence, what is probable based on corroboration, and what remains unverified. We never present allegation as established fact, and we never bury the distinction in qualifying clauses.

Source protection

We will not publish a source’s identity without their explicit, written consent. Sources are identified in our internal verification file but remain confidential unless they choose otherwise. This principle is non-negotiable regardless of editorial pressure or legal challenge.

Right of response

Before publication, every subject of our reporting receives a meaningful opportunity to respond to the findings. We submit specific written questions and allow a reasonable time for reply. When responses are not received, we note this clearly in the published brief.

Document-first methodology

Our reporting begins with documents, recordings, and public records — not with allegations or tips. Oral testimony is used to contextualise documentary evidence, never as a standalone basis for a finding. EXIF data, timestamps, and cross-referencing are standard parts of every verification workflow.

Corrections and updates

When new information changes or refines a published finding, we update the brief and note the change at the top of the page with a date and a description of what was altered. We do not silently amend published material. Substantive corrections are disclosed prominently.

No advertising, no access trades

We carry no advertising and accept no government grants. This means we have no commercial relationship with the institutions we report on. Our revenue comes from commissioned investigations for institutional clients, with editorial independence contractually guaranteed in every engagement.

The editorial team

Maarten V.

Editor-in-Chief

(MA Journalism, Leiden) Eleven years in parliamentary and regulatory reporting, first with a Dutch broadsheet, then as a freelance investigative correspondent covering North American institutions. Built the Zeuven Heuvels verification protocol from scratch. Known in the newsroom for insisting that every adjective in a brief earns its place through evidence. Cycles to work regardless of weather.

Sophie B.

Senior Investigative Reporter

(LLB, Utrecht; diploma in Digital Forensics) Eight years specialising in procurement irregularities and public-spending oversight. Previously worked at a Canadian investigative non-profit where she developed expertise in access-to-information requests and cross-jurisdictional document analysis. Reads committee Hansards the way other people read morning newspapers. Fluent in Dutch, English, and French.

Jonas K.

Research & Verification Analyst

(MSc Information Science, Amsterdam) Six years in open-source intelligence and digital verification, including EXIF analysis, geolocation, and metadata cross-referencing. Joined Zeuven Heuvels in 2024 after working with a European fact-checking consortium. Responsible for the technical provenance checks on every recording and document the newsroom receives. Maintains the internal verification file archive.