Mahmoud Elwakea
Washington,D.C.
Summary
Investigative journalist with over ten years of experience in building newsrooms and leading editorial teams. Expertise in transforming raw investigations into publishable stories while fostering a culture of rigorous fact-checking. Co-founder of Matsda2sh, Egypt's first independent fact-checking outlet, achieving millions of readers across various platforms. Proven ability to make critical editorial decisions under pressure and mentor journalists in effective verification methods.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Managing Editor
Matsda2sh (Open Transformation Lab Inc.)
Remote
04.2018 - 05.2025
- Co-founded and built Egypt's first dedicated independent fact-checking platform from launch to a trusted source reaching millions across social media and video platforms.
- Built the team and set the culture. Hired and mentored investigative journalists, establishing source vetting and media authentication standards that became newsroom practice.
- Reduced correction rates and helped the team move faster by making verification processes clear and repeatable.
- Owned the editorial direction. Decided what stories mattered-investigations into human rights, economic policy, misinformation ecosystems, and social justice-and positioned Matsda2sh as a reference point for younger audiences.
- Published pieces that got shared, cited, and trusted.
- Managed the workflow. Directed how investigations moved from research to publication, coordinating with reporters, producers, and designers across time zones.
- Built publication schedules around breaking news and planned investigations, making sure deadlines were met without cutting corners.
- Set and enforced editorial standards. Wrote fact-checking protocols and style guides that made sense to the team and reflected who we were as a newsroom.
Researcher, Producer & Fact-Checker
U.S. Agency for Global Media (Al-Hurra TV)
Springfield, VA
07.2021 - 04.2025
- Provided the investigative backbone for Al-Hurra's flagship investigative show, delivering research that turned into exclusive reported pieces.
- Sourced and verified stories. Found leads, pulled documents, ordered satellite imagery, tracked ships and flights. Made sure every claim in the show could be backed up with real evidence-government records, academic research, leaked documents.
- Designed verification systems. Built workflows for checking visual evidence and datasets, testing claims against government databases, think tank research, and primary sources.
- Pushed for OSINT methodology. Made the case for using open-source intelligence methods across the unit, got access to better tools, and raised the bar for what counted as original reporting.
Producer
Deutsche Welle (DW) - Sulta 5 Platform
Remote
04.2018 - 04.2021
- Produced 25+ investigative video reports on politics, economics, human rights, and justice.
- Took complicated findings and made them into stories that broadcast audiences could follow.
- Produced and wrote for broadcast. Took research and turned it into scripts that worked on screen.
- Managed production teams. Coordinated with editors, researchers, and technical staff so pieces moved through production without bottlenecks.
Investigative Reporter, Producer & Fact-Checker
Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)
Remote
06.2013 - 12.2020
- Produced five longform investigations published across platforms including DW, Mada Masr, and others in Arabic and English.
- Managed sensitive investigations end-to-end. Handled source protection carefully, maintained evidence chains, and coordinated with editors and legal teams to keep sources safe while keeping stories impactful.
- Led verification for broadcast. Oversaw accuracy and editorial integrity for TV and digital investigations that appeared on DW, France 24, and CNN Arabic.
Research Team Lead
Cairo 360 Talk Show (Al Kahera Wal Nas TV Channel)
Cairo, Egypt
07.2017 - 02.2018
- Led the research team for a nightly talk show, shaping editorial direction and managing daily research operations.
- Pitched and developed stories. Proposed editorial ideas that became show segments, keeping content relevant and audience-focused.
- Managed research operations. Built data-driven segments and visual packages, turning policy and economic topics into something viewers could understand.
Freelance Producer & Scriptwriter
Al-Masry Al-Youm
Cairo, Egypt
10.2014 - 10.2016
- Reported and produced 100+ in-depth stories about economics, justice, and human rights for Egypt's most widely read newspaper.
- Developed data-rich explainers and infographics that made complex political and economic issues accessible to broad digital audiences.
Lead Researcher
ON TV
Cairo, Egypt
12.2012 - 07.2016
- Led research operations for two flagship current affairs shows that reached millions of viewers nightly.
- Built and ran research teams. Managed research pods that fed investigative material to anchors and producers.
- Established verification protocols. Designed crisis verification processes for sensitive segments.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism
Cairo University
05.2012
Skills
- fact-checking protocols
- editorial direction
- data analysis
- open-source intelligence
- visual storytelling
- Analytics tracking
- Editorial oversight
- Content planning
- Leadership and task delegation
- Content strategy
- Copywriting and editing
- Fact-checking
- investigative journalism
- Social media awareness
- Fact-checking expertise
- team leadership
Core Expertise
Editorial leadership and team building
Leads and mentors investigative and fact-checking teams, sets clear editorial standards, and builds workflows that actually help people do better work across remote and hybrid newsrooms. Makes calm, informed calls on what runs, when it runs, and how it’s framed, while keeping multiple deadlines and editorial priorities moving at the same time.
Content strategy and newsroom management
Shapes coverage priorities and decides how stories live across TV, digital, and social, turning complex investigations into work that audiences can follow and trust. Manages publication calendars across programs and platforms, balancing breaking news, longform projects, and recurring formats without losing editorial quality.
Verification systems and editorial defensibility
Builds and runs verification pipelines for sensitive material, from documents and datasets to visuals and testimony. Stress-tests claims against public records and expert sources, works closely with legal when needed, and protects both sources and the outlet’s credibility by insisting on evidence that can stand up to scrutiny.
Open-source investigations and monitoring
Uses ship and aircraft tracking, satellite imagery, financial traces, and social media footprints to follow people, assets, and narratives across borders. Connects scattered open-source clues into clear stories that reveal corruption, human rights abuses, and policy violations.
Digital tools and research infrastructure
Comfortable running investigations with tools like Google Earth, flight and maritime tracking systems, and social media analysis on Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook. Builds searchable research bases and documentation systems so teams can find, reuse, and build on prior work instead of starting from scratch.
Notable Projects
- The Weapon's Power, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) & Deutsche Welle, Documentary investigation that traced weapons manufactured in the UAE and Turkey being transferred to Libya in violation of UN Security Council resolutions., ARIJ Silver Award (2020), Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling, International Center for Journalists (2020).
- Made in Prison, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) & Mada Masr, Investigation documenting how four young Egyptians were radicalized in prison, exposing how carceral settings became recruitment centers for extremist groups., The Future Journalism Award, Bournemouth University, UK
Specialized Training Certifications
- Google AI Essentials Specialization, Google, 2025
- Digital Sherlocks Program, Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, 2022
- Fact-Checking & Verification, Bellingcat, 2019
- Open-Source Investigations, Bellingcat, 2018
- Tracking Illicit Financial Flows, Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2014
- Introduction to Investigative Journalism, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, 2014
Languages
- Arabic, Native.
- English, Advanced.
Timeline
Researcher, Producer & Fact-Checker
U.S. Agency for Global Media (Al-Hurra TV)
07.2021 - 04.2025
Managing Editor
Matsda2sh (Open Transformation Lab Inc.)
04.2018 - 05.2025
Producer
Deutsche Welle (DW) - Sulta 5 Platform
04.2018 - 04.2021
Research Team Lead
Cairo 360 Talk Show (Al Kahera Wal Nas TV Channel)
07.2017 - 02.2018
Freelance Producer & Scriptwriter
Al-Masry Al-Youm
10.2014 - 10.2016
Investigative Reporter, Producer & Fact-Checker
Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)
06.2013 - 12.2020
Lead Researcher
ON TV
12.2012 - 07.2016
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism
Cairo University