About Us
The FYI Collective is a group of six freelance journalists. We joined forces because journalism can be a lonely profession, and freelance journalists, in particular, often find themselves forced to work against each other rather than collaboratively under current conditions. In an already precarious industry like journalism, we want to pool our resources instead of being pitted against one another. As a collective, we work together, share resources, conduct joint research, celebrate successful stories, and support each other when things aren't going so well.
We investigate topics such as the environment and climate, the economy and labor, migration and refugees, gender relations, discrimination, corruption, and right-wing extremism. We prefer working as a team, as demonstrated by our joint investigations into forestry work in Austria and the OMV greenwashing plant . Our work can be heard and read in publications including ZEIT (Online), DER STANDARD, DOSSIER, PROFIL, Ö1, Wiener Zeitung, and Die Furche. Our work has received numerous awards in recent years, and members of the FYI collective regularly appear on national best-of lists.
team
Christian Bunke
Johannes Greß
Johannes has worked as a freelance journalist in Vienna for about eight years, researching topics such as precarious working conditions, migration, and the environment. He writes for publications including ZEIT, DOSSIER, STANDARD, WirtschaftsWoche, and Südwind magazine—but prefers to work for outlets that offer fair and respectful compensation alongside a collaborative working environment. His book , “Exploitation on Demand,” was published by the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) in summer 2024. He has received numerous awards, including the Prälat-Ungar Prize, the Concordia Prize, and the Bruno Kreisky Prize.
Johannes is also the deputy chairman of the Freelance Writers Association .
Contact : johannes@fyi-kollektiv.at
Anonymous: Threema: 2B56EBH6
Portfolio: johannes-gress.at
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Naz Kücüktekin
Naz has been working in journalism since around 2018. Since then, she has gained experience in numerous newsrooms, writing for publications such as profil and biber, and helped establish the "More Space" section at the daily newspaper Kurier. Since 2023, she has worked as a freelance journalist for media outlets like Die Presse, Qamar, and Die Furche. Her main areas of focus include the realities of migrant life, social issues, and the climate and biodiversity crises.
In 2022, the magazine "Die Journalist:in" ranked her among the 30 best journalists under 30 in Austria. She received the Prelate Leopold Ungar Recognition Prize for her article " Wir Kinder vom Gemeindebau" (We Children from Public Housing ). Most recently, she won the Winfra Prize for her report " So tickt der Hannovermarkt " (This is How the Hanover Market Ticks).
Contact : naz@fyi-kollektiv.at
Portfolio: Naz Kücüktekin | torial
Christof Mackinger
Christof reports on right-wing extremism, social issues, the climate crisis, the justice system, and refugees & migration – for DerStandard, ZeitOnline, Augustin, Ö1, and others – in audio and text formats. His contributions have been awarded the Czech Radio Prize Prix Bohemia, the Journalism Prize Von Unten, the Infrastructure Media Prize, and more.
Because of his reporting on the extreme right, he protects his privacy.
Read & listen
DerStandard: “Exploitation amidst luxury and river romance”
Profile: " High-risk offender. Portrait of a repeat offender "
Augustin: "Michelle R. defies desocialization"
Ö1 Europajournal: " The dangerous work in local forests "
Contact: christof@fyi-kollektiv.at
Milena works as a freelance journalist specializing in human rights as a cross-cutting issue that touches upon (almost) all topics. She is particularly interested in social issues, feminism, and migration. She is editor-in-chief of the quarterly MO magazine for human rights and Austria correspondent for the German magazine welt-sichten. Her previous contributions include writing for Der Standard, Wiener Zeitung, Die Furche, and Südwind magazine. Portugal is her second home, and she occasionally reports from there.
Contact : milena@fyi-kollektiv.at
Portfolio : www.torial.com/milena.osterreicher
Nadja Riahi
Nadja is a freelance journalist and presenter from Vienna. She prefers to write about current and future socio-political issues, social injustices, and the world of work. Her clients include Süddeutsche Zeitung Jetzt, Profil, Wiener Zeitung, derAchte, and Glamour, among others.
As a millennial and digital native, she enjoys making reels and podcasts and is very active on social media. In 2022, "Österreichs Journalist:in" recognized Nadja as one of the best "30 under 30".
Her strengths include tenacity, creativity, and empathy. As a board member of the Women's Media Network, she is particularly passionate about empowering women in the media industry.
Portfolio: https://www.torial.com/nadja.riahi
Contact: nadja@fyi-kollektiv.at
