Alexenia Dimitrova

Alexenia Dimitrova, Bulgaria, is an independent award-winning freelance journalist with more than 30 years of experience. She used to work for “24 Chasa” (“24 Hours”) in Bulgaria.

Her work has been published in Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, U.K. and the U.S. She is the author of five books – "The Iron Fist," "The War of the Spies," "The King’s Secret Files," "Murder Bureau" and "The Secret Reports of Sol Polanski."

She also co-authored “Manual for Investigative Reporting: Practical tips for a good investigation," published by the Bulgarian Investigative Journalism Center, and two documentaries related to the Cold War.

Dimitrova has been a member of research teams for various multinational media projects and international media outlets - Financial Times, NBC (U.S.), SBS and Nine News (Australia), Endemol (Germany), SVT (Sweden), NRK (Norway), ORF (Austria), BBC, Channel 4 and The Bureau for Investigative Journalism (U.K.), New Delhi TV (India), Aitomedia (Finland), Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Global Integrity (U.S.), ICIJ, etc.

In 2002, she started a large project to find and reunite families from all over the world separated during the Cold War from their Bulgarian families. She has assisted more than 250 successful reunions worldwide.

Since 2007, Dimitrova has been an adjunct professor in investigative journalism at Sofia University. She has taught investigative journalism at the American University in Bulgaria. She is also a certified trainer in investigative journalism for mid-career journalists in Bulgaria and internationally by BBC and the South East European Network for Professionalization of the Media (SEENPM). She has been conducting training sessions in Bulgaria and internationally for more than 15 years.

Dimitrova was a member of the Bulgarian Press Complaint Commission (2005 and 2009). She is also a founding member of the South East Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection (2015).

She has won many awards, including the 2017 Pulitzer, as a member of ICIJ projects. She received the Golden Key Award in Bulgaria – for using FOIAs both in Bulgaria and the U.S., and the Chernorizets Hrabar for investigative journalism in Bulgaria.