WalesOnline

WalesOnline publishes investigative and public interest journalism that makes a difference. In an investigation lasting months, we exposed the disgraceful inner workings of a direct sales firm in Cardiff whose workers went door to door trying to persuade people to give money to established UK charities. Working undercover and wearing a hidden camera, we revealed behaviour which left a charity appalled and pledging to investigate every donation, a fundraising firm describing the footage as “unbelievable” and a regulator saying it is assessing our evidence. As well as our written piece, we produced an 18-minute documentary, which exposed lies and pressure-selling on doorsteps, new recruits being told to “trick” people into parting with their cash, job adverts with empty promises of minimum salaries and new starters being advised to spend less time with their families in behaviour described as "cult-like". The video was viewed more than two million times on TikTok, where young people in insecure employment would be most likely to see it.

In other powerful stories, we exposed the awful behind-the-scenes reality for employees and suppliers at one of Wales' highest-profile restaurants, which overworked them and didn't pay them what they were owed. And we revealed the nightmare of a sexual abuse victim completely failed by the justice system. Having initially tried to prevent the story’s publication, the CPS and a police force had reopened their investigation as the result of our first report, before they proceeded to fail the victim a second time. As part of our investigation we sourced the powerful video of the interview she gave to police as a little girl, something rarely seen in the press. Our investigation into cocaine use in Wales analysed data on drug use and spoke to former users, doctors, police officers and relatives of those who died after taking the drug to tell the story of a silent killer becoming seemingly impossible to stop. In politics, we exclusively revealed the widespread discontent within Plaid Cymru at its culture and leadership, which ultimately led to its leader Adam Price’s resignation. Our stories matter to communities, who rely on our live reporting. We were the first, and for several hours only, journalists on the scene in Ely, Cardiff, when the deaths of two boys in an e-bike accident sparked a riot on the streets, providing accurate coverage as rumours swirled about the circumstances of their deaths and what was happening on the ground as a result. Diversity and inclusion is integral to what we do. We annually publish our Pinc List, a celebration of those in Wales doing most to support the LGBT community, and our committed women’s sport coverage highlights overlooked female athletes. We created a purpose-built platform to tell their stories in a way uniquely designed to have the most impact. We've been thanked by female athletes for “unbelievable work”. Overall, our website is read more than 50 million times a month and we have 300,000 subscribers to newsletters, including Wales Matters, dedicated to agenda-setting journalism.