Decentralized Ledger Journalism: An Uninvestigated Frontier of Data-Driven Reporting

Proposes are offered Decentralized Ledger Journalism (DLJ) as a distinct and timely subfield within data journalism, emerging at the intersection of technological innovation and investigative practice. Drawing on the unique affordances of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies (DLT), this approach positions public, immutable records not merely as supplementary datasets, but as primary sources for journalistic inquiry. From financial transactions and smart contract events to decentralized governance and identity systems, distributed ledgers offer a new evidentiary terrain - structured, transparent, and resistant to alteration. Beyond their utility as data sources, these systems provide native mechanisms for content authentication, including cryptographic timestamping, verifiable provenance, and censorship-resistant publication infrastructures. Such tools enable new methods of verification and preservation, allowing journalists to secure both the integrity of their sources and the durability of their outputs. By exploring the methodological and epistemological implications of blockchain-based journalism, this study outlines how decentralized ledgers can serve both as subject and substrate of inquiry. DLJ, we argue, offers a novel framework for enhancing journalistic integrity in a digital environment increasingly shaped by opacity, manipulation, and central control.