Michael Leidig

Michael Leidig is a British investigative journalist and author based in Austria, with a career spanning more than three decades across European and international media. He is the founder of the news agency Central European News (CEN) and co-author of The Girl in the Cellar – The Natascha Kampusch Story (Hodder & Stoughton). His reporting has supported award-winning investigations, including work that received the Paul Foot Award for Campaigning and Investigative Journalism in 2006.

A former editor of Austria Today and The Vienna Reporter, Mike has also contributed to Die Presse, Wiener Zeitung, and Austria’s national broadcaster ORF. He has launched and led numerous media ventures, including AsiaWire, Newsflash, and the digital video platform Clipzilla, with operations across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Mike is vice chairman of the National Association of Press Agencies and founder of NewsX, a decentralised media platform supporting public interest journalism. He also founded the media ethics watchdog Quis Custodiet (QC) and the nonprofit Journalism Without Borders. He writes for The European on press freedom, misinformation, and the shifting role of journalism in public life.