Finding the stories hidden in public data.

RecordSignal produces original stories, research for media campaigns and in-depth reports. Run by data journalist Mark Tovey, it uses Freedom of Information, public records and original analysis to find something worth publishing.

What you can commission

Stories for media

Original stories for editors, backed by the figures, sources and checks needed to publish. Available as a full investigation or research support for a developing story.

Commission a story

Research that makes news

Original findings to lead a media campaign, with research your team can share with journalists. For PR agencies, businesses, charities and trade bodies.

Discuss a research project

Reports & analysis

Economic, policy and quantitative research written up as a publication-ready report, with clear conclusions, references and charts.

Commission a report

How a project works

Every project starts with the question you want answered, the audience and what you need to publish. RecordSignal gathers the records, cleans and analyses the data, checks the findings and identifies the strongest story.

You receive the agreed story, campaign research or report, with sources and a clear explanation of the methods and limitations. You work directly with Mark throughout.

Mark Tovey, founder of RecordSignal

Meet Mark Tovey

Mark is a British freelance data journalist and researcher, with work published in national newspapers and by UK think tanks. His investigations have covered subjects ranging from allotment waiting lists to the prosecution of illegal tree felling.

Mark is NCTJ-qualified, holds a first-class degree in Economics from the University of Sussex, and has written extensively about economics and finance.

About Mark & RecordSignal
The Guardian · 2022

Fewer than 1% of reported illegal tree-felling cases led to conviction.

A Forestry Commission disclosure revealed 4,002 reports over a decade and only 15 successful prosecutions.

Read the original
The Guardian · 2022

Nearly 2,500 dangerous wild animals were licensed to private collectors.

Council licensing data obtained through Freedom of Information requests revealed where big cats, venomous snakes and other exotic animals were kept in England.

Read the original
The Guardian · 2023

Recorded crimes against swans, ducks and geese rose 59% in two years.

Police data obtained through Freedom of Information requests recorded 62 crimes between 2020 and 2022, with incident descriptions showing what lay behind the figures.

Read the original
Published report · 2020

Examining the evidence behind a looming shortage of NHS doctors.

A long-form report combined international comparisons, workforce data and policy analysis to investigate the UK's medical staffing challenge.

View the report

Have a project in mind?

Tell Mark what you want to investigate, who it is for and when you need it. He can help you work out the scope and what evidence is available.

Discuss a project