And while freshly published a stack of documents from the file on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein They are attracting new attention, and these papers are not only being sifted through by large newsrooms - they have also sparked enormous interest among the public in the online world.
Among the independent journalists who have joined the initiative is American Ellie Leonard, who is working with others to comb through millions of new documents released by the US Department of Justice.
"I have to come to terms with the fact that I can't read all 3,5 million pages," Leonard told the BBC.
She says she didn't know anything about it at first. Jeffrey Epstein, but she started to deal with his ties to Donald Trump, inspired by her own interest in social justice and opposition to the president's economic and immigration policies.
The most recently released batch of material, dated January 30, includes three million pages, 180.000 images, 2.000 videos, and a large number of famous names such as Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk.
There is no suggestion that the mere appearance in the documents implies any criminal offense.
Many people who appeared in previous contingents denied doing anything illegal in connection with Epstein.
Leonard says she quit her job at her son's school in late December 2025 to devote herself fully to this task.
However, after the increasingly voluminous documents, she soon realized that she would need help.
The recent announcements come just a few weeks after Epstein Files Transparency Act adopted, which US President Donald Trump signed in November 2025.
The law requires full disclosure of all documents related to Epstein.
Leonard invited people from all over the world to help her "purge" the documents.
"People answered my call," he says.
She estimates that more than a thousand freelance journalists from South Korea to Norway have joined her project on the online platform Sabstek, with interests and specialties such as psychoanalysis, data metrics, and law.
- Who was Jeffrey Epstein and how did he get so much power?
- Millions of new documents on Epstein: Gates, Musk and a grieving Prince Andrew over a woman's body
- Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the hiring of minors "for massage and work"
'I will believe them'
Leonard is an expert at simplifying complex political documents to help people become informed voters.
She felt she could help in a similar way with documents related to convicted sex offender Epstein, who, according to the official version, committed suicide in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on serious charges of pimping and sexual exploitation of minors.
Primarily, however, her motivation lies in securing justice for victims whose testimonies were often not believed.
"When women speak out or survivors speak out and tell their own stories, I will believe them."
“I will show them trust,” she says.
"Then I'll start checking the things they say and finding them."
"I think it's very important to validate their stories in that way."
Crucially, the group's approach differs from that of many larger media organizations.
Instead of starting at the top of each newly released tranche of documents, where the most shared snippets, screenshots, and quotes can be found, she advises her own group to start somewhere else.
“When a new batch of documents comes out, there are a lot of standout parts that people will talk about over and over again... and they usually come from the beginning of the file,” she explains.
"And that's why I always advise people to spread out and start from the middle, to start from the end, and then work their way back, because everything is already too much."
By sharing documents among themselves, she says the group can more easily compare notes, identify gaps, and avoid duplication of work.
“Everyone just searches with their own skill set, in their own segment of the file, and then we all join forces,” she says.
- Jeffrey Epstein autopsy details revealed
- Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein: Photo with young Virginia Giuffre and 'threesome with dancer'
- Director of the film 'Melania' fondled women with Epstein, disgraced and the head of the Los Angeles Olympics
Details
Leonard argues that public debate often gravitates towards the most recognizable figures mentioned in the documents, the “big figures” who dominate the headlines whenever new material is released.
But she says the emphasis can obscure other parts of the record that are equally important.
"I think there are smaller things that contain more detail in this case," Leonard says.
Email correspondence, internal communications and small fragments of evidence, she says, "serve as corroboration of the survivors' stories."
She points to one woman who reported Epstein to authorities early on.
"Marija Farmer reported the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1996."
"Well, now we can actually see her FBI report."
"And the report proves that what she said all along was true, this confirms what she has been claiming for decades."
Farmer, an artist who worked for Epstein, told the FBI that Epstein stole personal photos she had taken of her 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters.
She alleged in her complaint that she believed Epstein had sold the photos to potential buyers and threatened to burn down her house if she told anyone.
Farmer also claimed that Epstein asked her to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools.
Since the files were released, Farmer said she felt "redeemed" after nearly 30 years.
Leonard says the cumulative effect of smaller pieces of evidence is most striking to her, the way they fill in gaps and confirm the timeline of events.
"I can see what people were thinking, who they were talking to, who their friends were, where they put their shields, and then what information they were giving us in those conversations."
"I really think the crux of this case will come from those conversations, because they never thought they would become public."
Watch a clip from the Epstein interview and the question about the devil
'Victims deserve justice'
Leonard says she approaches the documents without the background of a traditional news journalist, but with analytical skills shaped by her degree in classical studies.
"The essence of traditional journalism is in standards, in that they are the gatekeepers," she says.
"I think, specifically in my case, I focus on quotes and confirming the truth of the facts."
She still consults with trained journalists she knows, showing them drafts before publication.
"They encourage me a lot and I think that allows me to move on and know that I told the story as best I could."
As a mother, Leonard says that for her, the essence of this job is about "holding people accountable."
"I am a parent and I will do everything I can to make this world a better place for my children and a safer place for them."
And as for her research work, she hopes it will eventually be concluded.
"It must end for these survivors and they must get justice."
“I think the ultimate goal — and why we all work so hard — is to do it for them,” he says.
Watch video: Billionaire Bill Gates now regrets maintaining ties with Epstein
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube i Viber.
If you have a topic suggestion for us, please contact bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
- Why the rich and powerful couldn't say no to Epstein
- Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Bill Clinton... who all were in Epstein's company?
- 'Trump is on Epstein's list,' White House responds: 'Fake news'
- Jeffrey Epstein associate Gillian Maxwell: Trump 'never was rude'
- 'I did not write an obscene birthday card to Epstein,' Trump claims
- Bill Gates to BBC: "Conspiracy theories about me are crazy"
Bonus video:
