How a comic book helped Gazeta.pl tell a dark and troubling story
Ideas Blog | 20 January 2025
Investigative journalism can provide readers with insights into hidden practices, corporate corruption, and social injustices that were never meant for the public to see. But sometimes, what journalists uncover is so dark and disturbing that it may be difficult for audiences to read, hear, and see.
That was the challenge facing Gazeta.pl, a nationwide daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland.
After discovering dark truths about the practices of massive commercial poultry farms, the newsroom knew it had a compelling, important investigation on its hands — but also knew there would be challenges in holding readers’ attention.
A new approach
Readers find animal cruelty upsetting and difficult to look at, so reporting on the inhumane practices of these operations posed a challenge.
So Dominik Szczepanski, investigative reporter, and Rafał Madajczak, editor-in-chief, brainstormed a new approach that would allow them to share the hard facts of the story with their audience. Enlisting the talent of artist Anna Krztoń, Gazeta.pl created a comic book to effectively convey the story without exposing readers to shocking images.

The comic book, named “42 Days” — which is the average lifespan of a chicken on an industrial farm — follows the journey of one chick from the time it hatches until it is butchered. It is a story that unfolds regularly at Poland’s 2,000 broiler farms, which have grown threefold during the last 10 years and have made the country Europe’s largest manufacturer of this type of meat.
Behind the scenes
To tell the story, Szczepanski took a deep dive into the world of commercial poultry farms, talking with scientists, sociologists, moral philosophers, and farm employees.
He also talked to members of NGOs, receiving help from Open Cages Poland, who provided video recordings taken by hidden cameras. He visited farms and studied multiple publications dedicated to the factory farming of animals to further familiarise himself with practices and operations.

Since the story is told through the eyes of a chicken experiencing the horrors of industrial farm life, Szczepanski also interviewed behaviourists to learn about their habits and inner life. Krztoń’s distinctive minimalistic style allowed her to illustrate the story and convey its meaning without appearing too graphic.
Gazeta.pl hoped the fresh and unusual approach to investigative reporting would resonate with a younger audience and help readers understand how the poultry on farms are treated. The comic book also showed the physical and emotional toll that working in such an environment takes on the workers.
In addition to the comic book, Gazeta.pl released the documentary Stiffs, which showed the shocking conditions that led to the investigation.

Creating an impact
Readers found “42 Days” both disturbing and eye-opening.
Social media responses to the project ranged from “marvelous” to “terrifying,” and it definitely caught the audience’s attention: They spent 134% more time on the page with the comic book than on other Gazeta.pl pages.