The A4T project held a peer learning session for journalists that are currently undertaking the phase 2 grants and mentorship programme, on 7th February 2020. The workshop was aimed at bringing the grantees together to discuss their progress in investigating corruption reports, discussing and suggesting solutions to any challenges that they may have experienced.
The journalists highlighted some of their challenges including; difficulty in booking appointments with public officials in order to offer them information on the gaps that are currently being investigated on especially in the health sector, difficulty in getting genuine and factual information, and ignorance amongst patients in health facilities which has contributed heavily in advancing corruption in the health sector.
Anki Wood, International Project Manager from Fojo Media Institute, mentioned that Fojo’s thematic projects are centered on media development, access to information and fact checking and are currently establishing a Sub-Saharan consortium which will focus in promoting human rights, civic freedoms and media development and will work directly with journalists, media stakeholders and CSOs.
Titus Gitonga, Programme Officer urged the journalists that once they have completed the mentorship programme, one needs to go an extra mile and use the tools, data and information that they have received to tell more stories and expose corruption further. More so, Journalists should identify gaps in the laws that have been in existence but not implemented, identify any corruption issues that may arise and investigate further on how they affect service delivery.
The project team reminded the journalists that corruption thrives because people in authority can intimidate citizens due to lack of information. The journalists’ mandate is to give citizens confidence by providing factual information such that the stories are more alive.
