- Commends Efforts On Independent Journalism
By Ibukun Omole
THE Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) on Thursday commended National Record for its investigative reports in the year-one activities under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) project, while also tasking it to be persistent in doing follow-up reports until positive impact is achieved.
The Executive Director of WSCIJ, Mrs. Motunrayo Alaka, and the Technical Adviser on the CMEDIA Project, Prof Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, made the remarks at National Record’s office in Abuja on Thursday during a visit by the WSCIJ Team.
National Record, an online publication of Contest Communications Ltd, is among 26 media organisations picked from across the country under the WSCIJ-coordinated CMEDIA Project with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
During the visit, the WSCIJ Team engaged National Record in detailed discussions on the fundamentals of the CMEDIA Project during year one of the project including the challenges faced and the accomplishments.
In her remark, Mrs Alaka, who led the five-person WSCIJ Team, commended National Record‘s commitment to producing in-depth investigative pieces that yielded results and held powerful people accountable.
She however urged National Record’s team “to go beyond just investigating and reporting, but doing more by following up, by being relentless, to ensure that you report until something is done.”
Alaka, among other things, also noted that efforts to collaborate with other media outlets needs to be improved on as it has been noted that collaborative efforts between the partners in republishing reports was better in during year one.
Prof Ogwezzy-Ndisika, CMEDIA Technical Adviser, had during her remark re-echoed the importance of doing follow-ups, noting that in addition to tracking the impact of published reports, doing follow-ups are as important as the initial reports. Follow-ups, she said, tells the authorities and those you have investigated that your publication has not gone to sleep.
In his briefing, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of National Record, Mr Iduh Onah, commended Mrs Alaka and her WSCIJ CMEDIA Team for the wonderful work they are doing, noting that the partnership under the CMEDIA Project has in no small way helped to not only refocus National Record but also strengthened its mission of accountable and independent journalism.
Onah said under the partnership, the publication has been able to publish reports that had made impact in many sectors, including the labour and industrial relations, environment and governance at state and local government level.
Apart from Mrs Alaka and Prof Ogwezzy-Ndisika, the five-person WSCIJ Team, include Emem Nssien, CMEDIA Finance Officer, Ataman Ehikioya, CMEDIA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, and Oni Afolabi, CMEDIA Communications Officer.
