ICIR and Ford Foundation to train Nigerian journalists on investigative reporting

The project will also provide as much $5,000 to fund strong investigative reporting ideas proposed by the trainees.

In fulfilment of its goal of promoting a strong culture of investigative journalism in the country, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Abuja, with financial support from the Ford Foundation, has established a two-year investigative journalism training and reporting project for Nigerian reporters.

The project, which kicks off April 2014, is expected to train 40 journalists drawn from newsrooms in Nigeria on every aspect of investigative reporting. The project will also provide as much $5,000 to fund strong investigative reporting ideas proposed by the trainees. Reporters travel expenses and lodging will also be covered.

“Undoubtedly, this would build their capacity to do incisive, critical reporting that can make government accountable to the people,” said Executive Director of ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan.

“We realise that with dwindling advert and sales revenues, many newsrooms are cash strapped and cannot afford the huge cost and time that investigative reporting requires. So, our trainees would have the opportunity to propose investigative reporting projects which Ford Foundation would fund,” added Mr. Aiyetan.

“The journalists would be able to publish their reports in their news outlets but Ford Foundation and the ICIR would also reserve the right to use the products of the investigative projects on their websites.”

Editors of media organisations are expected to nominate promising reporters from their newsrooms to partake in the project. However, nominated reporter will have to be screened by the ICIR before they are fully admitted to partake in the project.

Mr Aiyetan said the training programme is broken into four modules and would incorporate the whole gamut of Investigative Journalism training that would equip participants to practice anywhere in the world.

“First, we want to bridge the training gap in the Nigerian media, particularly as regards Investigative Journalism; and build a crop of committed, competent and well trained professionals doing critical reporting that can have an impact on good governance. But we also realised that we need to help the cash strapped newsrooms in which these journalists work with the resources to do serious investigative reporting,” he said

Deadline for nomination for the training is April 30.