The Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) says investigative journalism is critical in ensuring good governance in the country.
Managing Partner for PIJ, Gregory Gondwe, has said this in Blantyre on the sidelines of a one-day investigative journalism workshop that targeted journalists from the Southern and Eastern Regions on Thursday.
Gondwe said journalists should not sleep on the job but should live up to their role of being watchdogs for those in power by investigating local issues.
“As investigative journalists, we are supposed to take those in power to account when they deviate from the path that the common person is expecting of them in terms of service delivery,” said Gondwe.
One of the participants, Nyuma Chokhotho, who is Lead Broadcaster at Kuwala FM in Blantyre, said the training has equipped them with investigative journalism skills which can be used to report about various issues in their localities.
“We have been equipped on how to generate investigative ideas from whatever is happening in our localities. I will share with my colleagues the knowledge I have gained from this training so that our newsroom can produce good investigative stories,” said Chokhotho.
The training, which was organised in partnership with Hivos, was part of a series of investigative journalism workshops that PIJ has held across the nation over the past two months.
