What we do
The WSCIJ is designed to promote best practices of Investigative Journalism in Nigerian media as mechanism for exposing corruption, regulatory failures and human rights violation in the country. WSCIJ holds that corruption is a major barrier to Nigeria’s development and growth. We see human rights violations as the critical block against ennobling the human capacity of our citizens and the possibility of entrenching and consolidating democratic culture in our country. We believe that corruption and human rights violations are reflections and consequences of regulatory failures.
Accordingly, WSCIJ concentrates its programme focus on training and resource development, rewarding best practices in the media industry through an annual award ceremony and advocacy in support of reporting practices, ethics promotion, initiating investigations into corruption and human rights violations.
Poor training, lack of tools and the absence of an investigative tradition have reduced the effectiveness of the media as a reliable and formidable institution to serve as a watchdog against corruption, regulation failures and human rights abuses BUT WSCIJ is on a mission to bridge this gap.
We believe that our programmes would help place a much needed emphasis on the crucial role of the media in any polity and the need to ensure that the Nigerian media are noted for their promise and social temper.TRAINING & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
It has been suggested that the best strategy to improve professionalism in the media today would be through the promotion of investigative reporting which is best achieved by training, rewarding best practices and, resource development.
WSCIJ seeks to develop the capacity of individual journalists to consistently offer very professional and qualitative reports in a way that helps to draw the critical connections between transparency issues and development using the tool of investigative journalism. To achieve this, we have focused on three major areas:
>> Investigative Reporting
Our focus is on corruption, human rights violation, and regulatory failures. As a culture, every training project and activity of the centre will employ the tool of investigative reporting as this is the major focus of the organisation.
>> Narrative Reporting
Training in this area will equip the journalist with the tool to accurately reach his/her audience. We are of the opinion that investigative reporting has a language medium which if lost may hamper the general success of the goal initially set out to be achieved by the journalist.
>> Ethics
WSCIJ is of the conviction that ethics is perhaps the most maligning issue in the Nigerian media today. Yet, it is the defining point of professionalism. The character of the reporter and her/his reporting becomes the validity checkpoint of her/his work. Hence, pruning journalist in this respect becomes without any argument a critical point of attention.
These training programmes are carried out through three major methods:
>> In-house training
This is a small group (maximum of 20) training done within our premises
>> Campus based training
This training is organised for journalism students in various campuses
>> External training
We invite best minds in journalism and particularly investigative journalism to help train journalists locally.
»Lecture Series
Towards advocacy, WSCIJ kicked off a Lecture Series in March 2008 with the aim of examining varying topical issues that have a reverberating effect on perceived performance of the media on the health of our democracy and country at large. It is designed to contribute to the body of knowledge of practitioners as well as increase awareness and debate around the nexus of media practice and socio-political development issues in the country
AWARDS
The Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Awards (WSIRA) is an annual event organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) to recognise and reward best practices in the art of investigative journalism in Nigeria. Categories include Print, Broadcast, Photo and Online Journalism. Application opens in October for the award ceremony which takes place in December. Judges are selected from a pool of veteran investigative journalists.
ADVOCACY
We will conduct our advocacy work under two broad umbrellas: Policy Development and Consultative Media Group.
To develop policy in the field of investigative journalism, WSCIJ kicked off a Lecture Series in March 2008 with the aim of examining varying topical issues that have a reverberating effect on perceived performance of the media on the health of our democracy and country at large. It is designed to contribute to the body of knowledge of practitioners as well as increase awareness and debate around the nexus of media practice and socio-political development issues in the country. To immortalise the icon, the Lecture Series has now been scheduled to coincide with Wole Soyinka’s date of birth – July 13.
