Journalists in the country have been urged to go beyond reporting the launch and completion of development projects and investigate whether they are actually benefiting the communities they are intended to serve.
Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) Managing Partner Gregory Gondwe says journalists have a responsibility to hold public officials accountable for the use of public resources and expose gaps that prevent development projects from delivering the intended benefits.
Gondwe was speaking during an investigative journalism training for members of the Shire Valley Media Club. The training will end tomorrow.
He says journalists should use investigative skills to uncover how public resources are being used, particularly in sectors where communities continue to face challenges despite government investment.
“When you look at public finance management, you are going to appreciate that there are a lot of characters who hold power and are always trying to find ways and means to steal from the public. So it is very crucial that we make sure that every amount of money that belongs to the public is accounted for,” said Gondwe.
He says poor roads, inadequate infrastructure and shortages of medicines in public health facilities can, in some cases, be linked to resources not reaching their intended projects.
“If it is meant for a development project, all of it should go to those development projects. We are faced with situations where our roads are bad because part of the resources are stolen,” Gondwe said.
Gondwe says PIJ organised the training to equip journalists in the Shire Valley with skills to conduct investigative journalism despite challenges facing the media industry, including financial dependence on advertisers and other influential actors.
“Most of our media outlets depend so much on advertising, and those who advertise are also the people that we are supposed to investigate,” he said.
Gondwe says PIJ established itself as an independent, non-profit-making media outlet partly in response to such challenges in the wider media landscape.
He says journalists must find ways of maintaining their watchdog role while navigating the pressures that come with working in a financially constrained media environment.
“The expectation is that there are always alternatives. When you face challenges, there are always ways of circumventing them,” said Gondwe.
Meanwhile, Shire Valley Press Club Vice-Chairperson Manford Chirombo says the training will help journalists improve their professional skills and strengthen the quality of journalism coming from the region.
