By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
When the story about Abuja kidney market broke on Dec. 10, 2023, most people thought its author must be a man based on the stereotype that investigative journalism is a tough terrain on which only males dare to tread.
But to the author, Mrs Lami Sadiq, a woman and the Investigative Editor at Daily Trust, the effort was a different experience in the investigative journalism, as it was the first investigative documentary she ever embarked upon.
According to her, she acted on the experience of a victim while narrating his ordeal to a lawyer in his bid to get justice.
The report which ended up winning the 2023 Print Category Award for Sadiq, at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, exposed the decay in the society.
Expectedly it is already eliciting reactions of the appropriate authorities.
Sadiq’s efforts point what female journalists are capable of doing in investigative journalism if given the right mentorship and conducive environment.
This and some other reasons might be what spurred the Daily Trust Foundation (DTF) to train a cohort of 20 female journalists from the North Central, Kaduna and Federal Capital Territory on Investigative Reporting from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7.
According to the Programme Director, DTF, Mr Theophilus Abbah, the training reflected the dedication of the DTF to empower female journalists and promote diversity in investigative reporting.
According to him, due to gender imbalance in the investigative realm, it is important to train more women journalists in that aspect of journalism.
Abba highlighted the importance of equipping journalists with the necessary skills for authentic investigative reporting.
He expressed the foundation’s dedication to breaking stereotypes, stating that investigative reporting was not exclusive to only men.
The training’s objective, the DTF director, said includes providing journalists with practical methods for conducting in-depth investigations.
He listed the broader spectrum of the foundation’s initiatives to include scholarships for female medical students, support for students in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, drilling boreholes, and, notably, training journalists.
The programme manager elaborated more on the foundation’s multi-faceted approach solving societal problems, citing its involvement in the establishing a primary health care centre in Yobe.
Such approach, according to him, underscores the organisation’s commitment to contributing positively to various sectors, extending beyond journalism training.
Sharing a similar sentiment, the DTF Chairman, Malam Bilya Bala, said it was the first time the foundation would exclusively train women journalists to fill the vacuum existing in the nation’s investigative journalism space.
He urged the participants to utilise the opportunity as they were more likely to achieve results than men.
The chairman told the trainees that in their investigative efforts they should always remember that no story is worth human life.
The award-winning investigative Sadiq, while addressing the participants, charged them to be insatiably curious, obsessed with facts and not take any details for granted.
She added that in conducting investigative journalism, there should be a high sense of ethics and integrity to get the needed facts.
In his lecture, Dr Suleiman Suleiman, Deputy Editor in-Chief, Daily Trust, took the trainees through the difference between investigative journalism and other forms of journalism.
Suleiman said the methodological rigour involved in investigative journalism, the in-depth search and the eventual impact are what make investigative journalism stand out from other genres of journalism.
He, nonetheless, highlighted some of the factors responsible for few women, venturing into investigation, which he said, included lack of requisite basic knowledge about the genre of journalism.
The media expert added that inadequate training opportunities were also hindering factors as they inhibited the growth of journalists on the job.
Mr Idris Akinbajo, Managing Editor, Premium Times, said in as much as it was important to generate story ideas for investigative journalism, it was also imperative to develop story plan and map out the sources of the stories.
Akinbajo said source mapping helps to finish the basic aspect of investigative journalism as it helps to know who to interview and how to conduct the investigation.
He said that a good investigative story must have four elements, namely, People, Places, Policies and Events.
Akinbajo said that a good investigative report come from a human interest angle to captivate the reader’s interest.
But investigative journalism requires special skills and Abbah listed them as physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, research or audit, forensic analysis, undercover and interviews.
He said that one important legislation that was meant to change investigative journalism landscape in the country was the Freedom of Information Act which the investigator must use to his or her advantage but in a guided way.
One of the participants, Aisha Kudu from Niger, said the training was highly commendable, because it was a way of encouraging women to do more investigation in their journalism practice.
She said she learnt that to be a successful investigative female journalist she had to be extra-curious, as well as improve on her research and storytelling skills.
She said she also learnt how to get story ideas for investigation and how to include the elements of a good story in an investigative report.
Another participant from Kwara, Hanifah Ismail, said the training instilled more confidence in her and courage her to do more in the field of investigative reporting.
She said the training also taught her that as a female investigative journalist, professional discipline is very important.
She said that continuous capacity building would enhance effective investigative reporting and also inspire more female journalists to take to investigative journalism. (NAN)
