The dramatic increase in mobile phones and internet connectivity across Africa in recent years has created new opportunities for reporters to collaborate on cross-border projects like the Panama Papers. But despite these new opportunities, Africa continues to pose unique challenges to journalists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe continent has proven its own special challenges with access to internet, access to information, rogue governments and even being able to have access to funds,\u201d said ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellow David Lemayian, who serves as\u00a0Code for Africa<\/a>\u2019s lead technologist.<\/p>\n Lemayian<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR)<\/a>\u00a0Managing Editor Amanda Strydom work closely with journalism networks across Africa on news stories and projects, aiding top-secret investigations and building new open source tools for media.<\/p>\n The two shared their top tips for international journalists who are looking to partner with African newsrooms on reporting projects:<\/p>\n \u201cIn an old-school newsroom, an editor could walk over to a reporter’s desk, slam down his hand and demand copy. Our newsrooms sit in different time zones and thousands of miles apart and often with slightly dodgy internet connections,”\u00a0which means long-term planning and organizational skills are essential for meeting deadlines,\u00a0Strydom<\/a>\u00a0said. She recommends coordinating deadlines with partner newsrooms\u2019 editors and reporters, not just one or the other, and making sure they are all aware of the project expectations. She also tries to involve the tech team early in the project, ensuring that they\u2019ll be able to iron out any bugs before the stories go live.<\/p>\n Since Africa is home to some 1.2 billion people, with 54 countries and an estimated 1,500 spoken languages, it is not possible for one network to cover everything that goes on across the continent. The trick to high reader engagement on stories is to know your audience, Strydom said. \u201cIn the case of Panama Papers, for instance, we wanted newsrooms to make the stories as local as possible — to tell the story of the judge, to tell the story of the politician,\u201d Strydom said. ANCIR chose to cover stories in English, French and Portuguese and partnered with various reporters and editors who could specialize in one of the languages.<\/p>\n The same is true for technology development, Lemayian said. He tries to build tools that solve the issues that \u201ckeep people up at night.\u201d This requires an understanding of citizens\u2019 greatest needs and priorities, he said. For example, he worked with The Star newspaper in Kenya to launch “Dodgy Doctors<\/a>,”\u00a0a web and SMS app that helps citizens verify if their doctor is properly registered with medical authorities or not.<\/p>\n Once you have a working tool that solves a local problem, you can start to think about the issue on a continental (or global) scale, Lemayian said. Look for people in other places who face similar issues and then try to replicate your project to meet their individual needs. For example, the \u201cDodgy Doctors\u201d app started in Kenya in 2013, but Lemayian later helped to re-launch a customized version for Nigeria two years later. The tool is also being updated for use in South Africa and Tanzania, where citizens face similar challenges picking reliable doctors.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to work with African newsrooms is very interesting in terms of being able to take the same tool and those same problems, those same challenges and be able to take them to different countries,\u201d he said. It gives him and his team the opportunity to look at problems \u201cfrom a different angle\u201d and to put a \u201cdifferent twist\u201d on the technology design and implementation.<\/p>\n Foreign reporters sometimes undervalue African journalists, using them only as fixers and researchers, Strydom said.<\/p>\n \u201cA foreign team jets in \u2026 and they leave with an award-winning story and little recognition for an African reporter who may have spent years building up a network,\u201d she said.\u00a0ANCIR trains reporters in its network on how to find stories and work with data, with the goal of leveling the playing field so that \u201clocal stories are told by locals,\u201d Strydom said.<\/p>\n Some African governments are known for harsh treatment of the media, and Strydom notes that there have been recent crackdowns in Angola, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe. When there\u2019s a compelling story coming out a country with highly restrictive press laws, ANCIR works with media organizations outside of the country in question to publish the story, often with the hope of reaching international policy shapers and donors, Strydom said.<\/p>\n After stories have been published, it\u2019s important to follow up on them to see if they have produced any results. Checking in can also lead to new ideas for other articles, such as a story about a powerful figure who failed to follow through on a promise or policy change after an investigative story uncovered wrongdoing. For example, after ANCIR\u2019s Panama Papers investigation linked a diamond mining company in Sierra Leone to tax havens, the government\u00a0promised<\/a>\u00a0to investigate the allegations. \u201cWe\u2019ve yet to see whether this has happened or not, but it gives us an opportunity to follow up in three months,\u201d Strydom said. \u201cIt sort of creates [another] news story.\u201d<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: This post is based on David Lemayian and Amanda Strydom\u2019s \u201cWorking with African Newsrooms<\/a>\u201d presentation at the 2016 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference on June 16-19. You can listen to the audio recording<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Curled from IJNet<\/a>Plan effectively<\/h4>\n
Find a local angle for your story<\/h4>\n
Scale and replicate successes<\/h4>\n
Place a high value on local knowledge and networks<\/h4>\n
Understand the political climate where you\u2019re working<\/h4>\n
Follow up on potential impacts<\/h4>\n