The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), has begun a project that would support reporters from various media organizations work from home, better their stories and point out gaps in the fight against the COVID-19.
This was stated in a press statement signed by the Executive Director/CEO, Motunrayo Alaka, released on Monday.
“To contribute to efforts to ensure the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impacts gets well-reported, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has started the ‘COVID-19 Reality Check’ project.
“The COVID-19 Reality Check project will examine government interventions and promises in relation to the realities on ground in terms of social welfare, water and sanitation, economics, security, food availability and accessibility, education, electric power supply, and more. The WSCIJ and its partner, the MacArthur Foundation, will support reporters from various media organisations to better report such stories and point out gaps”, the statement reads.
It added that: “The WSCIJ team held a virtual meeting with reporters on Friday, 3 April 2020, to discuss the ramifications of the project. At the event, the team decided on strategies for crowdsourcing information to help reporters to do the work, mostly from home. The meeting emphasized the safety of the chosen journalists who would have to go out to get their stories”.
Also, “the project will include a media campaign on reports to support on-ground interventions by all stakeholders to save lives and reduce the impact of the pandemic on our country and by extension on the rest of the world”.
