Non-profit trains Malawi journalists on investigating COVID-19 public funds

Malawi-In an effort to promote transparency and accountability in governance, the non-profit organization Purple Innovation recently held a two-day training workshop for journalists on investigative skills in relation to public funds spent during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes Tionge Hara.

The workshop was attended by upcoming journalists from the Malawi Institute of Journalism as well as senior journalists from major news outlets such as The Times, Nation, AfricaBrief, Zodiak, and Freelancers.

Speaking to journalists after the training, Purple Innovations Executive Director, Patricia Mtungira, praised the journalists for their commitment to sharpening their skills in investigating how state resources meant to save lives are spent.

“Corruption is evil, and by training the journalists, we believe they will do more as far as playing their watchdog role is concerned. They will be exposing the rot that is derailing growth and development,” Mtungira said.

Journalist Blair Mhone, who participated in the training, expressed gratitude towards the organization for the refresher course, which he said brought new components to investigative journalism.

“This was an inspiration to most journalists who have stayed a little longer without a refresher course, this will go a long way in helping most of us track public funds. Investigative journalism helps us hold duty bearers accountable for their actions, and that is one of our core values,” Mhone said.

The fellowship project supporting the 10 journalists is being facilitated with support from the Africa Alliance and the National Democratic Institute.