Experts highlight the impact of investigative journalism on democracy

Media professionals stressed the need for investigative reporting on the election, noting that it shaped outcomes and deepened democracy.

They urged journalists to adhere to an ethical code of conduct that guides their practice and improves election reporting.

Experts spoke on the opening day of the 17th Wole Soyinka Prize for Investigative Journalism, which kicked off in Lagos on Thursday.

The centres' executive director, Motunrayo Alaka, explained that the event focused on issues close to investigative journalism, adding that the work of journalists should be amplified as "they influence the outcome of issues current societal challenges such as elections and democracy, especially at the grassroots level.”

She urged journalists to also focus on sub-national levels when reporting on elections.

She said, "We celebrate investigative journalists because the work they do is important as guardians of values ​​and democracy.

"And we felt it was important, therefore, to bring journalists and other people who are stakeholders in journalism and democracy together to talk about the issues that concern us, especially ahead of the next election. "

In his opening speech, a professor of communication at Lagos State University, Lai Oso, urged journalists to maintain high ethical standards, even as he described investigative journalism as "journalism's highest order and guardian of conscience".

He said: "It is important to observe that the critical or fundamental point is that the media, as a major social institution, is supposed to serve the public not only by providing information, but also by opposing the abuse of power.

"For an election to be deemed credible, it must not only be free and transparent, but it must also engender a high level of citizen participation.

“The main purpose of investigative journalism is the maintenance of public morals by exposing transgression or immoral behavior and activities. Such exposure should lead to political change or reform.”

For his part, a Ghanaian investigative journalist, Anas Anas, noted that investigative journalists must step up their time to investigate and report on all presidential candidates, "so that people can decipher, read and understand how or what these people are made up of and their ability.”

"Investigative journalism will not be easy, there will be attacks but if we focus on selecting and analyzing these people, I am sure that Nigerian citizens will be satisfied with the information," he said.

Speaking further, Mr. Oso also highlighted the challenges of investigative journalism, which he listed as including “ethnic and religious polarization in Nigerian society which tends to challenge the acceptable moral norm and the lack of consensus on core issues and values".

He went further by explaining that society's tolerance or indifference to stories and cases of wrongdoing is not because they are acceptable or approved, but because because of the attitude which is "largely linked to the lack of appropriate and/or effective government action to sanction those involved in the misuse or abuse of their office".

He added that another challenge is the lack of trust in the media.

Corroborating Mr. Oso's point about societal indifference, Mr. Anas presented some of his stories where people were ungrateful to investigations that were meant to benefit them.

For its part, the