PLSI through its MacArthur Foundation-funded project to strengthen public audit practices and accountability at the state level in Nigeria is implementing a Public Audit Media Fellowship to assist independent media actors in using audit data to investigate, report, and expose corruption at the subnational level in Nigeria.
This media fellowship will identify and train 10 journalists (two each) from five geopolitical zones of Nigeria (aside from North Central), on how to use public audit information combined with creative communication and data-driven storytelling skills to investigate, report, and expose corruption at the subnational level in Nigeria.
The Fellowship will run for four weeks (six days in the first three weeks (virtual) and two days in the fourth week (physical) in Abuja, Nigeria). Fellows will be onboarded in October 2023. Selected fellows would be supported to analyze annual audit reports of state governments to track public spending with potential for corruption and investigate such spendings with a view to exposing tendencies or reporting acts of corruption for possible sanction by relevant authorities. The 10 investigative stories developed from the media fellowship will be published via the medium by which the fellows work on.
Eligibility
Open to journalists (two each) from five geopolitical zones of Nigeria (aside North Central).
The media fellowship is focused on one state in each geo-political zones being considered, and the specific states include: South East – Anambra State, South South – Delta State, South West – Ekiti State, North West – Kaduna State and North East – Yobe State.
Benefits
They will provide a N30,000 stipend to cover virtual training logistics. PLSI will also cover costs (return ticket – economy class, accommodation, and per diem) relating to the two days’ onsite training in Abuja.
In Addition, PLSI will provide the sum of N100,000 to each fellow to support story coverage and logistics. They will also hold rounds of engagements with stakeholders on the ideas to receive feedback and potential support.
PLSI does not guarantee the publishing of stories in the Nigerian dailies as applicants are ideally full-time writers, print, radio or broadcast journalists, filmmakers, bloggers, or other media makers, with well-established records of publication, dissemination, or broadcast in local, regional, or national markets, or among targeted audiences or constituencies.
Due to the number of expected applications, they will conduct reviews and interviews from October 6 – 12, 2023. Reviews will be done by a selected team of judges, which includes experienced civil society leaders and experienced investigative journalists.
