MISA Malawi Trains Community Broadcasters in Investigative Journalism Skills
The engagement with community radios aims to bridge this gap, enabling journalists to scrutinize resource allocation and usage at the local level.
LILONGWE, Malawi— The Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Malawi) has launched a training initiative for community broadcasters, focusing on investigative journalism and social accountability skills, writes Wendi Mkandawire.
During a two-day workshop in Lilongwe, MISA Malawi Chairperson Golden Matonga emphasized the importance of equipping journalists with the ability to critically examine societal issues, particularly the utilization of allocated budget resources.
"Journalists should have special skills to be able to investigate and dig deeply into these issues for the benefit of development and good governance for this country," Matonga said.
He noted that while progress has been made in investigative journalism at the national level, there remains a critical gap in coverage of local government activities.
The engagement with community radios aims to bridge this gap, enabling journalists to scrutinize resource allocation and usage at the local level.
Chifundo Khudzula Gondwe, a participant in the training, praised MISA Malawi for organizing the workshop.
"It's important for us as journalists to be trained in investigative and social accountability to cover developmental issues happening in different councils," she said.
The training program is organized in partnership with the Government of Canada under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).
This collaboration underscores the international support for strengthening local media capacity in Malawi.
By focusing on community broadcasters, MISA Malawi aims to enhance grassroots reporting and increase accountability in local governance, potentially leading to more transparent and effective resource management across the country.