Repubblika, the rule-of-law NGO, has just published a handbook that provides important advice for activists on how to collaborate with investigative journalists.
The initiative forms part of a two-year, multinational, EU-funded project called S-INFO, which is also offering two €5,000 grants to local journalists to work on an investigative report in collaboration with a Maltese NGO.
S-INFO is taking place in four countries: Italy, Belgium, Romania and Malta. The project seeks to create a sustainable model of collaboration between independent journalists and civil society activists, by facilitating joint work in investigative reporting.
The aim is both to support independent journalism and to give a stronger voice to civil society organisations, who are too often silenced or lack the necessary tools to reach a wide audience.
The first step in this initiative was the creation of a useful tool for activists, the handbook. This lays out the elements of investigative journalism, offers tips on collaborating with journalists in investigative work, and gives details of the opportunities for civil society organisations being made available by S-INFO.
The handbook can be downloaded from the S-INFO website in long and short versions.
Investigative journalism: Course and €5,000 grant
The next step will be a two-day course in investigative journalism taking place at the beginning of October. This will be attended by aspiring investigative journalists – working reporters or students of journalism. Applications for the course are open.
Representatives of NGOs have been invited to attend part of the course to explore opportunities for collaboration with course participants. The S-INFO website is also providing a space to facilitate exchange and explore new partnerships between activists and independent journalists.
This all presents an excellent opportunity for journalists to expand their network of sources and for activists to find new forms of media support.
Following the course, each journalist will propose an investigative story to be pursued in cooperation with an NGO. A S-INFO adjudication board made up of representatives from all four countries will award eight €5,000 grants to the journalists who make the best proposals, two from each country.
The winning journalists will have a few months to carry out their joint investigation and will receive mentoring along the way. The stories will be subject to an editing process and will be published on the S-INFO and partner websites in 2025.
Repubblika president Vicki Ann Cremona said: “The role of journalists and civil society activists is different but the objective is the same: to discover facts, document them, and mobilise them to make the shared life of our community better. We are bringing together journalists and activists working for social justice, for environmental conservation and for a fairer government free of corruption.
“Between the resources we are providing and the funding we are making available, we are working towards our standing mission of protecting free speech and working for a better democracy and just society. We are very happy to see so many activists and journalists sharing this mission with us.”