Wole Soyinka Centre begins search for the 2011 Nigeria Investigative Journalist of the Year
In a bid to reward works that reflect best international practice in investigative journalism, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism opens call for entries for its sixth annual Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting from Tuesday 4 October to Tuesday 25 October 2011.
The 2011 award programme plans to reward and honour the works of eight Nigerian journalists who demonstrate ethical journalistic courage, individual creativity and public benefit in their report on public or corporate corruption, human rights violation, or on the failure of regulatory agencies in the print, radio, television, photo, online, climate change, local government and gender categories.
The inclusion of the gender category reflects the Centre’s alignment with local and global advocacy to encourage the reportage of peculiar issues that affect women ranging from socio-political vulnerabilities to marginalisation and allied gender related human rights abuses.
The Centre also hopes to present a grand prize – the WSCIJ-Nigerian investigative journalist of the year award – to a work adjudged the best amongst the winning pieces.
To reinforce the Centre’s commitment to best standards, the award criteria for eligibility has been reviewed to further strengthen the role of the judges’ board who are highly reputable Nigerians with ample experience and knowledge of the media.
More information on the award competition is available on the Centre’s website www.wscij.org
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Award was first held in October, 2005 to encourage the development of an investigative tradition in the Nigerian media through rigorous scrutiny of human rights violations, regulatory failures and corruption in the public and corporate departments of the nation’s life and has so far rewarded twenty-four (24) journalists who are called ‘Soyinka Laureates’.
The WOLE SOYINKA CENTRE FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM (WSCIJ) is a registered not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation with a vision to stimulate the emergence of a socially just community defined by the ethics of inclusion, transparency and accountability through support to journalists.
Initially known as the Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Award (WSIRA), the change in name became necessary in 2008 to reflect the intentions of the coordinators to embrace a more robust line of activities that have greater capacity for engendering the right values of investigative journalism in the Nigerian media.
The Centre is named after Professor Wole Soyinka in recognition of his life-long work in support of the freedom of expression, freedom to hold opinion, and freedom to impart them without fear or favour and without hindrance or interference.
Signed:
Motunrayo Alaka
Centre Coordinator
Contact Details:
08028302436, 07029226323
[email protected]
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This idea from this icon, Wole Soyinka is an encouragement to the journalism world. how I wish we have more of Soyinkas in Nigeria. Am proud to be a Nigerian because of him. I was chatting with a guy from India who happened to say he had never heard of a country called Nigeria. when i asked him if he heard of wole soyinka, he said yes, and i told him he’s a Nigerian. who won’t be proud of this treasure?
so encouraging, i am so proud to be a Nigerian because of this noble man. A man of integrity, full of energy and loyalty.