The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has challenged journalists in Mzimba to help expose corrupt practices in the district.
The bureau’s acting chief public education officer Egrita Ndala said this on Tuesday in Mzimba at the end of a two-day training targeting journalists under Hora Press Club on corruption reporting.
She said the bureau understands the role journalists play in the fight against corruption by, among others, investigating corrupt practices.
Said Ndala: “Often journalists are the ones who tip us on corrupt acts through news stories they write across different media platforms.
“This is the reason we decided to engage journalists in Mzimba to drill them on how to document stories of this nature.”
Ndala warned members of various media houses who attended the training, saying investigating a corruption story requires thoroughness and proper gathering of facts to avoid publishing hearsays.
“Journalists expose corrupt individuals, public officers, companies and organisations. Therefore, it is always important to gather accurate facts about the story they are investing to avoid writing fake news,” she said.
Hora Press Club chairperson Ephraim Mkali Banda hailed the training, saying it will improve journalists’ capacity in doing investigative stories on corruption.
“We have also been reminded to protect rights of sources, witnesses and victims during investigation processes to avoid injuring them,” he said.
A participant, Vanani Nyirenda of Zodiak Broadcasting Station, said the training reminded journalists to play their roles as watchdogs in society
