The Moto (Fire in Nyanja) Initiative in Zambia supports female journalists to develop skills in public interest journalism and to pursue original stories, including investigative stories.
The 14 participants from the latest cohort, who are drawn from radio and TV outlets across Zambia, recently spent a week together in Lusaka 鈥� learning from each other; from colleagues at Free Press Initiative Zambia, our partner organisation; from 大象传媒 Media Action trainers; and from the wider 大象传媒 鈥� including executive producers in the 大象传媒 Africa Eye investigations team.
The workshop included sessions on fact-checking and number-crunching; editorial guidelines related to investigative reporting 鈥� on areas such as secret recording, informed consent and anonymity; and personal safety 鈥� including risk assessments.
It also included time to listen to, watch and discuss some of the investigative pieces the journalists have already been producing as part of the nine-month programme.
Eight journalists taking part in the Moto mentoring programme have been reflecting on how their work and life have changed, as a result of the project.
鈥淎fter being part of the Moto programme, I am thinking about research and doing more investigative stories 鈥� looking at issues which impact and matter to the public. I feel motivated to bring out the truth, fuelled by my curiosity.鈥�
鈥淭丑谤辞耻驳丑 Moto, I have learnt about different angles and how to go more in depth on stories. I鈥檝e also become part of a great network of female journalists 鈥� who work together and collaborate to bring change.鈥�
鈥淎fter the first round of training, I produced a piece about how people with albinism in Zambia are being affected by climate change. I submitted it for an award鈥� and it won! Best Media Report on Environment and Health in the Open Spaces Zambia Awards.鈥�
鈥淏efore I joined Moto I didn鈥檛 really do any community-based stories. Now I feel empowered to do public-interest journalism 鈥� finding and fact-checking information to do accurate stories. I am doing a wider range of stories than I used to, including investigative pieces.鈥�
鈥淏efore joining Moto I was like a PA or secretary in my radio station 鈥� but after being trained by the project I have advanced in my work. I now do proper journalism 鈥� including investigative journalism. So, I say: Viva Moto, great job!鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 an untrained journalist: I have been working at my station for four years, but this is the first training I鈥檝e had. So Moto has been a great experience for me. I didn鈥檛 know anything about investigations or fact-checking before 鈥� but now I am doing those things.鈥�
鈥�Moto has given me the courage to pursue stories I didn鈥檛 think I would be able to do. And it鈥檚 been such a friendly and supportive environment. The mentors have been there from the beginning to the end of every story 鈥� providing moral, emotional (and financial!) support.鈥�
"My journey on the Moto project has been very practical, engaging and career changing. I'm now able to report on pieces that are investigative in nature with the impartiality they deserve."
The Moto (Fire) Initiative is part of the Kudziwa (To Know) project carried out with Free Press Initiative and funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).