The Fully Funded PLSI Public Audit Media Fellowship in Nigeria is accepting applications from Nigerian journalists. PLSI, through its MacArthur Foundation-funded project to strengthen public audit practices and accountability at the state level in Nigeria, is implementing a Public Audit Media Fellowship to assist independent media actors in using audit data to investigate, report, and expose corruption at the subnational level in Nigeria.

This media fellowship will identify and train ten journalists (two each) from five geopolitical zones of Nigeria (aside from North Central) on using public audit information combined with creative communication and data-driven storytelling skills to investigate, report, and expose corruption at the subnational level in Nigeria. The media fellowship is focused on one state in each geo-political zone being considered, and the specific states include South East – Anambra State, South-South – Delta State, South West – Ekiti State, North West – Kaduna State, and North East – Yobe State.

The Fellowship will run for four weeks (six days in the first three weeks (virtual) and two days in the fourth week (physical) in Abuja, Nigeria). Fellows will be onboarded in October 2023.

The benefits of the Fully Funded PLSI Public Audit Media Fellowship in Nigeria are:

1. PLSI will provide a N30,000 stipend to cover virtual training logistics. PLSI will also cover costs (return ticket – economy class, accommodation, and per diem) relating to the two days’ onsite training in Abuja.

2. In Addition, PLSI will provide the sum of N100,000 to each fellow to support story coverage and logistics.

3. PLSI will also hold rounds of engagements with stakeholders on the ideas to receive feedback and potential support.

PLSI does not guarantee the publishing of stories in the Nigerian dailies as applicants are ideally full-time writers, print, radio, or broadcast journalists, filmmakers, bloggers, or other media makers, with well-established records of publication, dissemination, or broadcast in local, regional, or national markets, or among targeted audiences or constituencies.

The eligibility criteria for the Fully Funded PLSI Public Audit Media Fellowship in Nigeria are:

1. Citizen of Nigeria

2. Should be a Journalist

Training Sessions

The training sessions will focus on various topics to be facilitated by field experts to enhance the fellows' capacity to better understand the public audit system and develop investigative stories.

The sessions will include:

1. Understanding public audit legal frameworks

2. Sourcing and analyzing audit report

3. Understanding the role of the Auditor-General and the Public Audit Action Cycle

4. Tracking stakeholders (Public Accounts Committee, Executive Agencies, Anti-Corruption Bodies) actions on audit findings

5. Concept of investigative reporting/Journalism

6. Understanding the functions of the Public Accounts Committee

7. Ethical and accuracy in data journalism

8. Audit reports as a source of investigative reporting

9. Writing sample investigative reports on 2020 and 2021 audit reports

10. Data visualization, storytelling, and creative communication

11. The Use of Freedom of Information Act

12. Using technology tools for fact-checking

13. Crafting compelling narratives and the power of storytelling

Selection:

Due to the number of expected applications, we will conduct reviews and interviews from October 6 – 12, 2023.  Reviews will be done by our selected team of judges, which includes experienced civil society leaders and experienced investigative journalists.

Announcement: 

1. Selected fellows will be announced on October 13, 2023. Fellows will be informed earlier to ensure media materials (Bio, photograph etc.) are provided for the announcement.

2. The Public Audit Media Fellowship session for cohort 1 will run from October 2023 and end in November 2023.