A free and independent media is essential for democracy. By investigating and reporting any abuses of entrusted power for private gains, journalists encourage good governance by holding governments, public officials and the private sector to account. However, there are many factors which can prevent the media from functioning as an effective public watchdog and simultaneously expose journalists to extreme danger.

Risky business

In its ‘Attacks on the Press in 2007’ world survey, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting press freedom, reports that 65 journalists were killed in 2007; the highest number of fatalities since 1994. Among the 44 killed outside war zones, 13 are believed to have been murdered because of reporting on corruption. The International News Safety Institute (INSI), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the safety of the media, believes that: “One thousand journalists and support staff have died trying to report the news around the world in the past 10 years: an average of two a week.” And the immediate future looks bleak - Reporters Without Borders, another organisation that monitors violence against journalists, predicts that 2008 “will be an even tougher year for the media.”

Incidents of physical violence against journalists, even murder, are in some countries rarely investigated or prosecuted. Journalists who seek to expose economic and political corruption often do so at great personal risk. High stake political and business interests combined with corrupt judges and police, mean that violence against journalists is often carried out with impunity. According to CPJ figures from October 2007, the conviction rate for murdered journalists is about 15%. Such conditions can easily result in self-censorship as other journalists decide not to investigate or criticise for fear of violent reprisals.

Means to an end

The repressive laws and regulations existing in some countries are state sanctioned hazards that jeopardise not only the independence of journalists, but often their freedom - adding to a climate of intimidation. Ambiguous laws can be manipulated to result in criminal libel and defamation suits. Other political tactics to deter critical journalism include freezing bank accounts and revoking licenses.

The advent of the internet has ushered in a new phenomenon – citizen journalists. But in countries where the governments are intent on controlling the media, the World Wide Web does not afford anymore freedom than its traditional counterpart. In these countries governments have been quick to crack down on any blogs, chatrooms and websites that they deem subversive, censoring content and imprisoning contributors.

Financial concerns also greatly compromise journalists’ independence. Journalists and editors are in a position to receive bribes in return for influence over editorial content or simply for not investigating or publishing a story. Similarly, advertisers can wield influence over media owners and editorial boards. These problems are exacerbated when media ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few.

Despite the odds

The central role that investigative journalists play in fighting corruption is clear. Reports can prompt official investigations to be launched into corruption allegations and trigger the resignation and prosecution of those implicated. One of the most famous cases is the Watergate scandal, which was uncovered by the Washington Post and led to then US President Richard Nixon stepping down from office. Another example is the series of reports published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism that revealed the unexplained wealth of President Joseph Estrada and were used as part of the impeachment suit filed against him in November 2000.

More recently, David Leigh and Rob Evans of the Guardian newspaper won the Paul Foot Award for Campaigning Journalism 2007 for their campaign to expose the issue of bribery in the British arms trade. The awarding judges credited their work with: “Four parliamentary debates, the removal of an Attorney-General, criminal investigations on three continents, another investigation by the United States Department of Justice and a special investigation of the United Kingdom by the OECD under an international bribery treaty.”

Supporting media freedom

“Without the men and women of a free and plural press willing to risk reporting and investigating, and editors and publishers willing to stand by them, injustice and corruption flourish - within and across national boundaries.” (INSI)

The challenges that journalists contend with in their line of work are formidable, but they are obstacles that need to be overcome. One of the most pressing concerns is to ensure that the rights of journalists are not abused. Reporters Without Borders stresses the need for “democratic countries and major international institutions to defend these rights around the world.” For its part, CPJ launched a global campaign in November 2007 to combat impunity (www.cpj.org/impunity/). The INSI Safety Code for journalists can be accessed here.

Access to information laws need to be adopted in countries that lack them and rigorously enforced in countries where they are already in existence. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, access to information is a basic human right. It is crucial for maintaining a balance between citizens and state; when citizens are denied their right to know, corrupt officials can act with impunity. The media is a prism through which the public can be made aware of the actions and news that can affect their lives but could otherwise remain inaccessible to them. For this reason, it is crucial that a wide diversity of private media is present in society so that the public is in a position to make an informed decision.

Transparency International’s efforts

A number of Transparency International (TI) programmes support investigative journalists, including awards, journalist training, and activities promoting access to information.

- In 2004, TI joined with the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) to determine a set of principles intended to end bribes for media coverage and cultivate greater transparency in the dealings between public relations professionals and the media. Since then, The Media Transparency Charter has been adopted by media organisations worldwide representing at least half a million editors, media executives and journalists.

- The TI Integrity Awards, established in 2000, recognise the efforts of individuals and organisations who work to investigate and unmask corruption, often at great personal risk. Since the award’s beginning seven journalists have received the award, five of them posthumously; a testimony to their courage in the face of grave personal danger.

- The annual TI Latin America and the Caribbean and Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (Press and Society Institute) Journalism Award, worth US $25,000, recognises an outstanding investigative report on corruption in the Latin American or Caribbean media. For further information on the award and 2008 applications please click here.

- In August 2007, Transparencia Venezuela, the TI national chapter in Venezuela, in cooperation with the Venezuelan Institute for Social Politics Investigation, the Social Organisation CESAP (Grupo Social CESAP) and the Peru-based Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, launched the group ‘Coalition Pro Access: Venezuelan Movement for the Right to Public Information.’ Last month the coalition launched the first national competition for investigative reports based on solicited public information. For more information on the competition please click here.

- During 2007, TI national chapters worldwide organised an array of activities and initiatives - from a rock concert in Croatia, to the drafting of an access to information law in the Palestinian Territories – aimed at firmly establishing the public’s right to access to information. In addition, many national chapters were involved in monitoring elections and raising the awareness of voters on election issues.