The National Anticorruption Council in Honduras identifies transparency as key to involving citizens in the process of governing and call for the media to strengthen their investigative units.
Through the World Bank Institute's highly interactive program, featuring online discussions, interviews and multimedia presentations as well as video conferencing, busy journalists on tight deadlines are able to gain additional skills at their own pace.
The programs also aims to develop local institutional capacity through its network of journalists who cover governance and transparency issues.
In 2007 when the National Anticorruption Council (CNA) of Honduras published its National Transparency Report reviewing, among other things, how well the media were playing their "watchdog" role, the picture that emerged showed room for improvement. It seems that journalists were producing informative articles, but with little depth of analysis and few insights on, for example, how corruption can contribute to poverty.
"We want Hondurans to be better informed so that they can demand better governance," said Juan Ferrera, President of the National Anticorruption Council. "This is why we partnered with the World Bank Institute (WBI) in the design and delivery of the Journalism Training Program on Transparency. We will keep working not only with journalists but also with media outlets to help them strengthen their investigative units."
Developing skills at a distance
Aimed at building skills, the program needed to be content rich and would, therefore, take time to deliver. This was a challenge since journalists, constantly on deadline, would not be able to commit to a rigid schedule of classroom sessions.
WBI's multimedia team stepped in to offer a variety of innovative solutions. Using videoconferencing they brought international experts into the classroom with local experts, in real time. While pre-recorded video presentations by international instructors, web-based discussions, and multimedia materials such as video-interviews, presentations, and audio-clips allowed journalists to learn "offline."
Journalists from print, broadcast, and digital media organizations participated in the first offering in 2008. They learned about media's governance oversight role, access to information models, how the Honduran State operates, and key elements of investigative journalism. The program also presented different tools for ensuring transparency in various sectors.
The program also aims to develop networks of journalists covering governance and transparency issues.
Throughout the course participants were asked to link or apply what they learned to their work. Through the Web, they accessed economic databases in the US and Spain to cross-check information on Honduran exports to those countries. They compared the US and Spanish data with the same information released by the Honduran government, to be able to identify possible inconsistencies. Another assignment was to apply the new access to information law by making requests for public information from government agencies.
Applying knowledge on the job
At the end of the program, the journalists turned in investigative reports on such issues as government advertising spending patterns, implementation of the access to information law, procurement processes, the dropout rate in rural education, and corruption in social programs. These reports were publicly disseminated by the media outlets where the participants work. For Examples of print and TV reporting.
"We have learned that by monitoring public administration, we (journalists) can play a key role in strengthening transparency and good governance, holding public institutions accountable, and guaranteeing access to information," said participant Karla Yessenia Torres.
In addition to helping journalists develop new skills, the program has also contributed to raising awareness of the important role they play as potential agents of change.
"This course helped journalists reflect on their role as watchdogs. They now think critically about how their news coverage can help foster good governance," said Marcos Mendiburu, Social Development Specialist and Program Coordinator at the World Bank Institute.Â
Building institutional capacity and communities of practice
The program also builds local institutional capacity and aims to develop networks of journalists covering governance and transparency issues: alumni will be engaged in the Regional Network of Journalists on Access to Information coordinated by Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC) and Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS), among others (www.periodismo-aip.org).
"The joint work on Journalism Training with the World Bank and the other counterparts strengthened the National Anticorruption Council's strategic alliances with both local and international organizations and helped us monitor the implementation of the Access to Information Law and raise awareness among citizens about it," said Rolando Sierra, the National Anticorruption Council, Projects Director.
And In the next course offering (January-November 2009), a select group of alumni from 2008 will serve as mentors and facilitators.
A remaining challenge is the need for an enabling environment where participants can apply their knowledge and skills. Some media outlets are in the process of setting up investigative journalism units, but such units are still few in number.
"We hope that these initiatives will significantly improve the environment in which journalists exercise their work and maximize the program's impact on the ground," said Marcos Mendiburu.
Contributing to the Bank's work on governance and anti-corruption
The Journalism Training Program also contributes to the World Bank's work on governance and anti-corruption in Honduras, within the framework of the GAC Strategy and the CGAC Action Plan. Both the GAC Strategy and the CGAC Action Plan highlight the need to increase the demand for good governance by promoting transparency and accountability mechanisms through stronger media and access to information.
WBI worked in close collaboration with the National Anticorruption Council (CNA), Democracia sin Fronteras Foundation (FDsF), and the School of Journalism at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) to design this program.
The article contributed by Marcos Mendiburu, World Bank Institute
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