Launch of the Investigative Journalism Training Program
U.S Agency for International Development (USAID)
Denise Rollins, USAID Mission Deputy Director—Remarks
September 13, 2005; Rhodes University

It gives me great pleasure to represent the U.S. Agency for International Development, commonly known as USAID, here this morning.  I am honored to join our valued partners, Idasa, Rhodes and WITS Universities, at this auspicious event, the Highway Africa Journalism conference.

Yesterday morning, I got very excited hearing news reports about this important conference.  Africa has fallen behind on the Information Highway.  So this is an opportune time on the continent and for world events to energize African journalists to take advantage of the technology, training and networking available this week.    

The United States has a strong tradition of journalism and considers this a key factor in good governance.  Good governance is not a static condition.  We need to provide information constantly and vigilantly to open debate about issues and disclose information about how decisions are made, by whom and why.  Internationally, professional journalists view public enlightenment as essential for justice and the foundation of democracy.  Journalists further those ends by seeking truth, gathering facts, and interpreting and reporting information accurately. 

The new training program we are launching this morning will enable South African journalists to learn essential investigation techniques.  This training will equip the journalists to report stories—in “the public interest”—that some individuals and organizations would prefer to conceal.  What do people want to hide?  I’m going to use a startling word – corruption.  We all know corruption erodes trust in public authority, weakens the ties that bind a society together, and thereby destabilizes entire nations.  Corruption deprives communities of resources they need for development, and weakens whole economies.  Public servants who disregard official procedures, siphon off resources needed for growth, and select or promote officials without regard to performance undermine the legitimacy of government and such democratic values as trust and tolerance. 

Corruption is a universal problem.  It is part of the human condition.  Corruption is not found only in developing countries, but also in long-established democracies like my own country.

One of the most significant events in recent American history occurred during my youth; what has come to be known as the “Watergate” scandal—the abuse of power by the White House staff of President Richard Nixon.  The media played the crucial role in exposing that scandal.  The courageous owner and editor of the Washington Post newspaper permitted two reporters to remain devoted to the story for two entire years.  Those reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, helped elevated the science of investigative journalism to the highest standards. 

But would those two reporters have succeeded in unraveling the story if it hadn’t been for a source whose identity was kept secret for 30 years? 

The courage of the “whistleblower,” known to the public only as “Deep Throat,” must also be acknowledged.  Just a few months ago, Vanity Fair Magazine revealed that Deep Throat was a former FBI agent named William Mark Felt.  He gave Woodward and Berstein the tip-offs they needed to break the story that prompted the resignation of the 37^th President of the United States.

How big was the Watergate story?  It was so immense, that today the suffix, “-gate,” is attached to any word as journalistic shorthand for “corruption.”  That’s how the recent “Travel-gate” scandal in South Africa got its name. 

Journalism is all about gathering information.  Information is seen as power and people are often afraid of losing power by the public disclosure of their unscrupulous behavior.  How many times is a microphone or tape recorder thrust in front of a person who answers merely, “No comment”?  In a way, you could look at the profession of journalism as torch bearers who shed light on situations and people.  Bringing information into the light brings out the truth.

Discovering the truth requires probing for information, piecing together the facts to figure out what happened and then reporting it fully.  Who benefits from the truth?  Let’s ask the converse question—who does NOT benefit from the truth?  The answer is clear.  Those who are dishonest.  People need to know what’s really going on so they can make informed decisions.  Strengthening the ability of reporters will reinforce the constitutional rights of South Africans to know about their nation’s political and business issues and when power is abused. 

USAID supports South Africa’s efforts to foster transparent and accountable governance at all levels of the public sector.  Our Democracy and Governance program supports South Africa’s Public Service Anti-Corruption Strategy of “zero tolerance”.  That strategy calls on all three sectors – the public sector, the private sector and civil society – to join forces in revealing the truth to South Africans and the world.

This strategy also acknowledges the vital role that the press must play.  South Africa’s media are called upon in the strategy to scrutinize government budgeting and procurement processes and to keep a watchful eye on business practices in order to uncover, expose and publicize fraud and corruption.

Obviously, for the media to do its part, press practitioners must be skilled in investigative journalism.  South Africa’s national and major metropolitan media do boast world class investigative journalists.   But corruption isn’t limited to national government and big cities.  This is why the program we are launching here today focuses on training journalists from the small and medium outlets that cover politics and business at the local level.  We don’t just want to increase the pool of South African journalists skilled in getting all the facts, but to extend investigative journalism into portions of South Africa where fraud and corruption are still being concealed.  

And this brings me to my next point: whistleblowing.  Battling secrecy in government deliberations and decision-making depends to a large degree on sources, fondly called “whistleblowers”.  We fully expect that as a result of the program we are launching today, the public in South Africa’s smaller cities and towns will be exposed – through weekly newspapers and community radio stations – to credible pieces of investigative journalism.  Through this exposure, a greater segment of the public will learn that they have a right and, indeed, a civic duty to speak out on issues of fraud and corruption in their communities.  

Perhaps the most famous recognition of how a democracy relies on whistleblowers was Time Magazine’s selection of three Persons of the Year in 2002; three women Time called simply, “The Whistleblowers”: Cynthia Cooper, Sherron Watkins and Colleen Rowley. 

The caption under their cover-page photograph on the magazine read, "They took huge professional and personal risks to blow the whistle on what went wrong at WorldCom, Enron and the FBI – and in so doing, helped remind us what American courage and American values are all about.”

Yet, the story reveals that all three women suffered reprisals.  And they were not admired universally in American society.  Thus, one of the greatest challenges in the fight for truth anywhere is the stigma attached to whistleblowing.  Think about how scorn is shown to schoolmates who threaten to tell the teacher on someone.  This stigma follows us into our adult lives. 

Because of South Africa’s troubled history that oppressed independent media, I am told that the negative perceptions about whistleblowing have even deeper and more tangled roots than in the U.S.  During the struggle against apartheid, people regarded telling on others as a terrible form of betrayal.  Even we foreigners can recall vividly how alleged informers were silenced in those days. 

Today, South Africa’s communities need to be educated on this issue. Not speaking up, not reporting corruption undermines the people’s own hard-won democracy.  Corruption stunts every community’s economic development.  So everyone must learn that each and every citizen has a duty to report fraud and corruption wherever and whenever it is witnessed. 

Who must take the lead in changing public attitudes?  All of us.  The media could guide the process to change public perceptions about whistleblowing.  The press is pivotal and can help de-stigmatize the need to shed light on corrupt people and practices.  That is the opposite of keeping things hidden.  

In closing, let me say that USAID is excited that Idasa, Rhodes and WITS universities are partners in our program that brings investigative journalism training to this country.  Our colleagues at the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section have enjoyed good relations with Professor Guy Burger and this fine university for many years.  USAID is fortunate to be able to build on such a solid foundation.  We have every confidence that the important fight against corruption through professional investigative journalism training will succeed.  We believe this program will be a success that can be shared with other countries in Africa and throughout the entire world.

Thank you.

For further information, please contact Reverie Zurba at (012) 452 2000