Critical, independent and investigative media is the lifeblood of any democracy – Nelson Mandela, 1992

There is a long tradition of investigative journalism in South Africa. Drum magazine exposed prison and farm labour conditions in the 1950s, the Rand Daily Mail exposed prison conditions in the 1960s, with the Sunday Express they exposed the Info scandal in the late 1970s, in the 1990s Vrye Weekblad exposed government hit squads and the Weekly Mail exposed Inkathagate. More recently there have been exposures of corruption, the arms deal and the activities of the Minister of Health.

Wits Journalism aims to keep alive the fine tradition of South African journalism which probes, questions and exposes what those in authority want hidden.

Courses

There are two options for study – an MA or Certificate Course.

Investigative journalism is now an option on the MA in Journalism. The Masters consists of four modules: all students take the core course Media in Society. Those taking the investigative journalism option will take a course in essential investigative skills, including advanced internet research and computer-assisted reporting, forensic accounting and access to information legislation. The course will cover ethics and the history of investigative journalism in South Africa.

This course can also be completed as a stand-alone Certificate Course.

Read the course outline in full.

Power Reporting: The African Investigative Journalism Conference

An intensive three-day investigative journalism workshop is held in late October early November each year, with key speakers from around the globe and experienced journalists teaching investigative skills. Keynote speakers have included Andrew Jennings, Gunther Wallraf, Brant Houston, Sheila Coronel. Sainath Palagummi and Stephen Grey.

The Wits Justice Project

The Wits Justice Project will bring together journalism and law students to investigative the plight of people in prison without trial and those wrongly convicted.

Thousands of people are trapped in South Africa's prisons while awaiting trial, many of them for years. Yet over a third of these people will eventually be acquitted of any crime.

Together with its partners the Wits Law Clinic, the Legal Resources Centre, the Julia Mashele Trust and the Innocence Project based at North Western University in the United States, the Wits Justice Project has undertaken to scrutinize this aspect of the criminal justice system in South Africa.

The director is Jeremy Gordin. The Project is funded by The Valley Trust.

Fellowships, grants and awards

With the support of The Valley Trust Wits Journalism administers the annual Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism. The winners of the 2010 Award are Mzilikazi wa Afriaka and Stephan Hofstatter of the Sunday Times for their investigation into “The Police Commissioner and the SAPS lease”.

The Trust's generosity also makes R350 000 available each year under the Taco Kuiper grant scheme, to finance investigative projects which would not otherwise get into print.

Contacts

For more information about course content, Power Reporting and the Taco Kuiper Award and Grants email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For information about registration, fees and course dates contact Judi at 011 717 4028 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Partners

The Wits Journalism Programme and the Investigative Journalism Workshop work together with:

The Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR)
The Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ)
The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
The Valley Trust
The Centre for Investigative Journalism, UK (CIJ)
Investigative Reporters and Editors, USA (IRE)
The Ford Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS)