Journalism Fellow Awarded Prestigious Prize for Investigative Work

Photo Credit: Olabisi Popoola / 2018

A journalism fellow from a programme run in collaboration with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the Stanley Foundation and Gerda Henkel Stiftung has been awarded second place at a prestigious journalism awards ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria for his investigative article on farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria and its impact on food security.

Bayo Akinloye, who attended the 2016 Uncovering Security Story Lab in the UK and went on to write the award-winning article under the mentorship of a Thomson Reuters Foundation journalism mentor, received 1 million Naira ($2700) at the 2018 Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award in Lagos this month.

The award recognised the hard work of the This Day journalist, who attended the the three-day Story Lab in the UK and through the programme had the chance to work with an academic working on the same topic in neighbouring Ghana.

“I benefitted from the wealth of experience and knowledge of the researcher, Kaderi Bukari. He provided me with insight into understanding the longstanding issue between farmers and herders in Nigeria and Ghana,” said Akinloye.

Uncovering Security is an annual journalism programme run in collaboration with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the Stanley Foundation and Gerda Henkel Stiftung. The programme aims to bring investigative journalists and academics/researchers together to give journalists and researchers interested in similar security-related topics the opportunity to work together – to learn from each other, to share skills, expertise, resources and contacts. For many at the Story Lab, this is their first experience of working together with professionals from another discipline.

“The Story Lab helped me to see that reporting a story is not solely a journalist’s work,” said Akinloye. “In reporting issues like conflict and climate change, collaborations with researchers will always prove invaluable. Before the programme, I am not sure I would have approached my report in that direction. The training helped me to think differently in the way I approach every story I want to do now; to think in terms of collaboration, especially with researchers who have in-depth knowledge. The experience was wonderful.”

Akinloye’s story on farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria can be read here.

Kaderi Bukari’s research article on the topic is forthcoming in an academic journal.