THE investigative journalist, Shinovene Immanuel, (29) is one of the new members of the prestigious International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
The Washington-based consortium is a news organisation which has collaborations with over 190 investigative journalists from more than 60 countries.
Immanuel, who heads investigative unit, was chosen with 24 others from across the world. He is one of the three journalists from Africa. The other two are from Niger and Algeria.
The Namibian’s investigative unit was part of the ICIJ and Süddeutsche Zeitung’s network which reported on the leaked Panama Papers that uncovered the massive tax evasion and fraud activities by leaders and business people last year.
Immanuel yesterday welcomed the membership, saying it will open doors for better stories through collaboration. The 29-year-old scribe said he did not expect to get chosen, and expressed gratitude to The Namibian and others who worked with him.
“It is a victory for all of us,” said Immanuel, advising all aspiring investigative journalists to get to know the basics first, and to exercise perseverance when doing stories. Immanuel also spoke about challenges that investigative journalists face in Namibia, such as funding, which he said can be useful to pay for expert services such as lawyers’ fees.
He added that it is hard to convince people to talk because, at times, they are connected to one another since Namibia is a country with a small population.
However, Immanuel reiterated that with good sources and perseverance, journalists can thrive.
One of the long-serving journalists at The Namibian, Conrad Angula, congratulated Immanuel, saying this is an example of the fruits of hard work.
“It is the first time that we have this unit. This is not to say that there have never been others who did such stories in the past. It is only that things are being done differently now,” he noted.
Angula, the head of international news and SMSes, expressed the hope that other young journalists will emulate Immanuel.
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