Wikimedia ZA at AIJC 2022

Wikimedia South Africa (WMZA) board members have participated in the 18th African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC2022) held in Johannesburg, Wits University from 18th to 20th May 2022.

The conference provided a platform for journalists and media practitioners to collaborate and share best practices. AIJC2022 was attended by more than 2000 journalists, academics, media owners and other stakeholders from across the continent.

The conference was a great opportunity for WMZA board members to contribute to the African media landscape by engaging in important discussions around media freedom, investigative journalism, and the role of technology in media production.

Dumisani Ndubane, Bobby Shabangu, Nobantu Modise and Faoud Asfour who represented the Chapter had the opportunity to participate in a panel and workshop at the conference, highlighting the importance of open source and free content in the media landscape. The speakers discussed the challenges facing African media, the need for investigative journalism to be conducted in the most ethical and responsible manner, and the need for digital media to be used to ensure the safety of journalists and media practitioners, the role of Wikipedia to hold government accountable by codifying ministers profiles and government's decisions.

At the conference, WMZA board members also had the opportunity to network and build relationships with media stakeholders from across the continent. These connections are important for WMZA’s mission to promote the use of open source and free content in media production.

Overall, the 18th African Investigative Journalism Conference was a successful event for WMZA board members. It provided a platform to discuss and share best practices, network and build relationships, and make important contributions to the African media landscape.