USAID increases citizens’ access to high-quality, fact-based investigative reports on corruption to increase public access to and demand for anti-corruption initiatives and reforms required for Euro-Atlantic integration. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) suffers from widespread public corruption in all aspects of government and society. Local NGOs and media are involved in fighting corruption and developing their ability to monitor, investigate, and report on it. Yet most citizens seem unwilling to engage personally in anti-corruption activities because of the lack of political and civil rights and fear of repercussions.

USAID ASSISTANCE

USAID’s Investigative Journalism project provides direct financial support to independent media outlets to produce high-quality, fact-based investigative reports on public corruption to increase the public’s awareness and unacceptance of corruption. 

IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPECTED RESULTS

USAID’s implementing partner for this five-year, $2.5 million project is the Center for Media Development and Research. This project will provide financial support to successful investigative web portals and provide subawards to select online media outlets to report on corrupt activities.

The goals of this project and the activities for achieving them are below:

• Expand the network of media outlets and journalists dedicated to investigative reporting on corruption. USAID will search for new local media outlets interested in investigative journalism and provide direct financial support for their activities.
• Increase the quantity and quality of investigative reporting on corruption in selected sectors.
• Increase public awareness and engagement on corruption cases by improving citizens’ access to accurate information about corruption in these select sectors.
• Provide legal assistance for media outlets and journalists for politically motivated defamation lawsuits. 

To ensure its success, this project will:

• Collaborate with other USAID anti-corruption activities in the justice sector, e-governance, and the rule of law. This project will collaborate closely with USAID’s project, Assistance to Citizens in the Fight Against Corruption, to streamline high-quality reporting that can strengthen both the journalists’ expertise in sector areas as well as the CSOs’ visibility in advocacy processes relevant to anti-corruption.
• Emphasize delivery of positive, informative anti-corruption content through media reporting.