The Power of Citizen Journalists in Remote, Underserved African Communities

What options are available to backwater communities that want to attract government attention or media interest? In Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, some members of such communities were eager to tell their stories about health challenges, environmental degradation and poor infrastructure. But they lacked the skills to do so.   Their break came when the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) built a network of citizen journalists under the Vital Voices for Health project, which trained 60 members of these communities to report issues that affect them.