Giving Compass' Take:

• Patrick Egwu summarizes a donor-funded experiment on Nigerian anti-corruption reporting and how it could establish a model for other nations.

• What are the possible worldwide implications of the results of this journalism experiment? The journalistic endeavor -- and others like it -- required hefty donations. What can you do to help support the movement to end corruption?

• Learn more about improving anti-corruption policies around the world.

An extraordinary experiment is going on in Nigeria, one of the world’s most notoriously corrupt countries: since 2016, a US-based foundation has invested nearly $67 million in investigative journalism, transparency, and good governance, with the intent of building a culture of accountability that could serve as a model for other corrupt states.

Given how deep-seated corruption is in the country, it is perhaps too much to think that a single foundation can change how business and politics are conducted there. “We know that we are not going to change Nigeria totally,” said Kole Shettima, director of the MacArthur Foundation’s Nigeria-based Africa office. “But we believe that we can make significant contributions in the lives of Nigerians by supporting investigative journalism.”

“We will all be watching this project with great interest, since an investment of this scope could be a game-changer,” said Ellen Hume, an expert on international media development who has conducted case studies and assessments of media organizations around the world. “At a minimum, the Nigeria project should offer multiple lessons for future media development and anti-corruption efforts.”

The report did find evidence of progress. Media monitoring data showed that the proportions of corruption-related content in online sources increased from 22% in 2016 to 35% in 2018. “Grantees have been instrumental in building media capacity to conduct data-driven reporting on corruption and anti-corruption, both for quantity and quality,” the report said. “Emerging evidence indicates that government is visibly responding to media corruption coverage, sometimes by addressing the issue and sometimes by skirting it.”

Overall, the evaluation was cautious but encouraging: “In its first couple of years, On Nigeria has laid a strong foundation to contribute to the long-term achievement of reduced corruption in Nigeria, but more time will be needed to see results.”

Read the full article about Nigerian anti-corruption reporting by Patrick Egwu at Global Investigative Journalism Network.