Journalists  were yesterday advised to cover corruption related stories with integrity, objectivity and balance. on fighting corruption.

The call was made by the Minister of Information, Louise Mushikiwabo during the closing ceremony of three-day training at Alpha Palace Hotel in

Mushikiwabo said that it would be a ‘big’ mistake if cases of corruption can occur and remain unreported by the media.

She, however, added that her impression on the way several Rwandan media cover stories on corruption is that journalists make a professional mistake of taking sides and sometimes publish information that is not well researched.

"You need to work with integrity. A journalist is not a person who speaks for one side,” she told an estimated 80 journalists attracted by the training.

She said that if journalists increase the momentum of reporting on cases of corruption, they will contribute to its uprooting because it will be a means of denouncing the culture of corruption.

"You are the eye of the people…I want to tell you that the aim of gathering information on corruption and publishing the findings is to uproot the culture,” she advised.

While officiating at the start of the training on Monday, the Ombudsman, Tito Rutaremara, had told journalists that they are a ‘power tool’ in the anti-corruption fight, urging them to pay more efforts in the process.

"Let us work hard so that the will to fight corruption reaches everyone, especially local leaders,” he urged the journalists.

The training which was organised by the Ombudsman’s office trained journalists on communication techniques in the prevention and fight against corruption, their role in increasing anti-corruption awareness, and tips on how to cover corruption related stories.

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