To protect whistle blowers and guarantee the public’s access to relevant information, Premium Times, TheCable, and coalition of media and civil society organisations launched a secure, independent whistle-blowing platform.
The platform named leaks.ng and hosted on a website – https://leaks.ng/ was recently launched on at a Stakeholders Dialogue on Press and Digital Freedom organised by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) in collaboration with the Coalition for Whistleblower Protection and Press Freedom, supported by Free Press Unlimited.
“For the first time, various media organisations in the country can come together and work on investigations being sent to the platform. It’s a great opportunity for collaboration”, Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher/CEO Premium Times Newspaper said at the event.
“This website uses state of the art security software to anonymise your internet connection as you submit files or correspond with reporters. This way your identity is protected both from the reporters who receive the files and from others who might be monitoring or intercepting your communications.
“@Leaks.ng receivers must meet several criteria: excellence in investigative journalism, integrity in content and investigative processes, geographic relevance. Members of the coalition were initially approached with these principles in mind. Others that intend to join the coalition will be vetted by partners in the coalition”, a guide in the site read.
The coalition among others include Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, AFRICMIL, International Centre for Investigative Journalism, (ICIR), Order Papers, Premium Times, PTCIJ, Daily Trust, and Leadership newspaper.
Members of the coalition, among other issues delved on during the event, discussed ways of ensuring that the integrity of the site is not compromised.
