News outlets have a responsibility to shine a light into society’s criminal recesses

The wheels of justice continue to grind inexorably at the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), with the suspension of five key staff members allegedly involved in dodgy dealings with lottery money. One of them later resigned.

The sordid saga of NLC staffers and board members looting money, which should have been used improving the lives of our country’s disadvantaged people, was revealed through the tenacious reporting of Raymond Joseph of GroundUp.

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He has been acknowledged as the Vodacom Journalist of the Year for his work.

On the way, though, he was subject to intimidation, attempted character smears and a number of legal cases were brought against him and the outlets which carried his reports, including The Citizen.

For investigative journalism to continue to be one of our society’s gatekeepers, it is essential to carry this content.

But, even more important, when the legal attempts at intimidation flow in, we must be prepared to back brave people like Joseph – and our own reporters.

ALSO READ: Millions to be spent to complete abandoned Lottery-funded projects

This is what The Citizen has done, because we believe his reporting was accurate and because we believe that, although a newspaper is a business, it also has a responsibility to shine a light into society’s dark, criminal recesses.