Global Integrity - For Journalists

How to Use Global Integrity: A Reporter's Quick Reference

The Global Integrity Index, and the country assessments that make up the Global Integrity Report, can be important tools for journalists to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a country's anti-corruption and public integrity system. There are thousands of potential story leads buried in the vast amount of data and information we gather ranging from investigations of conflict-of-interest regulations, the health and vitality of civil society institutions, and law enforcement accountability.

As a starting point for beginning to use the Index and the Report as the basis for story leads, we've included a number of "jumping off" questions that can help reporters frame the issues for their readers, listeners, or viewers:

When examining a given country scorecard, what are the strengths and weaknesses in a country and how are they different from neighboring countries in the region?
What are the key preconditions for anti-corruption mechanisms to successfully function in a given country? How important are issues of political independence?
How do effective anti-corruption habits and practices within the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government differ within a given country? What can that tell us about where corruption is more or less likely to occur, and does that track with experience in the country?
How do perceptions of corruption in a country differ between international aid experts and the country's own citizens? What can Global Integrity reporting and data do to explain those gaps?
How can a country's various transparency measures – from access to information laws to asset disclosure requirements – be used to advance investigative reporting and uncover cases of corruption? In what ways are those mechanisms lacking in practice in a country or region?
How does the existence (or lack thereof) of transparency and accountability mechanisms provide context to breaking news? Is the current scandal reflecting a systemic weakness in oversight or accountability?