This past Thursday our group of 15 were invited to hear Anas Aremeyaw Anas at Webster University in Ghana at the Reimagine GH 2018: Stories, Standards, and Struggle Media Summit. If you aren’t already aware, Anas is very influential and controversial not only here in Ghana, but all around the world. He is an investigative journalist who creates documentaries exposing corruption. His company, Tiger Eye, works together to expose the truth with hidden cameras, catching people in the act of dishonesty. In order to acquire this hidden information, Anas wears a disguise of beads over his face to conceal his identity and act as a protection. The main topic of conversation was ethics behind investigative journalism and creating context for it.

We are lucky enough to have one of our colleagues on the trip work for Tiger Eye and show us Anas’ most recent documentary about the corruption of soccer. We were able to gain insight before we came on Thursday. I think most people are aware of the immorality that goes on amidst large corporations, but this documentary exemplifies how far it gets taken. SO much goes on behind closed doors; the amount of bribery is almost second nature to the structure of the sport now.

Anas was asked questions mostly about the preparation him and his team does before they start trying to catch people in the act. This is the apparent line that makes investigative journalism ethical. As a crowd we were informed of how we need context in order to know if a form of journalism is ethical or not.

What I found to stick with me most was the passion Anas had for his country. He spoke to the idea that if we’re not willing to stand up and make a change to move forward as a country, who will? He suggested that many people in Ghana are scared to stand up for what’s right and choose to be ignorant to the corruption all around us. The mentality is ‘If we aren’t fighting, we’re contributing to the problems.’ The stories he has uncovered makes him question his values and what he believes to be ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ I left wondering how I want to move forward with how I approach tragedy and corruption in America instead of choosing to stay on the sideline of discussion.

Anas gives a voice to the voiceless, which is what I believe journalism is all about.