“Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water”: Power Dynamics in Transnational Collaborative Investigative Journalism

The article examines power imbalances in global collaborative investigative journalism networks that connect journalists from the Global South and North. These collaborations are praised for promoting global transparency and holding elites accountable, yet the power dynamics within them remain underexplored. Drawing on in-depth interviews with investigative journalists across Africa, the article examines how unequal power relations manifest and what factors drive them. Two key factors are identified: the challenging conditions of African newsroom infrastructures and the continued practice of “parachute journalism” by Global North newsrooms during global collaborations. The absence of an inclusive global journalism structure governing these networks exacerbates these imbalances, often leaving African journalists in subordinate roles. The paper contributes to the growing literature on transnational collaborative journalism, highlighting the need for more equitable structures in these global networks.