Saleck Zeid is a broadcast investigative journalist from Mauritania. He is director of Taqassy.org, the first media organization in Mauritania that focuses on investigative work and in-depth reports, and hosts a show on Al Barlemania TV.

1.What inspired you to become a journalist?

When I was young, I questioned why my mother listened to the radio a lot and brought the newspapers from the city. At the time, in our small village, we had no television or internet. Her passion for educating herself through journalism inspired me and made me examine the value of journalism in our lives. As a young person belonging to a community of ex-slaves, I thought if I became a journalist I could be a voice for the voiceless and make our stories heard in a community that wished to ignore them. All of these things made me take the decision and go for my dream and change the lives and situations of people in my community.

2. What has been your experience as a journalist in Mauritania?

I started my career in 2013. During this time I have worked with different international media outlets, among them: the BBC, DW Arabic, Al Jazeera and Vice Arabic. I have written and produced reports about politics, human rights, corruption, etc. Two of my reports gained awards as the best investigative films in the ARIJ forum in Amman- Jordan in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

3. What is one story you worked that has had a lasting impact on you?

I was part of the worldwide Pandora Papers project, investigating tax evasion and corruption in Mauritania. It was the first time that I wrote about powerful businessmen in the country. But what had a big impact on me happened months after we published the stories. First, their parents attacked me on social media and unfortunately among these people there were some journalists. Second, they offered money, a lot of money, in order to delete the stories, especially the English versions. They said that Mauritanians will not notice that because they do not read English. At the same time, they said these stories made them lose some contracts with international companies and even made their relations bad with the banks abroad. This experience was so difficult for me physically and mentally.

4. What has been a career-defining moment for you?

It was the moment that I took a flight to Hamburg, Germany in order to participate in GIJN’s Global Investigative Journalism Conference in 2019. I built a wide network with international journalists and leant new skills during the training sessions. This conference was the first step to another level and I was the first and the only journalist from Mauritania that got the opportunity to participate.

5. What issues do you still want to investigate?

I have many ideas I’d still like to work on, such as immigration, human trafficking, drug dealing and corruption. For these reasons, I have started a new media project called “Taqassy” which In English means the investigator. Taqassy.org is the first media platform in the country that will focus on investigative journalism.

6. How would you describe the media landscape in your country?

The media landscape in Mauritania needs more professionals in storytelling and investigative journalism. It is true that we have some journalists that have the required skills and experience, but they need funds and support in order to produce powerful stories. We have good freedom of expression and that is helpful for all journalists to do their work.

7. What are the challenges that you have encountered as an investigative journalist?

 The challenges are related to reaching the information and evidence that can help me work on some important stories. Moreover, there are some people who do not believe in journalists anymore because of bloggers and the wide spread of fake news. People want to hear and read what they want, regardless of whether the information is true or not. Also they want fast news more than deep reports and investigations.

8. What has been the most rewarding part of your job?

 The most rewarding part of my job is the respect that I see in the eyes of normal people in the streets, and the positive feedback I read on social media. This respect and love is incredibly rewarding and I appreciate it a lot.

9. How have you dealt with personal attacks, harassment, and general distrust of your work?

 I have faced many attacks and harassment on social media because of my reports or my writing about social or political topics. Last year I wrote about a general who was a director of police in Mauritania. He tried to place his son as a member of parliament but had no right or mandate to do so. When I wrote about him, many people attacked my wife and I, and said many bad things about us in order to make me stop writing. This is just an example. But I have resilience to stand in front of these attacks.

10. What advice would you give to the younger generation of journalists coming up in your region?

They should be brave in order to thrive in the field of journalism, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t fear danger. They should look after themselves and know when to take mental health breaks, or a safe place to go if things get too dangerous. Moreover, they should build good experience and enhance their skills every time they get the opportunity.

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