Natural resource extraction industries make billions of dollars each year. And where there is big money, there is corruption — plus mines can have a destructive impact on the environment and on communities. Leonie Kijewski rounded up top resources and tips for reporting on the extractive industries around the globe for GIJN.
The extractives sector (oil, gas, and mining) continues to be an important subject for journalists, particularly in developing countries. Revenues from oil, gas and mining contribute substantially to GDP and in many cases make up the bulk of government revenue. Indeed, among 29 nations that in 2011 were implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), 10 reported extractives revenues totaling over one-quarter of their respective government budgets (six of which were actually over 50%).
