This post is part of our special coverage WikiLeaks and the World. Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of SaharaReporters (SR), described as Africa's Wikileaks, needs no introduction in the Nigeria's public sphere. Sahara Reporters is an online community made up of “citizens reporting the news and writing reports without barriers, oblivious of borders and regardless of frontiers“. The consistency and temerity with which SR has exposed corrupt public officials in Nigeria has earned this online medium a legendary stature in the country. By clipping down the gate keepers and allowing air into the public domain, Sowore's SR has and continues to, unmask the big masquerade that milks the common good of one of Africa's largest nation. Global Voices Online: What is SaharaReporters and how did it start? Omoyele Sowore: SaharaReporters was created to be liberating tool for communities under siege from tyranny and oppression. By asking citizens to “report themselves,” our idea was to create both a news platform and, more importantly, a media movement making use of a wide range of technological innovations in order to freely exchange information – especially information that liberates and expands our democratic space. This concept of SaharaReporters was many years in the making. It was formally established in 2006. Omoyele Sowore (Photo credit: chatafrikarticles) GV: With your background, no one should be startled with the whistle blowing status of Saharareporters. Nonetheless, one cannot but ask what pushes you to remain consistent with this great but also perilous job? OS: I started down this path at the tender age of 10. Since that time, I have faced many dangers and death threats, but the greater threat in my opinion is to leave our societies in the hands of unscrupulous individuals who run our nation states into ruin. The fact that our simple demands for decent conditions of living and civil rights are met by state-sponsored threats and orchestrated violence makes clear why things can’t continue the way they are. GV: How does SaharaReporters recruit citizen reporters? OS: Over the years, we have built a relationship based on values and conviction with citizens in the trenches, on the streets and the frontlines who, often at personal risk to themselves, share news tips, photos, videos, documents and other items that would be censored or ignored in the government-approved news media. In hopes for a better and safer society, they step forward to give their time, resources and energy to report for SaharaReporters. These great “citizen reporters” come forward not looking for pay but to be part of a new media voice that cannot be muscled, compromised or intimidated. GV: How do you sift out the truth from the numerous inputs you get from your ‘citizen reporters’? OS: We have published close to 5,000 reports since 2006 – which we closely read, critically checked and double checked. The new thing we bring to the table is evidence-based reporting. Often, our reports are based on raw evidence, sometimes highly sensitive evidence. These stories are read and checked by “citizen verifiers” and citizen editors; the next stage is citizen publishers. GV: Has SaharaReporters or its journalists been in trouble with the government? Have they received death threats or any other forms of intimidation? OS: It is hardly a surprise that intimidation, threats and harassment come with the territory of our work. We tend not to pay attention. In their efforts to silence or intimidate critics, government created a “security threat” list at all points of entry and exit in Nigeria and placed our names at the top of the list. When Mr. Goodluck Jonathan came to power, his aides approached me to ask that we apply to have our names removed from the list. Our response was simple – whoever put our names there, could just as easily have the names removed. I told the contact I knew we would soon be back on the list so long as we kept up our corruption exposés. They have bombarded our network, trying to bring it down with denial of service attacks. Punitive libel lawsuits have been filed against us – quietly encouraged and sponsored by Nigerian officials in the US. Two such suits are still pending with a combined value of $75 million in damages sought by two lawyers involved with Nigerian embassy real estate deals in New York, Maryland and Washington DC. GV: What do you think is the future for online investigative journalism in Africa? OS: Online journalism will thrive because it affords anonymity and safety from the risks and dangers faced by regular journalists. However, its success over the long term will depend on the level of commitment of the news practitioners and the support from the community. The Internet alone is not a sufficient force for change.