Democracy Deferred: A Reporter's Guide For Investigating Elections

In this guide, the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) takes readers inside the making of Democracy Deferred, a cross-border investigation into Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.

Drawing from real newsroom experiences, the book documents how journalists and data experts collected, analyzed, and verified election data and how they navigated the challenges of fieldwork, legal barriers, and misinformation.

Part methodology, part field manual, Democracy Deferred offers practical lessons for reporters, editors, and media professionals planning to cover elections across Africa. It’s a transparent look at how evidence-based journalism can strengthen democracy; one investigation at a time.