Deadline: February 15, 2020
The application process is now open for the third edition of the Paradigm Initiative Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship.
The Paradigm Initiative Digital Rights and Digital Inclusion Media Fellowship 2020 seeks to embed media professionals within the daily work of Paradigm Initiative in the fields of digital rights and digital inclusion in Africa.
Starting from April 2020, Media Fellows will work out of our offices in Nigeria (Lagos, Aba, Abuja and Kano), and will get a chance to work with our teams in Yaoundé (Cameroon), Lusaka (Zambia), Democratic Republic of Congo , and Accra (Ghana).
The fellowship seeks to expose media professionals to an underreported field of work in national / regional development and hopes to increase reporting on digital rights and inclusion in Africa. Selected media professionals must be available to travel to Nigeria for two weeks (2) in April and May 2020 and also available for four (4) months virtual collaboration (April 2020 to August 2020).
Paradigm Initiative’s Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship is a 5-month program designed to immerse outstanding mid-career journalists in digital rights and digital inclusion advocacy – and intervention efforts – in Africa. Selected journalists will work with Paradigm Initiative on various projects and contribute to improving public understanding of digital rights and inclusion issues in Africa.
Components of the fellowship:
- Fully-funded trip to attend the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) in Abuja, Nigeria, in April 2020.
- Digital Rights / Inclusion training at the Paradigm Initiative headquarters in Lagos (Nigeria), in addition to communication with team members from other offices in Africa.
- Fully-funded 2-week residency program to visit Paradigm Initiative offices in Nigeria (Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Aba).
- 4-month virtual training and collaboration with Paradigm Initiative and partners.
- Fellowship may also include fully-funded local and international travels to participate in and cover relevant events related to Digital Rights and Inclusion.
- Interaction with leading stakeholders in digital rights advocacy.
- Paradigm Initiative will provide fellows with a monthly stipend, and a one-time research grant, during the fellowship period.
Expectations:
- Fellows will be expected to participate in all scheduled activities.
- Fellows will be expected to publish, in their affiliated media (Print, TV, Radio, Online), at least 15 reports on digital rights and inclusion issues during the fellowship period. Fellows will retain full editorial direction on the stories.
- Fellows will be expected to continue to provide coverage to digital rights and inclusion issues after their fellowship.
Eligibilities/Requirements:
- The Fellowship is open to journalists affiliated with mainstream print and online newspapers in Africa.
- Interested candidates must demonstrate previous coverage of human rights and / or tech issues and interest in advocacy journalism.
- Interested candidates must not have spent more than ten years in journalism. We are most interested in outstanding, early career journalists.
