The International Center for Journalists seeks outstanding applicants with a strong background in digital journalism for a six-month fellowship.
The Fellow will work with Arab Reporters For Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), the leading organization supporting investigative journalists around the region. With ARIJ, the Fellow will help selected ARIJ member newsrooms in the region to enhance their use of digital technology and adopt new workflows and models that will enable them to be innovative beyond the Fellowship.
Fellowship outputs will include:
- A report that summarizes successes and lessons learned and provides a model for editors hoping to emulate them to marry investigative reporting with digital storytelling after the Fellowship
- A list of recommendations on how to improve digital storytelling at ARIJ after the Fellowship
- A presentation at the ARIJ Forum in December that will draw on lessons learned in Jordan and the region and the potential he/she sees for digital storytelling in MENA
- Regular communication with ICFJ regarding key project impacts, analytics and metrics
- Blog-style posts for the Knight International Media Innovators section of IJNet.org drawn from the Fellows’ thought leadership and lessons learned during the Fellowship
To achieve success in this role, it is essential that the Fellow brings a vision for how to achieve success and be able to effectively track and explain that success to partners and ICFJ. The Fellow must be able to demonstrate a knack for making stories compelling and engaging to audiences using the latest innovative storytelling methods and digital tools. The Fellow must also be a strong communicator and mentor, enabling him/her to forge effective collaborations with staff at different levels of newsrooms to help them set up any structures needed, lead regular in-newsroom training sessions and guide them through news projects in which they adopt these new approaches and are able to continue without the help of the Fellow.
Additional requirements:
- Experience and ability to travel within the target region
- Hands-on experience in setting up digital media platforms, landing pages, data visualization, front-end web development and UX/UI is preferred
- Links to three digital stories he/she worked on directly that offer evidence of qualification for the Fellowship (please include in the application)
- Fluency in Arabic is highly desired, but not required
- Professional proficiency in English is required
This Fellowship offers several additional opportunities for the Fellow:
- Gaining greater visibility as a leader of cutting-edge projects that transform journalism, which includes promotion through ICFJ’s online channels such as IJNet.org and opportunities to speak at major conferences
- Joining the prestigious global network of ICFJ Knight Fellows
- Bolstering his/her entrepreneurial and leadership expertise
The Fellowship will be based in Amman, Jordan, with some travel to other countries in the region, most likely Tunisia and Lebanon. This Fellowship may be extended beyond six months contingent upon funding, performance of the Fellow and opportunities for greater impact.
WHERE DO FELLOWS WORK?
They work in Latin America/Caribbean, Central Europe/Eurasia, Asia/Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. We target countries where there is an opportunity to produce measurable outcomes.
WHAT DO FELLOWS DO?
During the one-year Fellowship, Fellows focus on one or more of the four target portfolios – mobile, data, social media/networks and multimedia storytelling. ICFJ expects Fellows to work on multiple, complementary projects. For example, in Latin America, a Fellow is:
- Launching a Media Factory to seed new, online media outlets
- Expanding Hacks/Hackers across Latin America to inspire the adoption and creation of news apps and build connections among journalists, designers, and developers. The goal: to improve the quality of media and engage audiences
- Implementing data bootcamps across the continent
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A FELLOW?
Fellow candidates must have the experience and skills necessary to lead these projects, and be able to act as a thought leader for broader influence on media. Typical qualifications:
- Experience working in newsrooms
- Experience creating digital- and/or mobile-news media content and strategy
- Experience managing digital production and innovation teams, while working to tight deadlines
- Experience incorporating the use of social media and/or data in news media
- Experience measuring results, such as the impact of content, adoption of technology and audience engagement
- Success at replicating, adapting and creating technologies to answer local needs
- Strong leadership skills
- Ability to communicate program results as a speaker, blogger
- Strong project- and time-management skills
- Experience in the target region
- Fluency (speaking, reading and writing) in the local language of the target country/region
- Training or coaching experience
IS THERE A DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS?
Applications are accepted throughout the year unless otherwise specified in Fellowship openings.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.