Are you a journalist interested in exploring the profound impact of conflict and war on media and journalism in the MENA region? 

Free Press Unlimited (FPU), in collaboration with Maharat Foundation, is launching a fellowship program on "The Impact of Conflict and War on Media and Journalism in the MENA."

20 Arab journalists will be selected covering the MENA region including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

Overall context:

Free Press Unlimited (FPU) is implementing a programme called “Core Support for Independent Media in the Southern Neighbourhood” with the support of the European Union from 2021 to 2026. The main objective of this programme is to provide comprehensive bespoke core support to pluralism, independence, and resilience of the media sector in the Southern Neighbourhood to withstand existing threats. The overall strategy of the programme aims to:

- Objective 1: improving sector capacities to safely produce and share more high-quality content within and outside the Southern Neighbourhood

- Objective 2: improving business viability and resilience among the independent media outlets in the Southern Neighbourhood.

- Objective 3: strengthening existing regional networks to more efficiently convene communities of practice in the Southern Neighbourhood.

Fellowship Objectives:

The fellowship program aims at fostering exchange among interested journalists on "The Impact of Conflict and War on Media and Journalism in the MENA" and supporting the production of one  opinion article per applicant, in two different multimedia formats (article and podcast or video), on current or past conflicts in the region, while showing promising documentation of their experiences and analyzing the impact of conflict and war on media and journalism in the MENA.

The fellowship program includes:

* Online exchange program on the topics below:

- Terminologies in times of conflict 

- Internal policies of media institutions: social media expression 

- Monitoring of journalists: to which extent is it allowed

- Impunity

- Sources in times of conflict

- Protection local/international

- Responsibility and limits of reporting in times of conflict

- Humanization during the conflict...what are the standards?

* Production of creative comprehensive journalistic stories/ opinion articles, provided with mentorship.

* Opportunity to participate in a community of practice event to share experiences, best practices and lessons learnt among the fellows.

Who can apply?

Individual journalists working in international or local media agencies, including mainstream media, digital media, media startups, non-profit, and for-profit media organizations, as well as freelancers.

Application Requirements:

Eligible individuals must fulfill the following criteria:

- Being a journalist or a graduate in journalism

- Being from one of the following countries or working from abroad but targeting the following countries: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia

- Willing to comply with core journalism principles (fact-based, accurate, independent, fair, impartial, accountable, etc.)

- Having at least basic  technical capacities and experience in podcast or video production

- Proving commitment from one or several media outlets - from one of the 8 listed countries -  to publish their content (article and podcast or article and video).

- An interest in covering issues related to conflict and war impacts in the MENA region

- The ability to commit to the entire duration of the fellowship and production period.

Financial support:

A  production fee of 500 euros  will be provided for the production of a journalistic story /opinion article covering aspects of the exchange program under the mentorship of Maharat Foundation trainers. At the end of the programme, all the productions will be evaluated by a jury and the 6 best stories will be awarded (1,000 euros)

Evaluation procedure:

Evaluation of successful candidates will be based on motivation, relevance of applicant’s story in line with the topic, reach and impact of applicant’s issue/story, approach to core journalism principles. Additionally, the jury will also look to ensure gender balance, and balance across target countries, and proposed story themes.

A total of 20 fellows will be selected.

Duration of the fellowship:

The fellowship program will run for six months, starting in September 2024 and ending in March 2025.

Application Deadline:

August 25, 2024 

How to Apply:

Submit your applications, including CV and motivation letter, which explains the specific reason for applying, the topic you want to address and the story you propose to write, how it fits with the fellowship programme.

You must also include a proving commitment from one or several media outlets to publish (commitment letter).

Applications can be submitted in Arabic, English or French, through the Google Form link by clicking here.

Note: The Google Form must be filled out with all necessary information and required documents.