Deadline 30th April 2022

Be an AU Media Fellow

Are you an African journalist, blogger, vlogger, content creator, or podcaster living and working in Africa or the diaspora? Are you passionate about promoting development-focused stories using emerging technologies, and through visual, written, oral and digital media? Apply for the inaugural African Union Media Fellowship.

Background

As information gatekeepers, the media plays a role in ensuring checks and balances between those in power and their citizens. The full representation paints a fuller picture of our world. The media is essential in shaping how we learn, experience and perceive the world around us through stories, images, words, and motion pictures.

Empowering the Newsroom, empowers citizens.

As Africa moves into the 4^th industrial revolution, with emerging technologies, African storytellers are now challenged to think of how to deploy new media technologies for citizen engagement to address the changing communications landscape. To ensure Africa remains in the race with the rest of the world, and benefit from digital transformation, the African Union (AU) Information and Communication Directorate has joined forces with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) AU office to create the AU Media Fellowship. The Fellowship brings together innovation and creativity to present under-reported stories that break-down stereotypes and create new narratives for the Africa We Want.

The objectives of the AU Media Fellowship is to:

1. Train and build the capacity of journalists and/or content creators, to leverage creativity and innovation within the continent;
2. Build capacity around innovative and transformative tools in journalism and media; and
3. Create a platform for journalists to network and share best practices on the future of journalism

The Fellowship programme will kick-off with a study tour and capacity building workshops. The 20 selected fellows will benefit from direct access to various African Union leadership, and have the opportunity for on-the-ground reporting on the AU’s work around the Agenda 2063 strategic aspirations.

Fellowship Programme:

• The Fellowship is 12 months in duration and will begin in June 2022 with an international study trip to Germany to the “Global Media Forum”.
• The Fellows confirm with their application that they are available for an international study trip to Germany between June 15 – July 1 2022.
• Applicants must be able to devote time to the project if awarded a Fellowship.
• Fellows must be available for all training sessions indicated and must be able to work on assignments in between training blocks.
• The Fellows confirm availability for a 1-week training block in December 2022
• The Fellows confirm availability for a 1-week training block in April 2023.

Who Qualifies

• The AU Media Fellowship is open to journalists, bloggers, vloggers, content creators, and podcasters living on the continent or the diaspora.
• Fellows must be actively involved in innovative media either as a journalist or related field of work for at least three years with a demonstrable impact-driven track record.
• All applicants for the AU Media Fellowship must be working journalists with at least three years of full-time, professional journalism experience or in a related field. Internships and journalism-related work completed as a university student do not count as professional experience.
• Applicants may be affiliated or freelance journalists. However, all applicants must provide a reference letter or endorsement from a senior editor.
• Applicants must speak, read, and write English fluently in order to fully participate in and benefit from the Fellowship.
• With their application, the Fellows confirm willingness to report on African Union events and themes, as well as availability to be interviewed about the fellowship by international partners.
• The Fellows confirm willingness to participate in events and workshops for duration of the fellowship.
• Fellows must be able to travel to Berlin June 2022 and meet all criteria for eligibility for a Schengen Visa in their country, including but not limited to:
  • Having a valid passport at least until December 2022
  • Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 ( Find out more details on the website of the German Embassy in your country.)
  • We will provide you with the necessary documents needed for your visa application. You will be responsible for acquiring the visa.
  • All travel costs will be reimbursed and covered by us.

Application instructions

Please read the instructions carefully as we will not consider incomplete applications.

Applications should consist of: -

• Resume: Please use a standard format (no picture, religion or marital status).
• Coverletter: A one-page document outlining your motivation, qualifications, and experience.
• Proposal: Please include the following three sections:
  • Story proposals: Please include a short description of the stories you plan to cover (about 200 words each), and whom you plan to contact for interviews.
  • Publication plan: Specify your plan for publication (language and target publication).
  • Social media: Briefly explain how you plan to engage with the African Union Commission in the course of the fellowship.
  • Work samples: Please submit two work samples. If your work samples are in other forms of media (e.g. video) please email us and we will accommodate these requests.

Call for applications for the Fellowship open on 15 April, 2022, with a deadline in 30 April, 2022.

Source * https://au.int/en/newsevents/20220418/call-applications-open-inaugural-au-media-fellowship

Email your submission here: aumediafellowship@gmail.com