DW Akademie Fellowship for Investigative Journalism in East Africa (4.000 EUR grant)

The DW Akademie investigative fellowship program aims to support the research and reporting project on digital challenges as well as on concrete solution-based approaches, and therefore offers financial support for implementing relevant in-depth stories. Journalists will have the opportunity to learn more about current digital threats and foster professional media networks in the East African region with reporters, editors, data experts and scientists pursuing similar thematic projects. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• The applicant should have proven qualification as an investigative journalist, in-depth knowledge of publishing about digital threats and at least five years of professional experience as a media practitioner. Furthermore, he/she should have excellent analytical skills, mastering attention to detail and have effective communication skills, both written and oral. He/she should be willing to work closely together with the mentor and speak fluent English. 
• In addition, the applicant should have a valid passport and can travel to Kenya. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by DW Akademie. 

Details

• 15 investigative journalists from East African countries (including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan), and journalists from the region living in exile in East African countries, will be selected from applicants who offer the best pitches for an in-depth journalistic media product on digital threats.
• After the selection process has been finalized, the research fellows will be invited to the kick-off event in Nairobi/Kenya at the end of June 2024. 
• The duration of the fellowship will be from July to middle of November 2024. In total, each fellow will receive 4.000 EUR for producing one investigative story by the end of the scholarship period.
• The fellows will publish the stories in the media they work for. Throughout the programme, mentors will guide them during the planning -, research – and production phase of their media work. In addition, they will have access to the knowledge and the analyses of social media data provided by a group of digital experts who belong to an interdisciplinary network on combating disinformation in East Africa. 
• All research fellows are invited to the online closing event in November 2024. Some of the final in-depth stories will be published in Deutsche Welle channels for international exposure. 

Application Process: 

Qualified candidates are kindly requested to submit: 

(1) ONE PDF file with: (a) up-to-date Curriculum Vitae, and 

(b) motivation letter (max. 500 words), and 

(c) one reference letter, and 

(2) completed online survey, incl. story pitch and links to selected investigative work samples, see link here: https://forms.office.com/e/0BpR0vqemF?origin=lprLink. 

DW Akademie promotes diversity and equal opportunities. We strive for gender parity and particularly encourage women to apply. 

Applications should be addressed to Almuth Schellpeper at the following email address: dw-akademie.kenya@dw.com with the subject line “Fellowship”. 

The submission deadline is 12 May 2024. Only complete applications will be considered. 

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the DW Akademie Fellowship for Investigative Journalism

Deadline: May 12, 2024