COVID-19 Crisis Reporting Hub – sub-Saharan Africa at the Thomson Reuters Foundation

The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus sweeping the globe is threatening millions of lives, pressuring health care systems and disrupting economies. Equally relentless is the proliferation of misinformation and a lack of understanding about the potential consequences and impacts of COVID-19, leading to widespread confusion, fear and complicating efforts by governments and organisations to find solutions to the crisis. 

The need for factual, reliable and trusted news and information to confront this dearth and ‘infodemic’ has never been greater. However, journalists from different professional backgrounds are locked in an emergency news cycle, struggling to navigate the complexity of this fast-changing story in order to succeed in their mission to inform the public. 

Thomson Reuters Foundation’s COVID-19 Crisis Reporting Hub creates a space for journalists across several countries to gather virtually for training, knowledge sharing, expert sessions and network building, ensuring that they and their newsrooms remain on top of the story of the year. 

Conducted remotely over 12 weeks for journalists sub-Saharan Africa, the hub will feature the latest platforms and interactive online tools to connect participants in engaging real-time video seminars with world-class trainers and experts. Journalists will acquire relevant knowledge, trade tips and insights about their different contexts, master new digital skills, and access influential policymakers and officials for exclusive information and story ideas to help them cover the impact of Covid-19 in their respective countries at a deeper, better-informed level.

The cohort will meet twice a week for a live 90-minute virtual session with trainers and/or expert speakers to ask questions, share ideas, learn new skills and practice them. All live sessions will be recorded and supplemented with extra material. Post-session discussions and feedback on an exclusive hub forum will extend the learning process.  

*In addition to the two 90-minute weekly live sessions, participants should allow for a further 2-3 hours per week of independent research, activities and group interaction on the forum.

The programme will include: 

• Online seminars analysing the pandemic through different lens and impacts on sectors;
• Virtual classes on journalism tools and skills including, verification tools for fact-checking,  data visualization, mobile journalism and digital newsgathering;
• Briefings with top policymakers, healthcare officials, civil society groups;
• Curated newsletter with the latest analysis, research findings and developments
• Exclusive membership to group forum for sustained exchange of learnings, feedback and support

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must be African nationals based in sub-Saharan Africa and working as full-time journalists or regular contributors for English-language media organisations
• They must have a minimum of three years professional experience and have a good level of spoken and written English. 
• Applicants must have access to a minimum internet speed of 1 MB/second. (You can check the speed of your device by logging from it on www.speedtest.net).

FUNDING

Thomson Reuters Foundation will fund participation for journalists.
 

SUBMISSIONS

• 2 relevant work samples (maximum file size 5 MB) – in English. TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.
• A biography of up to 250 words outlining your career
• A statement of between 250 and 500 words describing any factors affecting your work as a journalist and how you hope to benefit from this training programme which you are applying for. 

If you have any difficulties applying, please email trfmedia@thomsonreuters.com 

FIND MORE DETAILS HERE

Staff Writer

This article was written and edited by a staff writer.