Deadline Extended: TruthBuzz Fellowship for Media Professionals 2018

Are you a media expert with a track record of success leading innovative projects in newsrooms? Do you have sharp audience-engagement skills? Interested in deploying your multimedia savvy to combat misinformation in your country? If so, consider applying for a full-time, six-month TruthBuzz Fellowship.

Application Deadline: 3rd June 2018

Eligible Countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the United States.

To Be Taken At (Country): Washington, D.C., USA and Eligible countries

About the Award: With the support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is expanding its TruthBuzz initiative, designed to find new ways to help verified facts reach the widest possible audience.

In 2018, TruthBuzz will recruit five full-time Fellows to work in newsrooms in some of the most populous nations: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the United States. Modeled on ICFJ’s Knight Fellowship program, TruthBuzz will embed experts in these outlets to help reporters adopt compelling storytelling methods that improve the reach and impact of fact-checking and help “inoculate” audiences against false or misleading information.

The goal of TruthBuzz: increase audience trust in news media by communicating fact-checked information in a compelling, sharable way. TruthBuzz Fellows will be change-makers who can drive the adoption of new ways of making facts go as viral. ICFJ will collaborate with First Draft, a project of the Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Type: Fellowship (Professional)

Eligibility: Currently, ICFJ has a strong preference for applicants living and working in the target countries. However, we’ll also consider applicants from Southeast Asia for the fellowship in Indonesia.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: 

• Fellows will be embedded with two to three partner media organizations in each of the countries to: spur the production of compelling stories that fact-check and debunk misinformation. All Fellows will receive a monthly honorarium as well as a professional allowance to supplement their work with partner newsrooms.
• ICFJ will gather the selected TruthBuzz Fellows at ICFJ’s office in Washington, D.C., for an orientation. First Draft News and ICFJ will provide additional training to the fellows and the partner newsrooms in-country. The training will cover both the principles and techniques of fact-checking and verification as well as training on visual storytelling.

Duration of Programme: 6 months. The Fellowship will start in summer 2018, between June-August.

How to Apply: To be considered, potential Fellows must submit an application including a project proposal with a timeline, an essay outlining their skills and a short video. Please click here to read the full application.

Visit the Programme Webpage for Details

Award Providers: ICFJ