London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) JournalismAI Fellowship Programme 2021 for EMEA Region (Europe, Middle East and Africa)

The JournalismAI Fellowship Programme is a free online initiative that brings together journalists and technologists from media organisations worldwide to explore innovative solutions to improve journalism via the use of AI technologies. 

Application Deadline: 21st April 2023 at 11:59 PM GMT.

About the Award: Up to 30 journalists and technologists will be selected to join the 2023 Fellowship cohort and work together over the course of six months (June to December) towards building AI-powered solutions that enhance reporting.

We invite applications from candidates working in news organisations anywhere in the world (although if you are outside of GMT-6 and GMT+8, it will be logistically challenging to participate fully).

To take part in the programme, you need to have some experience working on products and/or stories that involve the use of AI technologies.

We’ve designed the programme so that fellows keep their jobs while they dedicate 8 hours a week to the Fellowship. Teams will be given financial support for project expenses, as well as mentorship and coaching from experts in the JournalismAI community. 

Since collaboration is at the heart of all JournalismAI activities, our Fellowship Programme includes a collaborative component too – on a double level:

• Rather than individual fellows, we invite pairs of colleagues from the same organisation to apply (one person with an editorial/strategic role and the other one with a technical role).
• Then, after the initial application, each pair will have to find another pair from a different organisation to form a team that will work on the same project.

Type: Training

Eligibility:

• We invite applications from pairs of journalists and technologists working in news organisations who have experience working on products and/or stories that involve the use of AI technologies.
• Fluency in English is required.
• This is not a training programme for journalists without experience working with AI technologies.

Who is the Academy not for?

The Academy is not for freelancers – you need to be part of a newsroom to benefit from the programme. The Academy is not for journalists based outside the EMEA region. Finally, the Academy is not for journalists who are not fluent in English. 

Number of Awards: 30

Value of Award: The Academy is FREE for selected participants, thanks to the support of the Google News Initiative, which has been powering JournalismAI since 2019.

Duration of Award: 6 Weeks

How to Apply: Let’s start by saying this is not your usual application process. The collaborative component of the JournalismAI Fellowship Programme starts already here. Here’s how it works:

Fill in this form to express your interest in participating in the programme. It’s a short application form, but note that you already have to fill it in with the colleague you plan to pair up with for the Fellowship. (One joint submission, not two.)

Apply as soon as possible because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. The sooner you apply, the more time you will have for the match-making process (more on this soon), which will directly impact your chances of getting selected.

This initial application phase closes on Friday, 21 April, at 11:59 PM GMT.

In the form, you will be asked to share an idea for a project you’d like to work on during the programme. This is at the core of the match-making process, as you will have to find another pair of candidates with similar goals to team up with, and jointly submit your final Fellowship application by Wednesday, 17 May, at 11:59 PM GMT.

(The link to submit final applications will be provided to candidates who pass the initial screening.)

Keep in mind that each pair of candidates will pitch a project idea. To form a team, you have three options:

• Find another pair of candidates with a similar project idea and merge them together in your final application;
• Find another pair of candidates that like your project idea enough to discard theirs and agree to join you;
• Browse other candidates’ project ideas and find one that you like enough to discard your own idea and join them.

If you pass the first screening through the initial application, you will be added to a Slack channel where you can meet other candidates and find who to partner with. Your initial application, including your project idea, will be visible to all other candidates – and you will be able to browse through everyone else’s submission.

The five best project ideas submitted by 17 May will be selected by the JournalismAI team to take part in the Fellowship Programme.

• It is important to go through all application requirements in the Award Webpage (see Link below) before applying.
• GOODLUCK

Visit Award Webpage for Details