Apply for the Collaborative Journalism Fellowship

The Fellowship is part of the Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI), aiming to equip independent media outlets and individual journalists with resources, innovative networking infrastructure, and standards-based methods for high-quality, ethical, and accountable collaborative and investigative journalism.CIJI is conducted in partnership with Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), Tactical Tech (TT), Fundacja Reporterów (FR), OBC Transeuropa (OBCT), and Delfi, aspiring to become a network-based initiative promoting ethical standards, offering training, capacity-building opportunities, and a forum for collaboration and peer support.

The Collaborative Journalism Fellowship (April-August 2024) will immerse 20 early and mid-career journalists into the world of collaborative journalism and equip participants with essential skills needed to develop and run a collaborative cross-border investigation. Fellows will also benefit from mentorship and peer support alongside access to a Europe wide network of media organisations.

About Fellowship

• The fellowship will be held in English, and will consist of:
  • A Kick off networking meeting (23-24 May 2024, 1,5-2 days, location in Europe tba)
    • An in-person networking meeting that will convene participants in a tba location in Europe to meet each other, their mentors and representatives from CIJI’s regional media hubs and consortium partners. Depending on the venue and travel distance, fellows should calculate a 3-day commitment. All costs will be covered by the programme.
  • An Advanced Collaborative Journalism course (July 2024, 3 days, location in Europe tbc)
    • A three day course, with in-depth sessions and various modules on collaborative cross-border investigations; OSINT, SLAPPS, safety and security, countering disinformation, etc. Depending on the venue and travel distance, fellows should calculate a 5-day commitment. All costs will be covered by the programme.
  • Online training curriculum (April – August 2024)
    • A series of interactive training sessions, workshops and collaborative sessions aimed to provide guidance on effective team collaboration, communication, and project management. These sessions will be held every Thursday between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. CET. Fellows must commit to attending these online sessions in order to take part in the programme. Fellows will work in groups to exchange ideas and develop collaborative cross-border projects.
  • Mentorship
    • Fellows will have access to mentors with extensive experience in collaborative and/or investigative journalism, who will support the fellows in developing their collaborative story ideas.
    • In terms of workload, they expect fellows to be able to attend a minimum of 80% of the weekly online meetings and 100% of the two in-person meetings. The fellows should be able to dedicate a few hours a week to their projects and collaborative work. Additionally, the mentorship sessions will be scheduled according to the availability and the needs of the fellows.
  • Cross-border Grant Opportunity
    • Fellows will have the opportunity to apply for cross-border reporting grants, upon successful fellowship completion. Ten grants, each worth 10 000 EUR will be made available through a competitive open call for applications, which will open at the end of the fellowship. The cross-border stories will need to be implemented between December 2024 and June 2025.

Benefits

• By the end of the fellowship, participants will have a deep understanding of collaborative journalism principles, hands-on experience in collaborative project development, and a network of fellow journalists and industry professionals to support their future endeavors in the field. The fellows will have developed comprehensive story pitches they would like to pursue and be able to apply successfully for cross-border collaborative grants and partnerships within CIJI and beyond.
• At the end of a successful fellowship, fellows will be able to apply for reporting grants (worth up to 10 000 EUR) to develop a collaborative cross-border investigation.

Who should apply?

• They invite independent journalists, staff and freelance, from all EU countries and Creative Europe countries to apply. Applicants need to reside in these countries for the duration of the fellowship.
• They welcome journalists who are passionate about collaborative storytelling as well as professionals eager to develop cross-border projects.
• Applicants don’t need to have extensive experience in collaborative journalism to apply for this programme. Fellows will also have the opportunity to shape or change their original pitches during the fellowship and apply with those for the collaborative story grants.
• Journalists who work in media organisations that are state owned and/or editorially controlled by state authorities are not eligible for the Fellowship.
• Journalists need to possess an advanced knowledge of the English language to be able to fully participate in all activities.
• They actively encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

Commitments of a Collaborative Journalism Fellow

• If you are selected for this opportunity, you will be expected to:
  • Attend and actively engage in the two in-person events: kick off meeting and Advanced Collaborative Journalism course (eight days in May and July).
  • Actively engage and participate in the full online trajectory (April-August 2024). Fellows are expected to dedicate around 10 hours a week to the fellowship, including weekly sessions, assignments, and mentoring sessions.
  • Bring a collaborative mindset and actively engage with fellow colleagues, supporting and inspiring each other with your input/feedback.

Eligibility Criteria

• They invite journalists, both staff and freelance, from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply for the five-month programme.
• This call is open to applicants from one of the EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden), non-EU countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia), and participants from Belarus, Russia, or Ukraine but residing within the EU.
• The fellowship will consist of an online curriculum, in-person meetings, and the opportunity to apply for cross-border story grants upon successful completion.

For more information, visit FPU.