Open Call for Al Jazeera Fellowship Program

To this end, the Fellowship programmes offered by the Al Jazeera Media Institute (AJMI) seek to encourage research in media and other fields of journalism, as well as to provide fellows with the opportunity to learn through practical experience within the Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN).

Objectives

• To contribute to the development of high-quality journalism in the Global South and to help journalists to adapt to modern technologies.
• To encourage innovation and research.
• To enrich journalistic content in the Global South.
• To provide an opportunity for journalists and researchers to be immersed in AJMN’s work culture and environment, and to learn about its journalistic practices.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must meet the following prerequisites:
  • Full-time journalist or researcher (freelancer or employed).
  • At least four years of professional experience in journalism or research, relevant to journalistic and/or media fields.
  • Strong research and writing skills.
  • Fluent in English (speaking and writing).
  • In order to apply for the Fellowship, applicants must have a proper grasp of English academic writing.
  • The Al Jazeera Fellowship in English is only open to those from non-Arab countries. Those from Arab countries may apply to their Arabic Fellowship Programme.

Field of Interest

• The applicant should provide a research proposal on one of the following topics:
  • Journalism and the Global South
    • Redefining journalistic practices in the Global South: Challenges of traditional Western-centered approaches and the development of new frameworks rooted in local contexts.
    • Colonialism and globalization in media and journalism: The impact of colonial history and globalization on journalistic practices in the Global South.
    • Data flows and narrative challenges: The effects of unidirectional data flow on narratives in the Global South, and the role of Southern narratives in shaping global discourse (e.g., media coverage of the war on Gaza).
    • The impact of Western funding programs on media in the Global South: The role of Western-funded media programs in influencing journalistic practices.
  • Digital Journalism
    • How has storytelling evolved from traditional to digital journalism? Have media outlets focused more on technological innovation and visual appeal at the expense of content quality and storytelling?
    • Fact-checking and news verification in journalism.
    • The intersection of journalism and modern technologies in smart newsrooms, mobile journalism, data journalism, and investigative journalism.
    • AI integration in newsrooms.
  • New Schools in Journalism
    • Emerging trends in journalism.
    • Photo-documentary journalism.
    • Anthropological journalism.
    • Slow journalism.
    • Intersections between journalism and the humanities and social sciences.
    • Journalistic storytelling techniques
  • Journalism Ethics
    • New ethical challenges in digital journalism.
    • Hate speech in media and social networks.
  • Media Institutions and Challenges
    • Challenges facing independent media platforms.
    • Business model development in media institutions.
    • Building digital transformation strategies within media institutions.
    • Integration of traditional media with digital platforms.
    • Challenges faced by journalism schools in the Global South.

Selection Criteria

• If you are selected to take part in the Fellowship Programme, you will commit to the following:
  • Develop and submit a research paper of up to 7,000 words, as per the AJMI guidelines (these will be provided to successful applicants).
  • Fellow must be accountable at all times. Monthly reports on work status/progress and completion must be submitted.
  • Be an active and engaged member of the Al Jazeera community.

Application Requirements

• In addition to completing the online application form, applicants are required to submit the following documents in PDF format, with the exception of video, images or other graphic materials provided as work samples. Please note that if any of the following is missing, the application will not be considered.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Fellowship proposal (must include title, field of interest, objectives, methodology, abstract).
• Three samples of the applicant’s work in English.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• The proposal should be between 1000 to 1500 words, demonstrating how and why your research is relevant to your field. Your proposal should demonstrate that the work is necessary to fill a gap in the existing body of research on your subject, underlining existing research on your subject, and adding new depths to the understanding of your subject.
• The proposal must contain the following:
  • An introduction to your topic, stating your proposal and the questions your research aims to answer.
  • The reason your subject is of particular importance.
  • A summary of the research methodology and the theories/approaches that the researcher will use.
  • The tools and procedures you will use to collect, analyse and interpret the data you collect.
  • The main challenges that you expect to face during the research.
  • An explanation of how journalists could benefit from your final research.
  • An explanation of how your placement at Al Jazeera headquarters will benefit your research project.
• The following points should be taken into consideration:
  • The research proposal should be authentic and original.
  • The research proposal should be written specifically for the Al Jazeera Fellowship Programme.
  • There will be no tolerance of any kind of plagiarism.

For more information, visit Aljazeera Media Institute.