African Development Journalism Fellowships
|
| Photo credit: Bart Sullivan |
Beginning in 2009, the International Center for Journalists will post Knight International Journalism Fellows in four key African countries, where they will lead projects in partnership with influential local media and journalism organizations aimed at improved coverage of poverty and development issues. The fellowships are funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The project aims to promote better development policy decision-making in key African countries by improving the ability of influential media to hold leaders accountable through in-depth coverage of development issues, especially outside the capitals.
Each Fellow will spend one year training and mentoring journalists to produce penetrating coverage of development issues such as agriculture, microfinance, sanitation, health and education. They also will fund in-depth reporting trips outside the capitals for journalists from major media and will establish networks of citizen-journalist stringers who will use mobile phones to relay information on development issues at the village level. The program also aims to improve business-management practices to make development journalism sustainable.
