News

New opportunities follow ICFJ Anywhere course for religion writer

Menachem Wecker was already a busy freelancer when he took the ICFJ Anywhere course, International Coverage of Religion, in the spring of 2009. So he was solid on the basics of his chosen specialty. But religion is a big and complicated topic, and Wecker wondered what he didn’t know. The course filled some gaps for him – with discussions ranging from jihad to enforced moralities to covering minority religions. Now he is busier than ever, writing for newspapers, religion publications, and a blog on art and religion.

Syrian journalist, an ICFJ Anywhere veteran, creates magazine

By H.J. Cummins

Starting a magazine is an ambitious project at any time. But, as chance would have it, Syrian journalist Nahed Al Ali launched hers in the midst of the “Arab Spring.”

Airing the economic harm of sexual harassment, Egypt journalist honored

Five Mideast journalists win latest round of “Digital Gateway” program

By Daniel Lynx Bernard

The International Center for Journalists has honored five journalists from the Middle East and North Africa for excellence in using digital technology for public-service journalism. The honorees under the program “Building a Digital Gateway to Better Lives” used multimedia on the web to examine sexual harassment in Egypt, illegal drugs in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, the sterilization of mentally disabled girls in Jordan, and the growing water crisis in Yemen.

Six Encryption Tools Every Journalist Should Use

In several years of training journalists, I have seen that most journalists agree with the need for encryption to protect their information, but only a few of them really embrace the technology. At first, I thought it was a problem of awareness, but I have since come to realize that the complexity of technology also plays a role.

Journalists often fail to protect their information because encryption systems are complicated and not very friendly to non-technical users. Most journalists have multiple assignments, little time and limited technological skills.

Experts Warn of Deteriorating Media Conditions in Central and Southeast Europe

Despite high hopes for independent media after the Iron Curtain fell a quarter-century ago, the media environment has deteriorated in recent years throughout Central and Eastern Europe, according to a panel of experts who gathered in Washington this month.

American Homestays Dispel Negative Stereotypes Among Pakistani Journalists

Pakistanis have high standards when it comes to hospitality, but those standards were met by American families who hosted participants in ICFJ’s U.S.-Pakistan Professional Partnership in Journalism.

ICFJ Knight Roundup: impactAFRICA Funds $500k Contest to Support Data Journalism

Each week as part of the Knight International Media Innovators blog, the ICFJ Knight team will round up stories focused on how their fellows are making an impact in the field. Find out more about the fellows' projects by clicking here.

How Digital Newsrooms Can Use Chat Bots to Their Advantage

Have you ever spoken to a chat bot? You may have done so and not even realized it. But if technology companies have their way, it's likely that you'll spend time in conversation with one in 2016.

And if chat bots are a breakthrough success in 2016, how will the media be able to harness this new technology?

Chat bots are online services programmed to take actions or give automated responses based on comments or questions that a user sends to them. These responses can be very simple, like checking the weather near you or providing transport timetables.

Code for Africa and Open Knowledge Help Push for Open African Governments

"Open" has become a new buzzword for many governments around the world.

How Oscar Castilla Made the Leap to Digital and Launched Online News Site Ojo Público

Oscar Castilla spent 12 years at El Comercio, Peru's most important daily newspaper, honing his reporting skills with investigations of organized crime and corruption.

Then, in 2014, Castilla and some colleagues from the investigative unit decided to leave the paper for editorial reasons.

"The editor at the time had one view of journalism and we had another," he told me in an interview.