KAS–REMENA Water Journalism Academy 2020 for Media Professionals from the MENA region

Application Deadline:  July 02, 2020, 12:00 pm, time zone: CEST

In their efforts to foster water and sanitation reporting in the MENA region, the regional program Energy Security and Climate Change Middle East and North Africa (KAS – REMENA) together with cewas invite 40 journalists, bloggers, content creators, youtubers, social media influencers and media professionals to the first virtual Water Journalism Academy – Middle East and North Africa.

The Regional Program Energy Security and Climate Change Middle East and North Africa (KAS – REMENA) of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and cewas have joined hands to engage and work with media enthusiasts to engage in in-depth reporting on pressing water and sanitation issues across the MENA region.

Outstanding environmental journalists and media professionals will be selected to take part in a tailored program with the goal of intensifying and improving the quality and scope of media coverage of acute water-related challenges in the country of implementation and region.

The program comprises a four-module training and co-creation workshop bringing together media professionals with key stakeholders of the water and environmental sectors on constructive water reporting, follow-up coaching and a regional competition, the Blue Peace Open Eye Award, that will award the production of innovative media pieces that make a meaningful contribution to improve water management across the region.

1. Objectives of the workshop

At the end of the learning and exposure program, participants will have developed:

• innovative ways of disseminating information about water-topics
• new relationships and learned from horizontal exchanges with other environmental journalists
• an overview of information sources on water topics and insights into aspects of water management that should not be neglected in journalistic work
• a better understanding of how to engage with and consult water sector experts
• tangible story concepts in target group-tailored formats, as a basis for participation in the regional Blue Peace Open Eye Award

2. Target Group

• The learning and exposure program is designed for a mixture of approx. 25 experienced journalists with proven interest or track record in environmental topics and approx. 15 young media professionals (YouTubers, bloggers, content creators, social media influencers etc.) from the MENA region and Turkey who demonstrate exceptional interest and motivation in water-related reporting and storytelling.
• Applicants will be selected on a basis to ensure that the participants have experience with different journalistic formats (including different types of article, audio and visual formats) and media outlets (including traditional media outlets, social media influencers, communication experts etc.).
• On the other hand, water sector experts will be brought in to accompany the training and provide input, but also with the perspective of supporting them in liaising with the media and improving their own PR work.

3. Agenda

The course will use a participatory, cross-institutional and interdisciplinary approach. The workshop program places a great emphasis on participants’ interaction: besides virtual lectures, group work and case studies, exchange with water sector experts and peer support in stimulating group exercises reveal creativity and challenge participants to think in a holistic way.

To achieve the workshop objectives, sequences of exercises and inputs will be organized to:

• map water and sanitation topics and put them in relation to target groups and adjacent sectors: This will allow developing a more profound understanding of the water sector, its complex interlinkages with other spheres of life and eventually to establish the relevance of water for different target audiences. This mapping provides the initial content overview to identify and tailor meaningful water stories.
• develop a concept and package a water story that makes a difference: Based on the resulting map, participants will synthesise their understanding of target audiences in audience profiles for a specific topic they want to work on. Based on the design thinking approach, they will develop innovative reporting formats tailored to these audiences. The different content elements will equally be identified through user-centred exercises and finally a research approach will be developed for each story.
• secure validation through feedback from journalists and experts: The participants will be tasked to identify ways to improve the concepts of their media pieces both format and content wise. For this purpose, direct consultations with a panel of water sector experts and sessions to facilitate peer to peer feedback will be organized. The feedback will be used to develop a work plan to finalize and publish the story in time for the Blue Peace Open Eye Award deadline.

How to participate: Interested participants should submit their application using the following online application form:

Online Application Water Journalism Academy Middle East and North Africa

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the KAS–REMENA Water Journalism Academy 2020