2015 Senior Knight International Journalism Fellowship for Journalists from Africa

Application Deadline: January 7 2015

The International Center for Journalists seeks outstanding applicants for a Knight International Journalism Fellowship opening in Africa specializing in health and development journalism. The Senior Knight Journalism Fellow will play a leading role in overseeing ICFJ’s African journalism initiative beginning in early 2015. The goal of the project is to catalyze news media to deliver ongoing, high-quality health and development news that engages audiences by harnessing digital tools.

ICFJ defines audience engagement as measurable instances where citizens:

1. Consume and interact with news
2. Contribute to and co-create news
3. Amplify the news by sharing it online and offline
4. Act on news, by responding to issues or events
5. Explore issues or data reported in news, by accessing additional information or resources

The project will focus on Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania. The duration of the fellowship is one year, with the possibility of extension for up to two more years.

The Senior Knight Fellow will serve as the editorial project leader, helping with multimedia story production and multi-country reporting projects, and working to replicate successes from one country to another. The Fellow will work with a team that includes other Knight Fellows focused on digital innovation and audience engagement strategies, and oversee health journalism specialists to be based in each of the four countries. The Senior Knight Health Journalism Fellow, who may be from any country, will be based in Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa.

The ideal candidate will have:

• At least 10 years experience in covering health and development (issues related to poverty and its alleviation)
• Sub-Saharan Africa expertise
• Strong digital media and audience engagement skills
• Excellent leadership skills, including managing others
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to work effectively in a team
• Fluency in English; proficiency in other languages spoken in the target countries is a plus

The Knight International Journalism Fellowships are designed to instill a culture of news innovation and experimentation worldwide. The goal is to seed new ideas and services that deepen coverage, expand news delivery and engage citizens in the editorial process.

The program is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Fellows build on past successes in the Knight program, which has a strong record of achieving impact. They work in countries where there is a good opportunity to create the news media of the future. With additional support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Knight Fellows are empowering journalists in sub-Saharan Africa to use the latest digital tools to tell compelling stories on health and development issues.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Senior Knight International Journalism Fellow

You can direct any questions to: Kyle Thompson at [email protected] or 1.202.349.7610.