Media Community Newsletter August 2023

Find out why you need to tell better stories about Africa and how you can get paid, meet the 2023 winner of the BBC News Komla Dumor Award, and meet the African animators behindDisney'sKizazi Moto: Generation Fire.

1. Journalism trends: Goodbye series, hello content that’s creative and fresh. Why? Only 10% of news consumers read what’s considered serious news that involves breaking news, and events and issues that are important to societies. The trend to tell stories that go beyond the serious is unpacked in variousmedia reports and articles. It wasreiterated by the Vice President of News at Google, Richard Gingras at the inaugural West Africa Journalism Innovation Conference, held in Abuja in July 2023. It sounds like an opportunity for journalists to monetise fresh and alternative stories about Africa. And we already know a news agency, Bird, that pays journalists to tell better African stories. First, complete the African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africacourse. It’s free, digital and takes three hours. 

2. Who’s funding: Women and nonbinary journalists looking for funding for professional development opportunities, investigative reporting and media development initiatives can apply for the Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists. The fund is aimed at promoting their work and advancing the role of women in the news media. Deadline: Rolling.More info.

3. Training Opportunity: The African Investigative Journalism Conference is offering fellowships for investigative journalists to attend the 2023 edition in November in Johannesburg. The Fellowship only covers flights to Johannesburg, airport transfers, accommodation in single rooms, transport to and from the conference, meals and conference fees. Fellows will be asked to produce at least one piece of content arising out of the conference. Deadline: 31 August.More info.

4. In the spotlight: Ghanaian TV presenter and journalist Paa Kwesi Asarehas a reputation for telling nuanced and narrative-shifting stories that show Africa’s confident, savvy and entrepreneurial side. This is what the judging panel of the BBC News Komla Dumor Award said when announcing Asare as the 2023 winner of the prestigious award. As part of the award, he will receive training and mentorship from BBC News teams in London.

5. Stories that moved us:Meet the Young African Creatives Behind Disney's Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. Created by animators from Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, the anthology series blends African mythologies with sci-fi and fantasy.Jide Martinturned his frustration with how Africans are shown in Western media and consumed a lot of Western media and comics into action when he founded Comic Republic. Now, the animation studio has added Universal Studios to its list of clients. Read what author and filmmakerTsitsi Dangarembgahas to say about navigating the publishing industry as a Black woman, running a film festival in Zimbabwe for 20 years, her activism for a better Zimbabwe and her thoughts on how writers should approach AI.

Are you an African journalist who wants to tell better stories about Africa? bird news agency is looking for you, but first, you have to complete the African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africa course. It’s free, digital, and only takes three hours to complete. Then you can pitch and get paid to publish on bird.