Media Community Newsletter February 2024
![]() Find out how news platforms are tackling news avoidance, apply for the Knight Science Journalism Programme at MIT and read stories that moved us. ![]() 1. Journalism trends: News avoidance is still a concerning trend for publishers and editors - audiences are simply tired of doom and gloom and this, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, includes dominant narratives about climate change. However, this does not mean that audiences don’t want to read climate news - they want it framed through solutions journalism and other content that inspires. Two platforms that have figured out how to keep telling climate stories without losing audiences are Earthtopia and RTE. Their TikTok accounts routinely feature positive news about climate action by showcasing innovations and people who are making a difference. ![]() 2. Who’s funding: Are you a journalist based in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, or Tunisia, and aged under 45 years old? The MENA Scholarship Program (MSP) is accepting applications to take up short courses in the Netherlands. Deadline: 26 March. More info. ![]() 3. Training Opportunity: Do you want to take your science and health journalism to the next level? The Knight Science Journalism Programme at MIT is offering a fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East. It’s a one-semester fellowship, and includes studies, specialized training, seminars, training workshops and field trips. There’s a $40,000 stipend. Eligibility: Reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists in Africa and the Middle East. Deadline: 1 March. More info. ![]() 4. In the spotlight: Minority Report, a digital publication that covers women, sexual, gender, ethnic, and religious minorities, persons with disabilities, migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees through a solutions journalism lens, recently announced its advisory board and it features #NarrativeChampion Abaas Mpindi. Abaas is the founder and CEO of the Media Challenge Initiative. The Uganda-based organization is building the next generation of African journalist by empowering them with tools to tell stories better and tell better stories. He currently runs the Media Challenge Academy. He’s also the brains behind an annual journalism expo that brings media professionals together to discuss the future of journalism. His other accomplishments include being a 2023 Africa Visionary Fellow, a 2018 Obama leader, 2018 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur and a fellow of the Young Emerging Leaders Program. Congratulations Abaas. ![]() 5. Stories that moved us: Meet Tolulope Sanusi. The architect is building a photo library of the Lagos cityscape to change the narrative on how African architecture is viewed; find out why and how Zimbabwe’s “Biker Queen”, Evonne Mudzingwa, rides full throttle against gender norms; learn more about how Francophone startups shine despite funding slump in “Big Four”countries, and discover why Mercy Makau’s love of flying and mentoring knows no bounds. These are some of the stories produced by bird story agency. It’s Africa’s first and only news agency for alternative stories about Africa. It pays to tell better stories about Africa, so we partnered with the Thomson Foundation on a digital course called African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africa. It’s free and takes three hours to complete. Then you can pitch to bird story agency and get paid to publish stories that better represent Africa. |