Media Newsletter - 21 February 2023

Find out why you can’t ignore Gen-Z, and apply for a fellowship based at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

1. Journalism Trends: There’s a not-so-new media audience that newsrooms and journalists need to pay attention to if they want to thrive in an ever-changing landscape — Gen Z. And journalists need to spark their curiosity and keep their attention. “For us to build a media that is essential, inclusive, and as such commercially viable, for 2023 and beyond, we must listen to youth audiences and empower young talent to fundamentally redefine what news is and the role it plays for the next generation,” as Jon Birchall, Director of Editorial Strategy at the LADbible Group, said. The median age for Africa’s youth population is 18. More than just speaking to them, newsrooms also need to engage with Gen Z on their platforms of choice, like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Read more.

2. Who’s funding: This one is for journalists who cover underreported stories on issues like water and sanitation, land degradation and coastal erosion, education, maternal health, and climate resilience. The Pulitzer Center is offering grants for underreported stories in Sub-Saharan Africa. Grants are open to reporters, photographers, radio journalists, television/video journalists, documentary filmmakers and freelance journalists. Deadline: Rolling. Apply.

3. Training opportunity: Are you a mid-career journalist looking to improve how you cover trauma, violence, conflict and tragedy? Apply for the Ochberg Fellowship. It’s presented by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Fellows will attend briefings by prominent interdisciplinary experts in the trauma and mental health fields, engage in conversations with journalist colleagues on issues of ethics, craft and other aspects of professional practice; and a host of other opportunities for intellectual engagement and peer learning. Travel costs, accommodation and other expenses are included in the Fellowship. Deadline: 1 March. Apply.

4. In the spotlight: How do you change the story of Africa from one defined by poverty, disease, conflict, corruption and poor leadership? This stereotypical framing of Africa never sat well with Abaas Mpindi, so the Uganda founded Media Challenge Initiative (MIC) in Uganda, to build the next generation of journalists, storytellers and leaders that will rebrand the image of Africa through contextual, real, sensitive and respectful balanced stories. MCI does this through a Fellowship programme that empowers journalists with skills to tell even the most critical of social issues beyond stereotypes. Watch.

5. Stories that moved us: For the first 13 years of Israel Habimana's life, he had neither heard of nor known about electricity. Many in his community of Kirehe in Rwanda had also lived and died without access to it. But in 1981, he visited the capital, Kigali, and was intrigued by how well-lit it was. The allure of the lights never faded, and he vowed to find a way to bring electricity to his village. Years later, Habimana saw a mini hydroelectric power station while visiting Mwendo Catholic Missionary Centre in western Rwanda. Without consulting anyone, he started building a replica of what he had seen. Read more.

Follow @BirdNewsAgency for more stories that represent Africa better, away from stereotypes of poverty, disease, poor leadership, corruption and conflict. Media outlets that want to use bird content, for free, can contact tom@africainsight.co.ke