New Narratives is delighted to announce it has partnered with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the corporate charity of Thomson Reuters to run a project that supports Liberian journalists and news organizations to cover the country’s oil industry.
The project will run from 2014-16 and will feature training, mentoring and capacity building for Liberian journalists and news organizations.
The project will focus on a range of oil sector issues including contracts, the management of revenues, the implications for Liberia’s economy, and the environmental impact of the industry. It will encourage journalism that relates these issues to the lives of citizens through engaging storytelling.
The project in Liberia is part of a larger programme taking place across Africa, which aims to support journalists and media organisations to cover financial and extractives issues which are central to development.
Oil reporting scheme – call for applications
Journalists working in Liberia are invited to apply to the oil reporting scheme being run by Thomson Reuters Foundation and New Narratives.
The scheme will involve a series of training courses over approximately two years, combined with ongoing mentoring and opportunities to produce stories and investigations.
Journalists taking part in the scheme will learn how to produce accurate, impartial and independent coverage of the oil sector in Liberia. The ultimate aim will be for journalists to report to the internationally recognised standards of Reuters.
The scheme is a major commitment – but it will also be a rewarding one.
We are looking for journalists who:
– Report for a national media outlet in Liberia – print, online, radio or television journalists are eligible
– Have at least 2 years of professional experience as a journalist
– Have experience of, or can demonstrate a genuine interest in, business and financial journalism
– Are motivated to cover the oil industry and how it relates to other aspects of life in Liberia
Please note: journalists taking part in the programme must report the oil industry in an independent manner and must not take payment from any sources in the course of their reporting. The project will not tolerate the acceptance of such payment. Participants will be required to sign an agreement to this effect.
Funding will be available within the project to help journalists cover stories on the oil industry.
Application process
To apply send a cover letter detailing any experience in business and financial reporting and why you want to take part in this scheme, as well as a CV and two writing samples to [email protected].
Deadline: August 1st, 2014
About the partner organisations
Thomson Reuters Foundation use the skills, values, and expertise of Thomson Reuters to run programmes that trigger real change and empower people around the world, including free legal assistance, journalism and media training, coverage of the world’s under-reported stories, and the Trust Women Conference. The Foundation has trained more than 12,000 journalists from 170 countries and has created news platforms to provide accurate, objective news in countries such as Iraq, Egypt and Zimbabwe. Learn more at www.trust.org.
New Narratives provides resources, editorial and business support to help leading African media houses deliver independent, honest news that Africans use to drive change. Working in Liberia since 2010, New Narratives reporters have repeatedly broken stories that have prompted action on major societal issues such as teen prostitution, child labor and the growing drug trade. Reporting has won major national and international awards and appeared in media around the world.