Climate Home News African Reporting Fellowships 2018 for mid-career journalists

Deadline: June 29, 2018

The Climate Home News is offering two African reporting fellowships. They are looking for two African journalists to report deeply on the effects of climate change and climate science on the continent’s development.

Climate Home News is an independent news website devoted to reporting the story of climate change from every corner of the world. They want to explore how climate knowledge, from adequate modelling to early warning systems, can be used to speed the development of African countries. Where does the science fall short? And why?

Fellows will be provided training and support in climate change reporting from CHN’s editorial team. They will also receive training in the scientific and technical challenges the continent faces from our project partners Future Climate for Africa.

Benefits

Each fellow is expected to produce four major stories between now and May 2019, receiving a fee of £3,000 for their work. There will be some budget for travel.

Eligibility

• Climate Home News is seeking mid-career journalists who want to expand their knowledge of climate change reporting.
• They encourage staff writers for African or overseas publications to apply and will support co-publishing arrangements with your employer.
• Eligible candidates will be based in, and hold a passport for, one of the following countries: Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
• Successful candidates will have at least five years of reporting experience.
• Background in climate change or environment reporting is not a prerequisite.
• A strong track record in original coverage of African politics and development will be seen as a positive.
• Fluent spoken and written English is essential.

Other desirable selection criteria include:

• History of reporting from the field across Africa
• Ability to file clean copy on time
• Ability to tackle complex technical and political stories
• Excellent teamwork skills
• Ability to take editorial direction and write to a brief

Application

To apply, please send a CV describing your work history, a one-page cover letter, examples of four published stories and references to CHN editor Karl Mathiesen: km@climatehomenews.org.

Please include an idea for a compelling and original story where scientific knowledge regarding climate change could be used to solve an African development problem. Your pitch should identify the place, the problem, the solution and sources you would use to report the story.