| Location: | Remote |
| Classification: | Part-time term |
| Department: | Environment |
| Funding: | Direct |
| Reports to: | EJN Senior Program Officer |
| Timeline: | January 2025 – December 2025 |
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Established in 2004, the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is Internews’ flagship environmental program, which aims to improve the quality and quantity of environmental reporting. In response to the deepening Mediterranean Sea conservation crisis, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) launched a two-year media capacity building project titled the Mediterranean Media Initiative (MMI) in March 2022, with the aim of enabling journalists and media organizations from the region to expertly report on marine issues. Now in its second phase, the Mediterranean Media Initiative seeks to expand on the successes of the previous two years, and continue to support journalists in the region to cover critical and underreported marine topics.
Media reports and investigations contribute to holding governments accountable for their decisions and policies, many of which are taken behind closed doors or in high-level negotiations. By increasing the frequency and quality of reporting on fisheries and other marine management issues in the media, EJN aims to improve public understanding of current problems and solutions and ensure that the voices of all stakeholders are heard, and not just the regular talking heads from industry and international NGOs.
This phase of the MMI project will include several rounds of open calls for story grant applications from journalists based in the Mediterranean, and fostering of north-south journalist collaborations through investigative grants, focusing on transnational issues like overfishing, biodiversity loss, and regulatory failures. Grantees will benefit from mentorship and editorial support to produce high quality stories, and to build their capacity for reporting on these topics in future. This project will also see the execution of two media field trips in the region, which are combined training workshops and research field trips for journalists and media organisations, focusing on marine issues in the Mediterranean. EJN is working to expand this project in 2025 and beyond, with further activities and investment to increase our overall impact.
As part of this work, EJN is seeking senior journalists and media trainers who have experience reporting on marine issues, ideally specifically in the Mediterranean region. The trainers would also be based in a country in the Mediterranean region. EJN is initially seeking new hires to provide mentorship for journalists that are awarded story grants, though opportunities to support other project activities may arise for the right candidate.
TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The overall responsibility of the mentor is to provide editorial guidance and support to the assigned journalists throughout this activity. To ensure that this will be a productive and rewarding experience for the participants, we expect the mentor to provide constructive feedback to their assigned mentees while sharing insights from their own experiences, wherever relevant.
The specific tasks include, but are not limited to the following:
· Provide mentoring support individually for assigned story grantees during the story production period. Mentors are expected to meet with the assigned mentees at least twice a month during the reporting period.. In these 1-1 sessions, the mentor will:
o Provide feedback and guidance on story ideas and encourage grantees to explore under-reported angles;
o Look to ensure that their story includes a diversity of perspectives and is evidence-backed. Discuss their information sources and point out available datasets and potential interviewees;
o Discuss the safety of journalists and sources, and ways to mitigate the risks while on assignment, if this is a concern;
o Provide editorial advice and supervision on the visual presentation of the content (photographs, short videos, infographics, maps), in addition to the text.
· Review story drafts and provide feedback on each version of the draft to improve the stories, while being mindful of grantees’ responsibility to their editors at work and respecting their editorial independence. Mentors should:
o Ensure that stories meet EJN editorial and ethical standards, especially to ensure objectivity and balance of the story. Mentors should ensure facts are checked, quotes are attributed, facts and figures are substantiated and all sources cited.
o Suggest edits (and recommend additional reporting if necessary) to ensure stories are of a high standard and are ready for publishing by the journalist’s media outlet, and for translation/reposting on the Earth Journalism Network website – https://earthjournalism.net/
o Ensure that the grantees produce and publish/air their stories according to the agreed schedule and meet the deadline noted on their agreement. Please note: The mentor will treat the mentees’ writing in full confidence and not share that work with anyone else until it is distributed by their respective media organizations.
· Coordinate with EJN Mediterranean Media Initiative staff on administration and payment matters for the grantees, and for assistance in following up with them, as needed.
· Coordinate with the EJN Editor and MMI Technical Advisor to ensure consistency in mentorship, the quality of stories produced, and coordination throughout the activity
KEY QUALIFICATIONS:
· At least 5 years of editorial experience, preferably with a background in ocean and environmental features and/or investigations.
· Strong writing and copy-editing skills.
· Experience in news reporting in the Mediterranean region.
· French or Arabic language skills is a plus.
· Ability to work well with others and meet deadlines.
PAYMENT
Mentors will receive remuneration of 400 EUR per grantee after stories are published/broadcast. There may also be opportunities for additional work providing technical guidance to the project.
Vacancy timeframe
Closing date: 31 December 2024
