"Citizen's Voice" Project in Lebanon - Investigative Journalism Training
Application Deadline: December 5, 2020.
The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), in partnership with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is organizing a training program for young journalists (1-2 years of experience) on investigative journalism. The program is part of the OECD
Citizens’ Voice project, implemented with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office in the context of the MENA-OECD Governance Programme.
The training aim:
Strong media and information ecosystems are key to advancing the Open Government principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation. The media, through investigative journalism and objective reporting, are key actors in holding the government accountable and providing essential information for citizens to participate constructively in public life.
In light of the complex economic, social and governance landscape in Lebanon, and the still limited usage of the Access To Information Law of 2017, the role of independent media, and especially investigative journalists, is of paramount importance to reinforce transparency and accountability. This is especially crucial in the aftermath of the tragic explosion at the Port of Beirut, where accountability is needed to ensure such an event is never repeated and that the massive resources mobilized for reconstruction are used transparently and effectively.
Young voices are especially important in a public conversation on rebuilding Beirut and the future vision for the country. For this reason, this training program aims to equip young journalists with the necessary tools and skills to conduct investigative reporting and produce quality journalism
in the Lebanese context, and give them mentorship and platforms to add their voices to the public conversation.
The opportunity:
To ensure the efficiency and high quality of the training, IFI is partnering with
Daraj Media, a modern and independent digital media platform, to co-design a successful training and provide the needed expertise.
The initiative will bring together a cohort of young journalists and give them a platform to investigate and report on public issues, including, for instance, the reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the Beirut Port blast of August 4, 2020, with specific focus on transparency and accountability.
The Investigative Journalism Training will start with a kick-off meeting on Friday, December 11, followed by a six online sessions, that will take place on these dates: December 14, and January 11, 14, 18, 21 and 25 (each session will be around 2-4 hours.)
The training will provide the opportunity to the participating journalists to gain expertise, develop their ideas into ready-to-be-published investigative articles, news report (video/audio) in Arabic or English with the opportunity to support with resources for production and possibility to publish in media outlets. The trainees will also get the opportunity to enrich their network by getting introduced to well-connected and experienced local and international journalists.
Dynamic young journalists, with one to two years of experience in the field, who are interested in developing their ability and expetise in investigative journalism, are welcomed to apply by filling out this
application and uploading their CV.
P.S: Participants must commit to attend all the sessions for the training in order to be selected and will receive a certificate of participation.
For the Arabic version, press here.