ICFJ/WHO 2018 Safety Reporting Fellowship program for Journalists (Funded)

Application Deadline: Friday, August 17th, 2018

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 5 million people die each year as a result of injuries, accounting for 9 percent of deaths globally. This includes injuries from traffic crashes, acts of violence against oneself or others, burns, drowning, falls and poisonings, among other causes.

Safety 2018 is a milestone event in the field of injury prevention and safety promotion. Every two years, this world conference brings together over 1,000 of the world’s leading researchers, practitioners, policy makers and activists to discuss experiences and solutions that aim to reduce the burden of unintentional injuries. The 13th World Conference, under the theme “Advancing injury and violence prevention towards SDGs,” will be hosted by WHO and the Thai Government in Bangkok, from Nov. 5-7, 2018.

With the continued support of WHO, ICFJ will select 12 journalists for the Safety 2018 reporting fellowship. The fellows will deepen their understanding of injury prevention and sharpen the skills needed to cover this often under-reported topic by attending a two-day workshop ahead of the event. Afterwards, they will have the opportunity to cover the conference sessions, and to meet and interview global experts.

WHO and ICFJ have organized similar opportunities for journalists in the past including workshops ahead of Safety 2016 and the 2nd High Level Road Safety Conference. As well as a regional road safety journalism training in Sri Lanka. In total, fellows who participated in these programs have published over 150 stories on road safety and injury prevention topics.

Requirements:

• ICFJ invites journalists from all over the world to apply for the Safety 2018 Reporting Fellowship. The fellowship will include a workshop prior to the conference on Nov. 3-4, 2018, and attendance at the conference sessions from Nov. 5-7.
• Journalists who apply for the fellowship must be fluent in English.
• Priority will be given to journalists from low– or middle-income countries. Please note that preference will be given to those who haven’t participated in a WHO training workshop before

During the workshop, ICFJ trainers and WHO experts will provide an overview of different safety issues, including road safety, water safety and drowning prevention, violence-related injury, and other safety and injury prevention topics. Trainers also will work on strengthening the fellows’ reporting skills, with a particular focus on tracking down data from different sources, creating data-driven reports, and developing visualizations and graphics to engage audiences.

Benefits:

• The 2018 Safety Reporting Fellowship program will cover all fellowship-related costs, including travel to the conference, accommodations and registration.

Applicants will be asked to provide the following:

• An essay (no more than 500 words) detailing your motivation and goals for seeking the fellowship, including three specific changes you hope to make to your work as a result of the workshop;
• At least one fleshed-out story idea (300 – 500 words) for an in-depth safety and injury-prevention reporting project that incorporates data. Applicants may focus on their own countries, and include ways to use digital tools and social media to engage audiences in a dialogue about these vital safety issues;
• A commitment to produce at least three safety stories during and after the conference;
• A letter of support from an editor or newsroom manager endorsing the journalist’s participation in the program to demonstrate understanding of the fellowship’s value and support for publishing, posting and/or broadcasting the journalist’s coverage of the conference and story project;
• A brief biography (up to 300 words);
• A resume or curriculum vitae;
• Two samples of work focusing on safety or injury prevention published/posted/broadcast recently (after 2015).

The application deadline is Friday, Aug. 17, 2018 (9:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time). Click here to apply. ICFJ will inform the finalists by Sept. 7, 2018.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the 2018 Safety Reporting Fellowship program