The Thomson Reuters Foundation Training Program on Press Coverage of Emerging Coronavirus Crisis in MENA Region.

Application Deadline: 04 January 2021

The new Corona virus has spread all over the world, and after it has claimed the lives of more than a million people, there are no significant signs of a decline in infection rates with this virus. Entire countries have been forced into lockdowns to reduce the burden on the health services sector and reduce the spread of disease, resulting in economic and societal disruption of a scale never seen before. Likewise, persistent misinformation and a lack of understanding of the potential consequences and impacts of the emerging coronavirus have also spread, leading to widespread confusion and fear and complicating efforts by governments and organizations to find solutions to the crisis. 

The need for news and information that is factual, real and reliable to inform the population about the epidemic is more urgent than ever. It is therefore imperative to enhance journalists’ understanding of the scientific terminology, legal and ethical aspects surrounding reporting on the emerging coronavirus, in addition to providing them with techniques to understand complex data sets in order to prepare reports in a clear and simple language for their audience. Yet journalists from different professional backgrounds have found themselves caught in the cycle of emergency news and are still struggling to overcome the complexity of this rapidly changing story in order to succeed in their mission to inform the public.  

training program
The Thomson Reuters Foundation is organizing an online training program that will provide a space for journalists in a number of countries to converge virtually to train, share knowledge, attend expert sessions, and build networking among colleagues from different countries of the region, ensuring that they stay and their newsrooms are always aware of the most important news of this year. . 

The program, whose activities take place remotely over the course of 8 weeks, will provide journalists reporting in the MENA region with the latest interactive online platforms and tools to connect participants in interactive video seminars with global trainers and experts. Journalists will gain knowledge and information related to the pandemic, share advice and ideas about their different contexts, master new digital skills, and have access to policy makers and influential officials to obtain exclusive information and story ideas to help them cover the impact of the new coronavirus in their countries in a deeper, more enlightened level. .

Participants will meet once a week on Mondays for four hours, including two live virtual sessions of 90 minutes and an hour of offline study, to work on the tasks set by the training team. Guest trainers and / or guest speakers lead virtual, face-to-face sessions to ask questions, share ideas, learn and practice new skills. The face-to-face sessions will be supplemented with supplementary additional materials. Post-session discussions and comments on an exclusive central forum will expand the learning process. 

* In addition to the Monday sessions (of four hours duration), participants should be given another4 hours per week for independent research, activities and group interaction in the forum. 

The program includes the following:  

• Webinars to analyze the pandemic from a different perspective and analyze different impacts on various sectors;
• Virtual lessons on journalism tools and skills, including verification tools, data visualization, and digital news gathering;
• Briefings with senior policymakers, healthcare officials, and civil society groups;
• Curated newsletter containing the latest analysis, research findings and developments;
• Exclusive membership in the group forum for continuous exchange of knowledge, feedback and support.

ELIGIBILITY

Terms of application:
Applicants must be citizens of countries in the MENA region working in the region as full-time journalists or regular contributors to media organizations that produce content in Arabic. 

They should have professional experience of no less than three years and a good level of spoken and written Arabic. 
We especially welcome applicants who work for independent media organizations operating in the region. 

Applicants should have access to an internet speed of at least 1MB / s. (You can check the speed of your device by logging into it at www.speedtest.net ). 
Applicants should participate in the sessions via a computer or a LapTom and not a mobile phone.

FUNDING

Journalism and Mentoring Grants Program sponsored by the Thomson Reuters Foundation Journalists
will have the opportunity to apply for another two-month mentoring program after the end of the training program that includes providing a grant to produce a journal article that will later be published in their media.

SUBMISSIONS

How to apply Fill the application form, which includes:

• Two business models (maximum file size 5MB) in Arabic. Radio / TV journalists can send their texts with a brief summary.
• A CV of up to 250 words that clarifies your career
• A summary of nearly 250 words describing the factors affecting your work as a journalist during the pandemic
• A summary of around 250 words describing your motivations and how you hope to benefit from this training program
• Please also fill out a pre-training questionnaire , so we can improve the program based on an assessment of journalists’ needs.

If you encounter any difficulties in applying, please email marianne.tweedie@thomsonreuters.comAPPLY

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Thomson Reuters Foundation Training Program on Press Coverage of Emerging Coronavirus Crisis