The Wits China-Africa Reporting Project, hosted within the Journalism Department of the University of Witwatersrand, aims to improve the quality of reporting around China-Africa issues. Despite the expanding links between the two regions media reporting has often been inadequate or polarised, either portraying China as an exploiting predator or a benign development partner. The project aims to encourage balanced and considered reporting as the topic of China-Africa relations is further entrenched in the editorial narrative of both regions.
The project offers reporting grants to African and Chinese journalists and encourages collaborations to investigate the complex dynamics and uncover untold stories and enables research for journalism students looking at media responses to China’s engagement with Africa.
The project is funded by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.
Reporting grant terms:
- The grants are intended to provide funding for travel, accommodation and sundry daily expenses, but will not cover car hire, purchase of equipment or professional fees, or to buy publication space
- Grants are generally between $300 and $2,000, and must not exceed $2,000
- Applicants should allow up to two weeks for a response to their proposal
- Successful grant recipients will be required to sign an agreement which outlines the terms of the reporting project and agreed budget
- The reporting project should be completed within three months of the receipt of the grant funding unless otherwise agreed
- It is the responsibility of journalists to ensure that the work is published and that acknowledgment is provided to the Wits China-Africa Reporting Project as provider of the grant
- Successful applicants will be expected to supply a copy of their passport and banking details for a personal account that can receive foreign payments
- On completion of the reporting project grant recipients will be required to supply electronic copies of all material produced as a result of the grant
- Wits Journalism will accept no responsibility for the work produced or the conduct of the grantee, but retains the right to use any material published as a result of a grant for publicity and promotional purposes although it will at all times provide due accreditation to the journalist
- The Wits China-Africa Reporting Project reserves the right to review and edit copy before it goes to print
How to apply:
- Journalists should draft a succinct proposal outlining their idea and submit to africa-china@journalism.co.za
- Proposals will only be accepted in MS Word or PDF formats
- Proposals should be clearly structured, stating briefly at the outset what the story idea is, followed by how and where the story will be researched and what it aims to reveal or contribute to the China-Africa debate
- Proposals will be reviewed by a committee at the Wits Journalism Department, which will have sole and final discretion on the grants as well as the criteria used and any conditions attached to them
- Preference will be given to proposals with a relatively narrow focus around specific projects or issues. Ambitious and broad attempts to analyse the overall effect of Chinese engagement should be avoided
- Where possible journalists should identify individuals or communities through which to tell the story. While desk research is important, we encourage journalists to look for on-the-ground impact and perspectives
Proposals should include the following:
- Brief outline of the story idea; what will be investigated, how and where
- A budget of expected costs (in Rands for South African journalists or US dollars for journalists from other African countries)
- Journalist’s resumé/CV and samples of published/broadcast work
- Indication of where the article will be published
- Applicant’s assessment of the risks of the project (if applicable)
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