Thomson Reuters fellowships for reporting crises and disasters

Start date: 31 Oct 2011 | End date: 04 Nov 2011
Location: Caiscais, Portugal
Language: English
Application deadline: 05 Sep 2011

This course will consist of three days of classroom training and two days attending the ‘Japan’ and ‘A Disaster in your country’ sessions as well as other sessions at the News Xchange conference. For more details follow this link:

http://www.newsxchange.org/program/schedule/the-stories.html

The core activity of the course concerns the challenges and techniques involved in covering international-scale crises and disasters, using Reuters and other world news organisations as a model. We will concentrate on natural disasters and humanitarian crises of all sorts, and the special problems that can arise in covering them. Through briefings and practical writing exercises against deadlines, the course will help journalists improve their skills and recognise problem areas, within an interactive group environment. The Thomson Reuters Foundation AlertNet service (www.alertnet.org) will provide a central resource during the course.

Eligibility:

Applicants must be currently working as a journalist or regular contributor to media organisations. NewsXchange is a yearly conference for the television and video industry therefore it will help if applicants are interested in this field of journalism.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country, must have at least two years’ professional experience and have a good level in spoken and written English. If you have been on a Thomson Reuters Foundation training programme within the last two years you will not be eligible to apply.

Funding:

Full bursaries for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for organisations with no resources for training. Bursaries would include travel expenses (economy class), accommodation and a modest contribution towards living allowance. This arrangement is subject to variation.

Part-funded bursaries are available for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition who work for organisations that have limited resources for training, in this instance Thomson Reuters Foundation waives the tuition cost and you will be expected to cover travel and accommodation costs. In exceptional circumstances journalists from the developed world will be considered for part-funded bursaries.

News Xchange will waive the cost of the delegate fees to the conference for each participant (approx €1000)

Submissions:

• A biography of up to 250 words outlining your career.
• A statement of between 250 and 500 words describing any factors affecting your work as a journalist. Explain how you hope to benefit from the course for which you are applying.
• Two recent examples of your published work, preferably relevant to the course for which you are applying, with a brief summary in English (if necessary). TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.