Google News Initiative/ICFJ IJNet Arabic Training Program 2019/2020 for Journalists in the MENA Region

Deadline Date: September 30, 2019

Applications are open for the IJNet Arabic Training Program 2019/2020. The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is partnering with the Google News Initiative on a large-scale effort to strengthen the digital know-how of thousands of journalists across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Participants in the program will learn the most effective ways to gather and source information, enhance trust and verification, use data for stories and apps, and embrace immersive storytelling.

About the Program

The program is being offered through IJNet Arabic, an ICFJ platform that brings the latest training opportunities, tips and resources to journalists. IJNet Arabic’s strong following in the MENA region, along with its network of instructors, has made it a valuable resource for journalists who are looking to reinvent their skills. Combining IJNet Arabic’s reach and loyal audience with Google’s digital leadership, the program will:

• Identify and nurture a core group of nine digital media trainers who will offer training on Google tools and others.
• Equip 4,000 journalists across countries in the Arab world with the latest digital tools and resources.

The need for digital training is acute. An ICFJ study, The State of Technology in Global Newsrooms, found that only 29 percent of newsrooms in MENA regularly use multiple platforms to distribute stories – trailing those in the rest of the world; 56 percent are struggling to build trust with audiences and 77 percent are concerned about their ability to create quality content.

Program Activities

• Phase 1 – Virtual Training: The IJNet Arabic webinars were led by expert ICFJ mentors and a Google trainer and were open to all journalists in the MENA region. Participants learned key concepts and tools in information gathering and sourcing, trust and verification, data journalism, and immersive storytelling. The webinars took place on May 2 and May 3, 2018.
• Phase 2 – Training of Trainers: The most promising journalists from Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia who took part in the webinars were invited to participate in a two-day Training of Trainers workshop hosted by Google in Dubai, where they learned the skills needed to become digital media trainers.
• Phase 3 – In-Country Training: The digital media trainers led newsroom trainings and workshops for university students in their home countries with continued coaching from expert mentors. The top trainers also conducted trainings at regional media events to benefit a wider array of MENA professionals.
• Phase 4 – Expanded Virtual Training: The digital media trainers will conduct online webinars for journalists in each of their home countries to increase the number of local professionals trained on Google News Initiative tools and best practices. The trainings will cover four modules:
  • Information gathering and sourcing
  • Trust and verification
  • Data journalism
  • Immersive storytelling
• Phase 5 – Newsroom embed at IJNet: Journalists who participate in the online webinars will be eligible to apply for a three-week newsroom embed with IJNet in Washington, D.C. ICFJ will cover roundtrip flights to Washington, D.C., lodging and per diem. The selected journalist will have the opportunity to write articles for IJNet Arabic, help develop multimedia and social content for IJNet platforms and receive mentoring.

Eligibility

• Open to journalists from Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia.

Application

Click here to apply

For more information, visit IJNet Arabic Training.