Deadline: 1-Dec-21
The Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD) has launched a call for applications for Digital Media Fellowship Program that aims to support independent, primarily digital media startups and/or outlets, especially the ones founded and/or operated by women or other marginalised groups in Pakistan.
Media Matters for Democracy’s Digital Media Fellowship Program is an initiative to assist Pakistani digital content producers and journalists in sustaining their digital media outlets, in order to help them grow and develop into a digital community.
The information ecosystem in Pakistan is dominated by mainstream, national-scale media. This domination of national media creates a gap of representation of communities whose voices are not adequately included in the mainstream.
Regional and community media organisations face an array of problems like complex journalistic obstacles, technical disruptions, and all existential financial challenges. Innovative ideas and a start-up mentality are needed to strengthen media outlets and offer a wider range of quality journalism content to a broader audience in new formats and through new channels.
Throughout the world, local and citizen media outlets have developed interesting approaches that can be used everywhere. This program is rolled out as an initiative under ‘The Media Lab’, MMFD’s in-house incubator and accelerator for digital media startups.
Objective
The key objective of this fellowship program is to improve the voices and representation of women, marginalised communities, improve the representation of communities who are underrepresented, and encourage production of quality digital content on digital platforms, which are otherwise rife with hate speech, political rhetoric, misinformation, and conspiracy theories.
What do they offer?
- They are inviting digital media outlets / startups from all across the country to apply for MMFD’s Digital Media Fellowship Program. A total of 10 digital media outlets / startups will be selected as Fellows and will be offered a wide range of support to make the media outlets/start-ups more sustainable, financially resilient, and potentially scaleable.
- The 10 selected Fellows (digital media outlets / startups) will be offered:
- Hands-on support from experts in developing editorial, business development, and design strategies for digital media outlets / startups, which will be aimed at helping them grow as digital entities,
- Technical training programs which will help them in creating, publishing, and monetising their content better,
- Financial support (of up to 400,000 PKR) for the implementation of editorial, business development, and design strategies developed under this Fellowship program,
- Fellows (digital media outlets / startups) based in Islamabad and Karachi will also have full access to MMFD’s production studio.
Eligibility Criteria
- This program is available for all Pakistani citizens, creating content from within Pakistan, and open for all national and regional digital media outlets, media startups, or community media platforms promoting key journalistic values, and producing quality journalism content.
- You can apply if:
- You are a digital content producer, producing and publishing journalistic content (on a wide range of themes including environment, health, etc) through your own (individual led) digital media outlet
- You lead or are a part of a digital media outlet / startup, and regularly create and publish quality journalism content. In this case, the application will be submitted on behalf of the digital media outlet.
- Preference will be given to women-led digital media outlets and community platforms, especially from within the marginalised section(s).
For more information, visit https://mediamatters.pk/media-matters-for-democracy-announces-digital-media-fellowship-program/