Deadline: 15-Sep-22
The Without Borders Media Fellowship is now open for applications to encourage both cross-border and hyper-local reporting in South Asia and leverage powerful storytelling to highlight pressing issues concerning public health and humanitarian aid. Stories from the ground will build evidence for medical and humanitarian advocacy and encourage visibility for public health issues that MSF and other similar organizations are working on.
Fellows will engage closely with mentors, who are experts in journalism and public health, as well as with staff from within the MSF movement, who will provide strategic guidance to the Fellowship programme, advise Fellows, and help identify themes and geographies with the need of greater focus.
Applicants can apply under two grant categories: Topic-based Grant(Sexual and Gender-based Violence) or General Grant(applicants can choose from the themes mentioned below).
Aims
- The Without Borders Media Fellowship aims to:
- Encourages cross-border and hyper-local reporting on health and humanitarian issues in South Asia.
- Leverage powerful storytelling, both in visual and non-visual formats, to build public awareness.
- Support regional and local media journalists with grants to encourage field visits.
- Highlight or expose critical public health or public health policy issues
Themes
- The Fellowship welcomes applications and reporting proposals on thematic areas, including but not limited to:
- Maternal Healthcare
- HIV / Advanced HIV
- Emergency Response
- Endemic Diseases
- Global Effects of COVID-19
- Sexual and Gender-based Violence
- Occupational Health
- Non-communicable Diseases
- Refugee Health
- mental health
- Tuberculosis
- Access to Medicines
- Climate Emergency
- Malnutrition
- Reproductive Health
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- Vaccination
- Food Insecurity
- The Fellowship also welcomes applications and reporting proposals that:
- Advance public understanding and health policy or human-interest stories that focus on health inequity and challenges to access healthcare.
- Explore health disparities and their causes and bringing out local and indigenous or novel solutions
- Investigate socio-economic and cultural barriers that may restrict public health and well-being.
What to Expect as a Fellow
- The journey of a Media Fellow with MSF will include mentorship, subject matter sensitization, training, access to MSF projects and experts, and reporting costs for field visit. Awards are based on reasonable, detailed budgets. Most awards will range between INR 50,000- INR 2,00,000, but maybe more or less depending on circumstances.
- A Fellowship award will cover a duration of three months, with special projects, depending on the application and reporting proposal, given further consideration. Fellows will be expected to publish their work within three months of the Award.
- A Fellow will be encouraged to support public engagement around their work via:
- Instagram/Facebook Live
- In-person fireside chat
- Video testimonials
- blog posts
- Social media promotions
- Mapathons in newsrooms
Eligibility Criteria
- MSF welcomes applications from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldives:
- Professional reporters, photographers, radio/audio journalists, television/video journalists, working in print, television or online media (including YouTube), as well as freelancers, based in a South Asian country. They are committed to supporting journalists from diverse backgrounds and of all nationalities.
- Media professionals with demonstrated professional experience in writing on gender, public health, development, public policy and/or related issues
- Journalists working for English and regional language publications are eligible to apply
What Makes a Successful Application?
- Reporting proposals must be grounded in a key public health or humanitarian aid issue in one South Asian country
- Reporting proposals must align with MSF’s work, social mission and values
For more information, visit https://msfsouthasia.org/without-borders-media-fellowship/