Deadline: 28-May-21
The Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) has launched a call for proposals for Misinformation Project Reporting Bursaries to support Canadian news media’s coverage of online misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The spread of misinformation and disinformation through social media platforms and messaging apps has created a new and complex information environment.
The pandemic has also highlighted the growing need for high-quality information from trusted media sources.
The reporting bursaries are part of JHR’s Misinformation Project, which provides Canadian journalists and journalism students with digital investigation and media literacy training to identify and report on misinformation and provide accurate and essential information to their audiences.
Funding Information
- Amount: $3000
Topic Examples
Topic examples can include, but are not limited to:
- Stories that investigate the use of social media apps and platforms to spread online misinformation and disinformation in Canada.
- Examples include identifying practical tools members of the public can use to spot online misinformation or the interplay between online misinformation and news events.
- Misinformation and health or science topics.
- Examples include vaccine hesitancy and misinformation in Canada, what kinds of local data deficits the pandemic has created or the impact of misinformation on the well-being of diverse communities in Canada.
- Stories that investigate how organizations such as advocacy groups and research bodies are addressing misinformation topics or using digital verification tools to identify misinformation.
- Examples might include how news organizations are using digital verification tools or platforms in their reporting or how their editorial coverage may have changed due to the pandemic.
The Pitching Process
- The grant may be used to cover the travel, research and publication costs associated with producing this story.
- Pitches can include stories intended for any medium (print, digital, radio, TV).
- Format and length can vary. Examples can include pitches for a feature or feature profile or a series of 500 word stories or short audio/video stories.
- Pitches intended for French language media will be accepted.
- Freelancers, students and teams of journalists are open to apply.
- Pitches and stories must be intended for Canadian news organizations.
- Pitches will be evaluated by JHR staff and misinformation trainers.
- Editorial guidance from JHR staff and trainers may be available.
- Stories should be completed (published, produced or aired) within three months of accepting the grant.
Eligibility Criteria
- Early applications are strongly encouraged.
- Canadian journalism professionals and journalism students studying in Canada who have received JHR’s “How to Counter Online Misinformation Narratives” training and are interested in investigating the issues, events and tools covered in the session, or related topics, should apply.
For more information, visit https://jhr.ca/call-for-proposals-misinformation-project-3000-reporting-bursaries