Deadline: 11-Apr-23
The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Yerevan announces an open competition for organizations with expertise in journalism education and training to implement the “U.S. – Armenia Professional Partnership in Journalism” program.
The goal of the program is to support the Armenian media sector’s overall resilience to disinformation, strengthen professional reporting skills and standards, and cultivate U.S.-Armenian professional partnerships in journalism by instituting an exchange program for Armenian professional journalists and media managers. The exchange program will incorporate a training institute and a fellowship placement for Armenian media professionals in a U.S. media outlet/institution for hands-on learning and relationship building.
The “U.S.-Armenia Professional Partnership in Journalism” program is expected to involve approximately 65-75 broadcast and print journalists, editors, and media managers from Armenia, in a program designed to improve journalism skills through exchanges, a training institute, and month-long fellowship placements.
Goals
- The program should support the Armenian media sector’s overall resilience to disinformation, strengthen professional reporting skills and standards, and cultivate U.S.-Armenian professional partnerships in journalism.
- Projects should be designed to achieve the following:
- Expose Armenian journalists and media managers to U.S. media best practices as well as U.S. expertise for professional reporting and sustainable media management.
- Facilitate a structured interaction between American and Armenian journalists and media managers to cultivate stronger professional ties and lasting relationships.
- Improve knowledge and understanding of combatting mis- and disinformation, fact checking, conflict reporting, source verification, media ethics and other essential topics among early-to-mid-career working journalists from Armenia.
- Improve knowledge and understanding of building sustainable financial models; marketing and digital advertising revenue streams; quality standards in managing media establishments; managing media websites/online platforms (including social media); newsroom management and strategic planning; and other essential topics among media managers form Armenia.
Objectives
- Specific project objectives include:
- Objective 1: 15-25 print/online journalists from Armenia undertake a training program/institutein the United States, with the duration of two to three weeks, to improve their professional skills.(English language proficiency will be required).
- Objective 2: 15-25 broadcast journalists from Armenia undertake a training program/institute in the United States, with the duration of two to three weeks, to improve their professional skills.(English language proficiency will be required).
- Objective 3: 8-12 editors from Armenia undertake a training program/institute in the United States, with the duration of two to three weeks, to improve their professional skills. (English language proficiency preferred, but not required—interpretation to be provided).
- Objective 4: 8-12 media managers from Armenia undertake a training program/institute in the United States, with the duration of two to three weeks, to improve their professional skills. (English language proficiency preferred, but not required—interpretation to be provided).
- Objective 5: 15-20 professional development fellowships are offered to the participating Armenian media professionals for month-long work placement/residency in U.S. media organizations/newsrooms (following the primary training program/institute), to study, identify, and design innovative methods for media management and quality content production for their local newsrooms.
- The primary audience of the program are early-to-mid-career journalists (with a minimum of 12 months of professional experience); media managers; and editors from Armenia.
Funding Information
- Total Funding: $1,086,250 (FY22 AEECA funding)
- Period of Performance: 36 months.
Main Activities
- To achieve the goals and expected results, the program should include the following:
- In collaboration with the Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of U.S. Embassy Yerevan, design and implement substantive exchange programs of approximately two to three weeks for the above-mentioned beneficiary groups from Armenia.
- Facilitate, design, and implement month-long individual fellowship placements in U.S. newsrooms/media institutions for a select cohort of Armenian participating journalists/media managers.
- Identify and select program host media outlets which should primarily include medium market outlets and media institutions.
- Develop the criteria for selecting program beneficiaries, including designing a merit-based mechanism for selecting participants for the additional month-long fellowship placements.
- Organize pre-departure and on-arrival orientations for exchange program participants; arrange all visa-related and logistical matters for the purposes of the exchange visits (including arranging international travel in compliance with the Fly America Act).
- Organize simultaneous translation for the training programs designed for editors and media managers from Armenia.
- Plan for a portion of the U.S. exchange to occur in Washington, D.C to allow exposure to U.S. government institutions and the American system for checks and balances.
- Provide limited support, including through targeted sub-grants, to enable the localization of the innovative methods developed by fellowship program participants.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. Embassy Yerevan welcomes applications from U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations, subject to section 501(c) (3) of the U.S. tax code, with demonstrated expertise in journalism education and training.
For more information, visit Professional Partnership in Journalism.