U.S. Mission to India: Supporting Women Journalists in Countering Mis/Disinformation in the Indo-Pacific Region

Deadline: 15 May 2020

The U.S. Consulate General, Public Affairs Section in Kolkata is soliciting proposals for a program entitled “Support for women journalists in countering mis/disinformation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Project Goal

The U.S. and India have a shared responsibility to combat the scourge of misinformation and disinformation for a secure Indo-Pacific region. This ranges from the promotion of strong norms on professional journalism, supporting investigative journalism, reducing financial incentives for fake news, and improving digital literacy among the general public. Taken together, these steps would further quality discourse and weaken the environment that has propelled disinformation around the globe. The importance of partnerships is vital in the fight against fake news and disinformation. The problem is simply too complex to address any other way. The proposed workshop will address these issues using the power of media and fact checking with contributions from women journalists who are often targets of online trolling. The program is an opportunity to explore how Indians and Americans can work together to inform and improve their world and the Indo-Pacific region.

Project Objectives

Fifty to sixty workshop participants will developconcrete strategies to counter disinformationand misinformation in the Indo-Pacific region within 6-8 months of the workshop, as evidenced by collaborative stories/articles published.
Journalists will collaborate across borders on reportingissues that are important to their communities and to the U.S. government. The journalists to develop at least digital stories countering disinformation and misinformation that will be shared on Consulate’s social media platforms.

Project Audience

Female journalists, age 25-45, from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, with college or university degrees

Project Deliverables

Connect and create a group of 50-60 informed women journalists over a two-day workshop.
Provide a safe platform for the women journalists to discuss the propagation of fake news in their countries.
The workshop will release (1) white-paper or policy recommendation for media outlets and possibly governments to consider for implementation to counter disinformation and misinformation.
Regarding Objective 2 above, the applicant will monitor and facilitate generation of the strategy and stories in close coordination with the Consulate press team, which will report on stories/products that the cross-border groups create.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding: $120,000
Award Ceiling: $120,000
Award Floor: $100,000

Eligibility Criteria

The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Civil society/non-governmental organizations
- Think tanks
- Public and private educational institutions
- Individuals
Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
Please choose organization nationality and type: International Not-for-Profit Organization.
Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
Cost sharing or matching is not required for this funding opportunity.
Pre-award costs are not an allowable expense for this funding opportunity.