Deadline: 01-Aug-21
The U.S. Embassy Niamey Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce available funding for Journalism, Media Literacy, and Countering Disinformation.
Organizations are encouraged to submit applications to carry out a program to provide training to build journalist and blogger capacity in Niger through programs at the U.S. Embassy’s American Spaces in Niamey, Agadez, Maradi, and/or Zinder.
Objectives
Proposals for projects must focus on two or more of the priority journalism and media programs and target audiences specified below. Additionally, all proposals must include elements of countering disinformation; conflict prevention / countering violent extremism; good governance; and human rights:
- Introduction to Journalism
- Target Audience: High school and university students,
- Course description: In-person classes, informal discussion sessions or workshop aiming at introducing fundamentals of journalism as to encourage the target audience to pursue journalism studies and careers. By the end of the session, participants are expected to publish a news story on a salient issue.
- Journalism Ethics, Deontology and Fact Checking
- Target Audience: Professional journalists, journalism students, young professionals
- Course description: This course focuses on the ethics and deontology related to the profession of journalism. It also focuses on critical reading and analysis of news and other information sources including social media. Techniques to detect misinformation, identifying and factchecking information.
- Cybercriminality and the dangers of fake news
- Target Audience: Students, young professionals, bloggers, civil society activists, government officials managing communications
- Course description: The objective of this course is to introduce cybercriminality and its negative consequences, namely spreading Fake News and discuss the Government recently passed law on cybercriminality as a criminal offence. They will also learn about copyrighting, spear phishing, spams, and data saving.
- Blogging and Web Design
- Target Audience: High school and university students, civil society activists, social media users
- Course description: This is a workshop on how to create and run a blog. How to write effective blogposts respecting ethics and avoiding spreading fake news. By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to create their own blogs using WordPress, Blogger, or any other blogging platform.
- Content Production
- Target Audience: High school and university students, civil society activists, social media users, and government officials managing communications
- Course description: This is a workshop on how to create effective and professional content in the medium of the course (print press, radio, tv and online). Participants may learn about all forms but should focus on one form (Radio for instance) for the final project. By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to create a media report on a topic of their choice.
- Photojournalism and/or Documentary Film Making
- Target Audience: Professional journalists, journalism students, film directors, film students, researchers, and government officials managing communications
- Course description: This courses objective is to introduce the fundamentals of photography and photo/video editing or graphic design using smartphones and free photo/video editing applications. The course will end with a photography or a documentary film making competition, and a short documentary film festival and a photojournalism festival.
- Live Social Media Event
- Target Audience: Young journalism professionals, bloggers, social media users, high school, university students, government officials managing communications
- Course description: This courses objective is to train participants on how to create and run live social media events while respecting ethics. It will promote understanding of the law on cybercriminality as well. By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to host a Facebook Live event, Twitter live, and/or Instagram Live event.
Funding Information
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $13,575 to a maximum of $54,300
- Total available funding: Up to $54,300.00 ($13,575 in Agadez, $13,575 Maradi, $13,575 Niamey, and $13,575 Zinder).
- Length of performance period: 12 months
- Anticipated program start date: Program must begin by September 15, 2021.
Priority Regions: Niger’s regions of Niamey, Maradi, Zinder, and Agadez. Some of the programming must take place at the American Spaces in each of these regions.
Participants and Audiences
Participants in the training programs should be Nigeriens aged 14-45 years old. They include:
- Professional journalists
- Journalism School students
- Bloggers
- Civil society activists
- Social media users
- University students and High School students
- Government officials managing communications
Eligibility Criteria
Submissions are encouraged from U.S. and Nigerien entities with relevant programming and/or teaching experience. This experience should be documented in the proposal. Eligible entities include:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
- Public and private educational institutions
- Not-for-profit educational institutions
- Individuals
- Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334078