Deadline: May 16, 2018
MSF Southern Africa and MSF India are inviting applications for the MSF Media Fellowship 2018. The fellowship will fully fund reporting assignments for one South African journalist who can demonstrate the potential for incisive and original reporting. Following MSF India’s successful launch a fellowship programme for media in India focusing on access to medicines, MSF India and MSF Southern Africa are now partners in implementing this international media fellowship during 2018.
The MSF Media Fellowship aims at building or strengthening rapport with the media stakeholders in South Africa and to promote a greater practical understanding of issues surrounding access to essential medicines related to ongoing reforms in intellectual property legislation. It also provides journalists access to MSF field projects locally and internationally as well as research and civil society partners for a deeper understanding of the issues.
The fellowship programme provides support for a fellow to research and visit MSF projects in India for three weeks and spend another week upon return to South Africa to produce a minimum of three features in their medium of publication or transmission.
Benefits
- A fellowship to the total value of Euro 3,500;
- The fellowship will cover round-trip air tickets to India, local travel while in India, accommodation, per diem and other administrative issues;
- To provide all the necessary support i.e. visa processing, payment for required vaccinations among other administrative issues;
- Briefings from MSF experts on (medical) humanitarian principles and our work;
- Briefings from other MSF experts—based on the topic chosen;
- Access to field projects, relevant networks of experts and patient groups and facilitation of the journalist for a pre-decided time frame
Eligibility
- Open to professional journalists, including freelancers, working in print, television or online media in South Africa;
- Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of three to four years of professional experience of covering health, business, the pharmaceutical industry, intellectual property related issues, public policy and/or related issues;
- Applicants must have at least a national diploma or degree in Journalism, media or communications;
- Applicants should have a valid passport.
Expected Deliverables
- Once selected, the fellows will have to attend an orientation/briefing at MSF India Southern Africa to understand and familiarise themselves with the requirements of this fellowship.
- Print/Online: Minimum of 3 articles (500 words each) or 1 long-form feature (2,000 words) on the topic published in their outlet within 60 days of completing the Fellowship.
- Multimedia: 2 Articles (500 words each) accompanied by multimedia content like videos, data visualizations, photo stories or illustrations
- Television: 1 feature-length documentary (20-30 Min) or 3 television news stories
- The fellows are expected to acknowledge the support of MSF Media fellowship in their reporting in the interests of transparency.
- All copyright for news stories will remain with the publications, however, MSF reserves the right to share and publish all articles on relevant websites and blogs.
- After the completing the Fellowship programme, fellows are expected to speak about their experience to the larger MSF Southern Africa office and other interested people of MSF.
Application Requirements
Interested journalists should send the following the documents with their application
- 2-page Curriculum Vitae along with a cover letter
- Copies of the previous reporting on health or IP issues
- Crucially, applicants have to deliver a strong proposal demonstrating some initial research and story angles outlining their possible focus area while in India and how it is linked to the in South Africa (700-word proposal)
- Letter of recommendation from the professional referee (other than the editor) detailing the applicant’s journalistic abilities and aptitude for the fellowship.
- Applicants must provide a ‘letter of support’ from the editor of their current employer/editor assuring Fellows time/leave for 4 weeks and agreeing to publish the articles written by the Fellows in their publication. Freelancers must also provide a supporting letter from the editor of a publication agreeing to use the articles
Submit your cover note, proposals and scan the above documents to the attention of Angela Makamure via [email protected]
For more information, visit MSF Southern Africa / India Media Fellowship.
