Deadline: On Rolling Basis
Applications for the Mongabay French Language Fellowship Program 2023 are now open. Mongabay is launching a French language fellowship program to provide paid opportunities for young and aspiring journalists in tropical countries.
Through this program, fellows will gain valuable work experience with an international news outlet, develop their environmental reporting skills, and create a portfolio of original publications. Mongabay is seeking a full-time Fellowship Editor to manage this program, work closely with fellows to develop ideas into stories, and assist with editing French content from Mongabay’s African news bureau.
The Fellowship Editor will primarily be responsible for managing Mongabay’s French-language fellowship program in Africa, including overseeing the application process; selecting and onboarding fellows in coordination with other Mongabay staff; working directly with fellows to publish on Mongabay’s French-language website; facilitating collaboration between fellows and Mongabay editors; and supporting Mongabay’s newsroom with copyediting and spot editing. The Fellowship Editor will manage and work with several fellows at any given time, and at least 6 per year. In addition to their primary responsibilities, suitable candidates will be expected to assist with the editorial process of Mongabay Africa.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Editing, Writing, Reporting, Publishing (80% Of Time)
- Manage the review and assessment of fellowship applications to select participants for the program;
- Onboard fellows, familiarizing them with Mongabay’s policies, procedures, and practices based on the organization’s editorial standards;
- Create journalism training materials and provide ongoing guidance to fellows on journalistic practices and approaches to develop stories;
- Assign, edit and publish at least six French-language journalistic articles per fellow on topics related to environmental science and conservation;
- Manage story assignments and maintain publication deadlines;
- Work cooperatively with Mongabay’s team of editors and writers to develop editorial coverage plans ranging from news stories to features, consistently of high quality;
- Conduct interviews, phone calls and/or meetings, and perform other research as needed, to gather background for the planning of stories and article series;
- Research, fact-check, and review articles prior to publication;
- Work with fellows, contributors, and staff to source and/or produce visual content including charts, maps, photos, and videos, as needed, for each article produced;
- Assist with assigning and editing of stories produced outside the fellowship program;
- Provide other support as needed to ensure content meets Mongabay’s high standards of professionalism, consistency, authenticity, and reliability.
Strategic Planning & Administration (20%)
- Report regularly to Mongabay’s Africa Program Director on progress toward meeting reporting objectives;
- Support editorial planning to reach established production goals as set under the fellowship program;
- Collect data on the impacts of the fellowship program via participant surveys as well as fellow’s stories such as examples of republication for use in grant reports;
- Must be able to work within tight deadlines and be responsive to Mongabay.com headquarters and to other Mongabay staffers via email, skype, asana, phone and messaging platforms.
Compensation
- Mongabay aims to offer competitive pay rates that will attract, retain, and motivate their full-time staff.
Eligibility
- Have three or more years of experience working in journalism / editorial / writing required (environmental journalism preferred);
- Exceptional fluency (writing and speaking) in French is required, and English capability is ideal;
- Knowledge and familiarity with conservation and environmental issues are essential;
- Demonstrated editorial ability to work with a variety of content, including formatting of feature articles, graphics, photo captions, and HTML;
- Experience working with journalists for whom French may not be their native language is a strong positive;
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office, WordPress (or similar), Google Drive, and Asana (or similar project management system);
- Reliable access to high-speed Internet is required;
- Must be willing to commit to full-time role (40 hours per week) and available during regular business hours.
Application
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until filled. On the application, you will be asked to fill out basic contact information, pay rate expectations, reference information (2), and to upload the following documents:
- Cover letter – please provide specific examples of your experience related to this position, as well as specific examples of your ability to work effectively from home and meet deadlines (1-2 pages)
- Resume – (1-2 pages)
- Two references
For more information, visit Mongabay French Language Fellowship.
