Deadline: May 7, 2025
Applications are open for the Code for Africa Media Sentinel Fellowships in Southern Africa 2025. Code for Africa (CfA) is offering four Media Sentinel Fellowships to frontline grassroots researchers with expertise in social media listening and analysis and with a good knowledge of social media cross-platform coordination and messaging on platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter).
The six-month part-time fellowships are part of a joint initiative between CfA and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen information integrity by detecting, disrupting, and deplatforming malign actors in Southern Africa. The programme aims to protect inclusive democracy and human rights in the digital age by leveraging digital technologies, with an emphasis on climate and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) issues in the following Southern African countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The successful candidates will work with CfA’s forensic investigations team, iLAB, to provide information that will guide the creation of early warning alerts for information manipulation. The Media Sentinels will provide information on coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB) and other information manipulation and interference (IMI) behaviour within their countries.
Benefits
The fellowship package will consist of:
- Stipend: Fellows will receive a competitive monthly stipend depending on their influence as macro or nano influencers and experience in similar previous projects.
- Training and mentoring: CfA will provide the fellows with advanced training and mentoring in traditional and social media monitoring.
Eligibility
- You must be non-partisan, without any link to government agencies, paramilitary organisations, political parties, state-affiliated media, or other bodies that might create the perception of partisanship in either national or local politics.
- You must be fluent in English or French.
- You must have access to a reliable personal laptop or computer with stable internet connectivity to participate in programme activities, online classes, and mentorship sessions.
- You must demonstrate an understanding of using social media platforms such as Facebook, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and X.
- You must be available for weekly one-hour virtual meetings.
Application
The deadline for applications is May 7, 2025.
For more information, visit Code for Africa Media Sentinel Fellowships.
