Deadline: April 30, 2026
Applications are open for the Africa Uncensored x DW Akademie AI in the Newsroom Fellowship 2026. This is a six-month intensive program designed to bridge the gap between journalism and emerging technologies.
This is not a fellowship about “chatting” with AI. It is a technical laboratory for journalists who want to build solutions. From June to December 2026, selected fellows will work on building products for adoption in their newsrooms and work environments, as well as the development of bespoke AI workflows for editorial processes.
If you’re looking to adopt and use AI tools, or if you’re already dabbling with AI-assisted journalism and want to grow your skillset, this fellowship provides the mentorship and technical framework to make it happen.
Benefits
- Technical Upskilling: Deep dives into AI tools for data journalism, AI literacy trainings, and pairing with experts in the AI space.
- Project Mentorship: Dedicated support to help you move from a “bottleneck” to a finished, polished tool that is ready to deploy.
- Collaborative Network: Join a cohort of media professionals committed to raising the technical bar in journalism.
- Resource Access: Hands-on experience with a dedicated sandbox of tools, and the frameworks needed to address emerging and existing challenges.
Eligibility
- They are looking for journalists, editors and news content creators with an interest in AI-supported journalism, and who are able to define a clear use case stating how they plan to use AI tools to solve a challenge they have identifed, and who are able to use AI tools to advance their work.
- Fellows will be required to identify a concrete problem within their newsroom and demonstrate how their proposed AI prototype will help solve it. Additionally, applicants will be expected to submit a letter of commitment from their newsroom, or if a freelancer, a personal letter of commitment for the proposed project.
You are an ideal candidate if:
- You have a clear idea of where your needs are, and how AI can help you address these challenges.
- You are comfortable experimenting with new tools and have a “hacker” mindset toward problem-solving.
- You are committed to the full project cycle (June – December).
- You want to responsibly adopt and use AI-augmented reporting tools in your journalism.
Application
Ready to transform your reporting? Fill out the application form. They are looking for projects that prioritize transparency, financial accountability, and public interest.
For more information, visit AI in the Newsroom Fellowship.
