• From the editor’s desk—on flipping the disaster narrative

• Opportunities for media & changemakers—from the Pulitzer Center, Internews, Magnum, the UN, the Carter Center and more

• PS. Journalism as resistance

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

WorldWise readers—

It might be a hurricane or an earthquake, a war, a major accident—when a disaster hits, the media is all over it. That’s often cause for criticism when the coverage comes with sensationalism or stories that go over the same ground on repeat.

Still, we tune in. Drama and tragedy have always touched the human psyche. Add to that a craving for information and sensemaking, and it’s no wonder we can’t get enough of what reporters and analysts serve up through our insatiable screens.

There’s one fundamental ingredient to the attention-grabbing. It needs an event that punctures the world as we know it. It needs disruption.

So how do you get people interested in stories about a disaster that never happened?

The Disasters Avoided initiative, which was set up to build knowledge and share case-studies about preventing disasters, explored facets of this question in conversations with practitioners shared in the latest edition of a newsletter published in November. In doing this, the team behind the initiative—consultant Gareth Byatt, professor Ilan Kelman and researcher Ana Prados—started from the premise that journalists and the media have a valuable role to play.

One of the main concerns of the group is how to promote examples of success through cases where a disaster has been prevented, and media advisor Lisa Robinson came through on that with a wealth of tips and resources aligned with solutions-based journalism.

Another point the group is keen to get across to the media and the public is that disasters aren’t just about the hazard, like climate change: they are more about human decisions which pave the way to—or help avert—a disaster. Here Onengiyeofori Fyneface, from the African Union of Broadcasting, discussed how African reporters are being trained to understand the difference.

I was asked about this too, and touched on three points in my response. One was about the bigger picture of why getting that point across might be challenging:

I think there is a reason historically as to why this is the case. It has taken so long for the climate change narrative to be accepted, and I think societally, we are still riding that wave, and I think what you are saying is the next step in the evolution into a more holistic conversation.

Another point is about the kind of messaging that often makes its way into the media:

I think what tends to get picked up on a regular basis [is] consensus messaging, what most scientists agree on. In that context, if you want to put forward an alternative or a minority position or interpretation, it helps to have a strong piece of evidence that gives that position credence, like a study or a quote from a prominent figure, to help break into the mainstream. Messaging that will make the editor’s head turn and take it seriously, otherwise it risks being seen as a fringe position and the chances of it getting picked up are much lower.

The third part of that question has to do with politics and inconvenient truths:

There is also another obstacle in the alternative message that you are trying to put forward—it places the responsibility on people and institutions, which they may see as inconvenient.

Thinking about this conversation since then, I keep going back to a more basic question: how do you get anyone, not just the media, interested in something that hasn’t happened? It’s a biological fact that our attention gets triggered by events, shocks, difference. Maybe a big part of this quest to communicate how we, as a society, can avoid disasters is about turning non-events into something compelling—how to flip the narrative so the story happens outside and beyond the disruption.

Anita

📌 Learn more about Disasters Avoided and sign up to the newsletter.

OPPORTUNITIES | working in media & global change

grants+funding

MEDIA

⏳ GLOBAL | Northwestern University’s Medill has opened submissions for the spring 2026 cohort of the Data-Driven Reporting Project, which aims to support investigative projects that serve local and/or underrepresented communities in the U.S. and Canada, and seeks to make awards of up to $35,000—apply by March 31.

🎥 ASIA | Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is offering support to communicators reporting from coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal to produce in-depth text and video reports on various aspects of climate change impacts that are not usually accounted for by policymakers—closing April 15.

🎥 ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network seeks to provide financial support and editorial mentorship to communicators and social media content creators reporting on India’s renewable energy transition—apply by April 15.

🎥 GLOBAL | The Magnum Foundation is accepting applications from women or nonbinary photographers under the age of 30 for a grant in honour of Austrian-born photographer Inge Morath—submissions due April 30.

CHANGEMAKERS

⏳ ASIA | NGOs and public organisations based in Bangladesh can apply for The Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP) programme, offered by the Embassy of Japan, which provides funding to implement small-scale, community-focused initiatives addressing essential social and economic needs—closing 31 March.

⏳ LAC | The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) is inviting applications for proposals to support innovative Blue Economy projects that strengthen marine and coastal livelihoods, enhance biodiversity and climate resilience, and implement sustainable financing mechanisms in the Caribbean—closing 31 March.

⏳ GLOBAL | The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) is inviting applications from organisations or enterprises based or operating in its 101 member countries for projects that empower smallholders, enhance local livelihoods, and promote sustainable, inclusive economic development through high-impact interventions—closing 1 April.

⏳ AFRICA | Savings and credit groups in Kenya can apply to the IUCN’s Community Resilience Facility (CRF), to access seed capital to support local restoration projects and strengthen economic resilience—closing 4 April.

AFRICA | The European Commission is inviting grant applications for projects aiming to strengthen weather and climate modelling in Africa to support more effective adaptation, disaster risk management, and capacity building—closing 15 April.

AFRICA | The European Commission invites civil society organisations working to strengthen democratic governance, citizen participation, and sustainable development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to apply for grants to support projects focusing on marginalised groups and rural areas—closing 20 April.

fellowships+scholarships

MEDIA

⏳ GLOBAL | A fellowship for five journalists from low- and middle-income countries to cover the 8th Global Environment Facility Assembly is being offered by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network. Those selected will get a front-row seat to the event, which will be attended by more than 1,000 delegates in Samarkand in Uzbekistan between May 31 and June 6 —apply by 31 March.

⏳ GLOBAL | Applications for a program to cover the United Nations, the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship, are open. Working journalists between 22 and 35 years of age who are nationals of selected developing countries and countries in transition are invited to apply for the four-week program—deadline 3 April.

⏳ GLOBAL | The Carter Center is offering domestic and international fellowships to support journalists with at least three years of experience in their coverage of issues related to mental health and climate change—submit your application by April 3.

⏳ GLOBAL | Internews’ Earth Journalism Network has opened applications for its in-person fellowship program that intends to support selected journalists to attend the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, between June 16 and 18, and produce at least two in-depth stories or analyses—open until April 7.

GLOBAL | The UNCCD COP17 Land and Drought Media Reporting Fellowship seeks to support six journalists covering the growing pressure on the world’s land and what it means for food and water security, economic stability and global resilience. The conference takes place in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar from August 17 to 28—deadline 15 April.

CHANGEMAKERS

ASIA | India-based innovators and inventors are invited to apply for the Social Alpha Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EiR) Fellowship Programme, a year-long immersive programme that equips passionate ‘entrepreneurs-in-the-making’ with end-to-end capacity building and resources to leverage India’s deep science, innovation, and entrepreneurship environment—rolling deadline.

training+events

GLOBAL | The Aspire Leaders Program is inviting applications for a free, interactive online leadership journey for limited-income and first-generation university students and recent graduates interested in personal and professional development on leadership, AI, digital transformation, and community impact—closing 13 April.

awards+competitions

MEDIA

⏳ GLOBAL | The Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award is supported by the IWMF and celebrates the work of courageous women photojournalists. One $20,000 cash prize available—send your submission by March 31.

⏳ GLOBAL | The Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards is open for entries seeks to honour work published or broadcast in 2025 that represents the leading edge of climate reporting—entries accepted through March 31.

GLOBAL | Nominations are open for the 2026 Champions of the Earth Award, the UN’s highest environmental honour for leaders and organisations implementing impactful solutions to protect and restore the world’s oceans—closing 15 April.

CHANGEMAKERS

GLOBAL | The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing is open for applications for its Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award, which aims to recognize the accomplishments of a mid-career journalist and enable them to undertake a significant reporting project—annual deadline April 30.

GLOBAL | The 2026 Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award, launched by UArctic and the Arctic Circle, invites applications from individuals, teams, and organisations with actionable, research-based ideas that address climate change in the Arctic—closing 30 April.

GLOBAL | Nominations are open for The World Food Prize, which honours an individual who has made exceptional achievement in advancing global food security through measurable, large-scale impact across the entire food and agriculture system—closing 1 May.

pitches+positions

GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is recruiting a director of strategic communications to amplify the work of its journalists and drive engagement across audiences—apply now.

GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is also looking for a social media coordinator to focus on strategic storytelling across seven platforms—apply now.

GLOBAL | Climate Finance Solutions, a global consultancy that helps companies and organisations secure funding to develop and scale their high-impact climate solutions, is looking for a grant writer—apply now.

GLOBAL | The Fuller Project seeks stories on issues that shape the lives of women and gender-diverse communities, which they organize into monthly thematic editions—submit your pitch.

GLOBAL | Climate Home News is looking for pitches on the trends shaping the extraction, processing and governance of key raw materials for the energy transition—pitch now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers—currently a total of 45 opportunities for media and changemakers. A gift subscription is available.

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

As always, a big thank you for supporting this project.

The newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

ICYMI | in other editions

Related:

👤 Can Middle Powers Gel? - Sarang Shidore for Foreign Policy

PS.

If you think about it, it is a sign of the times that people as different as the Prime Minister of Canada and a journalist from El Salvador both thought that a book written half a century ago has something to say about the days we are living in. Particularly because Havel warns that his essay – and therefore any lessons derived from it – is only pertinent to what he calls a post-totalitarian state, namely the Soviet Union and the countries inside its sphere, among them Havel’s Czechoslovakia.

We are not there, of course. But this change of paradigms has just started, and we don’t know where it is heading.

—Salvadoran journalist Carlos Dada, in the 2026 Reuters Memorial Lecture

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 82 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

• From the editor’s desk

• Opportunities & resources

• PS. “Why do we stay silent in uncomfortable situations?”

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

WorldWise readers—

Just a decade ago, we lived in a world where governments could come together to agree ambitious goals that advance sustainable development, environmental protection and social justice. When the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were formulated in 2015, their vision of progress seemed tangible. Even during the pandemic, we dared to believe in ‘build back better’ slogans.

Much of this has now all but vanished. As regular readers know well from last year’s briefings, numerous programmes/funds/ideas/infrastructures that have supported these goals for decades have been fading from public view, falling like domino pieces with shocking speed.

It feels like a deeply uncomfortable moment of uncertainty. While it’s too early for new structures to take shape, the geopolitical developments that we do see as the new year unfolds are no less unsettling.

It’s all weighed on me a bit. Words have struggled to take shape. Instead, I found myself going back to particular imagery and stories of the past. The musicians of the Titanic, who continued to play for as long as they could into the early hours of the morning as the ship was sinking. Anne Frank’s diaries of everyday life under siege, written in the confinement of an attic room. Other stories from World War II, of people risking their lives to show love and care, which used to feel alien but no longer do.

Slowly, the haze began to clear. The question became less about what to say, and more about what to do.

…

Many of us have strong feelings about our work. We might love it or hate it, but if we’re among those fortunate enough to love what we do, perhaps it’s inevitable that we think of it as important.

Journalism is one of those professions where this tends to hold true. Among those who practise it—and hopefully among most citizens—there’s a strong belief in the social value of how the profession informs the public, helps us makes sense of the world and holds power to account.

Many journalists cling on to this sense of value even when their own well-being is at stake. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve come across stories of colleagues struggling for months or even years to get a story out against the odds, or attempt to keep working in the sector at great personal cost as budgets and opportunities shrink.

The underlying belief is that this is too important—arguably the most socially important work they can do with their skills.

It’s hard to argue against that. Equally, absolutism never sits well with me, and I find arguments for the social value of science, art, engineering—or any other profession—no less compelling.

…

Right now, it’s not only blinkered to think in such absolutism terms. It’s also counterproductive in missing the point of what this moment calls for.

Everything we do has a bearing on the kind of society we get to live in. What stories we tell, yes—but also how we build; what we teach; what kinds of ideas we share; how we show care; who we show care to, and stand by; where we invest our money; which businesses we support.

It’s not about the specific work that you do—everything has its place. It’s in how you do it, the position you take in the process, the intention behind it: what is it strengthening or helping to achieve, and what is it countering?

The newsletter will continue to share insights, ideas, and opportunities that could be useful to anyone still working against the current to build something better. WorldWise has and will be clearly aligned with work that reinforces humanity and sustainability.

But we all now need a sharper focus on these goals. That doesn’t mean more content (or whatever else we make with our time). It means creating and sharing with more intentionality.

This is something we’ll be practising behind the scenes. For now, the curation is becoming both more targeted and casting the net wider—in search for insights and opportunities that can feed these goals through the media but also through the work of entrepreneurs, researchers, civil society, creatives and others. We make a start today, with the opportunities that follow.

Anita

OPPORTUNITIES | working in media & global change

fellowships+scholarships

⏳ ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering reporting fellowships to journalists in the Philippines to support the production of investigative and in-depth reports on adaption measures and government preparedness for climate-induced natural disasters. Closing 16 January.

⏳ GLOBAL | The LSE’s Atlantic Fellows programme is inviting applications from changemakers—preferably from the Global South—who are committed to fighting inequality and are interested in learning from scholars, innovators, activists and social change organisations. Closing 16 January.

⏳ ASIA | The Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship, established to empower journalists to produce impactful stories on gender and grassroots issues, is open for submissions with a special focus on the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Full-time or freelance journalists working in print, television, or online media, and in any of five local languages, are eligible to apply. Closing 18 January.

GLOBAL | The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program is inviting applications from democracy activists, scholars, and journalists for fellowships where they will explore new ideas, undertake individual research, and share best practices in a five-month programme hosted in Washington, DC. Closing 21 January.

AFRICA | Women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa are invited to apply to TEFCONNECT, The IYBA-WE4A (Investing in Young Business in Africa- Women Entrepreneurship for Africa) Entrepreneurship Programme, which is designed to enhance their access to finance and business knowledge. Closing 25 January.

GLOBAL | Mongabay is accepting applications for The Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship, which supports aspiring environmental journalists from biodiversity hotspots and undercovered regions in low- and middle-income countries to advance their careers in journalism and communications. Closing 1 February.

awards+competitions

⏳ 🎥 GLOBAL | The 2026 World Press Photo Contest, which celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the past year, is now open for entries. Deadline 17 January.

⏳ 🎥 GLOBAL | Megacities Shortdocs—which hosts an international contest with festivals held in megacities to support short documentaries raising awareness about urban challenges and solutions—is inviting submissions from professional and amateur documentarians around the world. Closing 18 January.

GLOBAL | The Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge invites graduate student teams worldwide to create and pitch financial solutions that generate both measurable social or environmental impact and competitive financial returns. The programme offers mentorship, masterclasses, networking opportunities and awards up to $10,000. Closing 25 January.

GLOBAL | Amnesty is inviting journalists to submit their work to the Amnesty International Media Awards, which celebrate excellence in human rights journalism and applaud the courage and determination of journalists and editors who put their lives on the line to tell important human rights stories. Closing 30 January.

🇳🇬 AFRICA | Media Rights Agenda is inviting Nigerian journalists to enter their work to the Dr Goodluck Jonathan Freedom of Information Awards, which recognise and celebrate journalistic excellence in promoting transparency and accountability through the effective use of the Freedom of Information Act. Closing 31 January.

grants+funding

⏳ 🎥 ASIA | South Asian photographers under 26 years of age can apply to The Marai Photo Grant, which provides support to create compelling photo stories on the theme of water scarcity guided by mentorship from Agence France-Presse (AFP). Closing 15 January.

GLOBAL | The Fund for Investigative Journalism is offering grants and other support for reporters to produce high-quality, unbiased, nonpartisan investigative stories with impact. Closing 26 January.

GLOBAL | The Awesome Foundation’s Conservation and Climate Program is accepting applications for micro-grants of up to $1,000 to individuals and small teams with bold, innovative ideas for nature conservation and climate action. Closing 30 January.

ASIA/GLOBAL | The Liveability Challenge invites innovators worldwide to submit groundbreaking solutions—which must be applicable to Singapore or Southeast Asia—that tackle climate-induced extreme weather conditions for a more liveable planet. The top two solutions in the Cool Earth category will each receive S$1 Million in grant funding to accelerate their impact. Closing 9 February.

training+events

GLOBAL | The ZEG Storytelling Festival is inviting pitches for stories, projects, or perspectives that spark unexpected conversations across disciplines, bridge different ways of thinking, working, or seeing the world, challenge us to understand global patterns in new ways, and connect local experiences to bigger questions. Closing 1 February.

🇪🇸 LAC | Climate Tracker Latin America is looking for 20 journalists from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru to join a regional initiative that promotes solutions journalism and highlighting real responses to the climate crisis that originate in the territories. Closing 15 February.

pitches+positions

⏳ASIA & LAC | The Solutions Journalism Network is looking for two contract consultants—one in India and one in Brazil—to help lead training in their home country, design resources and help guide the expansion of solutions journalism. Closing 19 January—apply here for India or here for Brazil.

AFRICA | Semafor is looking for a Chief Africa correspondent for business and economy-focused reporting alongside geopolitics, climate, tech and other topics—apply now (no deadline listed).

GLOBAL | Climate Home News is looking for pitches on the trends shaping the extraction, processing and governance of key raw materials for the energy transition—pitch now.

GLOBAL | The Examination is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the positions of Investigative Editor and Reporter—apply now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers—currently a total of 38 opportunities with deadlines through to the end of February. A gift subscription is available.

resources+tools

• Free AI Photo Locator & Image Location Finder - Where Is This Photo?

• GIJN Resource Center’s Top Guides for 2025 – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• Your Go-To Toolkit for Combining Investigative and Solutions Journalism – Transitions Media

• Learning from Indigenous Journalism: A Case for Standpoint Journalism - Journalism Studies

ICYMI | in other editions

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

As always, a big thank you for supporting this project.

The newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 85 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

You may notice that this issue’s media opportunities section is shorter than it’s ever been. This isn’t down to any change in curation habits: we still look for opportunities available to individual practitioners based anywhere in the world, with a focus on the Global South. I hope it’s a temporary blip. However—some of our regular sources are showing the same pattern. And, stories that come to me through the grapevine suggest that times are tough right now for many people working in the media, development and social change sectors. So I’m kicking off this post by revisiting a few thoughts on dealing with stress and overwhelm.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

It’s bound to happen.

All of us will suffer a blip in our career at some point. An unexpected setback, a break in the structure we’ve tried to build over years. Whether temporary or long-lasting, it’s a time that calls on us to practise resilience. From previous posts, here are a few tips that have helped me work through challenging periods in the past.

On managing dry spells without the negativity.

1—Momentum: Keep your work momentum going. Tackle tasks that you’d have no time for if there was an active project on your desk. It helps to prioritise actions that will help land the next job, and/or work more effectively: research, organising, streamlining, etc.

2—Networks: Don’t isolate yourself. Reach out to professional contacts, whether it’s virtually or meeting over an actual real-life coffee. There could be a specific goal to this, discussing an opportunity for example, but it’s not at all necessary to have one. Just keeping visible and connected will make you feel better. And it could pay off for work in the future.

3—Trust: In low moments, don’t panic. Trust that you’ll know what to do to get out of a sticky situation, should it arise. It was a little strange, but every time I felt like giving up, something would crop up the very next day to spur me on. After a while, I got the message: just keep going.

Read more:

—

There’s one thing that usually helps me deal with overwhelm, and that’s to compartmentalise.

By that, I mean breaking up the day/project/whatever-creates-overwhelm into chunks of time/pieces/whatever.

But there’s an extra ingredient. I find compartmentalising works best if it achieves at least one of three goals:

1—A sense of achievement: try to break things up into pieces that will actually help get things done, and give the reward of feeling a sense of completion on a regular basis.

2—Less task clutter: the process should ideally create chunks that simplify the work and clear clutter, which will enable better focus. This alone can reduce overwhelm.

3—Better balance: avoid getting stuck in monotone when building a schedule out of these chunks. Make them varied, by including things to do that stimulate different faculties / modes of working / aspects of daily life.

Read more:

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

training+grants

GLOBAL | DW is inviting creative professionals who want to shape the journalism of the future to apply for its comprehensive, 18-month paid training programme—closing 17 November.

AFRICA | The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project is inviting editors, staff reporters or freelance journalists from selected countries to submit pitches for investigative stories that seek to expose wrongdoing, abuses of power, or failures of accountability—closing 21 November.

AFRICA | The RCDIJ Africa Fund is offering grants for small to mid-scale data and/or investigative journalism projects spanning a range of topics including health, environment, economy, migration and development—rolling deadline.

pitches+positions

GLOBAL | Mongabay is looking for an Engagement Editor to lead on growing and retaining the outlet’s English-language audience across social media, newsletters, and emerging platforms—apply now (no deadline listed).

GLOBAL | Mongabay is hiring a full-time Contributing Editor who will commission, edit, or write articles on topics related to the ocean, fisheries, and marine conservation—apply now (no deadline listed).

ASIA | Mongabay is looking for a Wire Reporter to publish short-form articles on conservation and environmental issues in Asia, as part of its Newswire Desk—apply now (no deadline listed).

ASIA | Bloomberg is looking for an experienced reporter to drive their climate change coverage in India—apply now (no deadline listed).

AFRICA | Semafor is looking for a Chief Africa correspondent for business and economy-focused reporting alongside geopolitics, climate, tech and other topics—apply now (no deadline listed).

ASIA | The Economist is hiring an Asia correspondent—apply by 3 October.

GLOBAL | New Scientis editor Olivia Goldhill is looking to build her roster of writers with big-idea stories in health and medicine—pitch now.

GLOBAL | Climate Home News is looking for pitches on the trends shaping the extraction, processing and governance of key raw materials for the energy transition—pitch now.

GLOBAL | The Examination is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the positions of Investigative Editor, News Editor and Data Editor—apply now.

ASIA | Dialogue Earth is hiring a full-time South Asia Managing Editor (salary £1,875/month)—closing 3 November.

resources+tools

• Finding — and Building — Your Professional Community to Strengthen Investigative Journalism - GIJN

• 5 tips for maximizing AI as a freelance journalist - Association of Health Care Journalists

• Dorking for Dummies: Search Engine OSINT That Goes Beyond Google - The OSINT Newsletter

• A therapist’s advice to freelancers on career uncertainty - Association of Health Care Journalists

• How Newsrooms are Uncovering Asia’s Climate and Environmental Crises – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• How to make SEO-friendly URLs (most websites still get this wrong) - How the Fxck

• IPI 75 Bookshelf: 75 books to celebrate press freedom and independent journalism – ipi.media

• The Open Notebook has launched The Science Reporting Navigator, a toolkit designed to help journalists integrate scientific evidence, insights and context into any story, regardless of their beat.

• Five takeaways from the ABSW Opinion-Writing Masterclass - Association of British Science Writers (Plus—revisit my tips from the archive: 3 steps to pitch an opinion + How to write an opinion)

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

As always, a big thank you for supporting this project.

The newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

UPDATE | from the network

Earlier this week, on November 2nd, the global media community marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. WorldWise marks it with the words of Dima Khatib, Palestinian journalist and Managing Director of AJ+, from an op-ed published by the World Association of News Publishers:

It is the largest massacre of journalists in human history.

In Gaza, 253 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023 — more than those killed in the wars of Afghanistan, Vietnam, the Balkans, World War I, and World War II combined. Yet these killings remain mostly uninvestigated, unpunished, and unacknowledged by those responsible – a stark example of the impunity that allows attacks on journalists to continue.

End Impunity: Silence is Complicity

PLUS | global briefing top-up

On the heels of COP30

• It’s not exactly surprising, but still it makes headlines: the White House has confirmed it will not send any high-level officials to the COP30 climate summit, reports France24. Instead, Donald Trump is trying to boost the fossil fuel industry. And with Brazil saying that fewer than 60 world leaders have confirmed attendance, the COP power signal is weak.

• “Will Belém Kill Paris?” In a comment piece for Foreign Policy, Nigel Purvis—CEO of Climate Advisers, professor and former senior US climate negotiator—argues the upcoming summit is a test and a pivotal moment for the landmark 2015 climate agreement. Analysts at the Chatham House think-tank don’t expect earth-shattering progress, citing the US withdrawal and “underwhelming” climate plans.

• But momentum may well lie elsewhere. Mayors have pledged coordinated action ahead of the summit, AP reports—while the woman who led the negotiations in Paris, Christiana Figueres, writes in The Economist that what really matters is action in the Global South.

• Meanwhile, the UN estimates that global emissions are on course for a 10% drop—that’s far short of the 60% scientists say is needed to avoid catastrophic impacts, according to Bloomberg. This first-ever decline is expected by 2035, based on the latest national climate plans from China, the EU and dozens of countries. But overshooting the 1.5C target is now “inevitable”, the UN secretary-general António Guterres told The Guardian and Sumaúma.

• And the evidence of life-changing impacts keep coming. A new report estimates that climate change is causing millions of avoidable deaths each year from heat, pollution and wildfires, Le Monde reports. On that note: the health and climate community has issued recommendations for COP30 negotiations, according to the Global Climate & Health Alliance—additional signatories can be added on a rolling basis in the final days before COP.

• More on impacts: Forbes reports on an analysis suggesting the Earth’s forests, soil and oceans are reaching a limit in their capacity to store carbon naturally. Almost a third of the heatwave days India experienced last year were driven by climate change, according to a new report in The Lancet cited by BBC news. And also in India, once-thriving crops are failing to adapt to the country’s new temperature reality, according to Foreign Policy.

• And yet—climate denial is still very much alive. A study suggests the perceived seriousness of climate change is on the decline as politicians, businesses and the media communicate less about it, Eco-Business reports. There’s now an emerging coordinated pushback against attempts to sow doubt and delay action, according to DW.

• Far from the world of denial, Indigenous people on the frontlines of the fight aren’t being listened to. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism asks why.

• The Amazon is not only a host for this year’s COP but ground zero for the tension between denial and frontline, green investment and extractive industry: Dialogue Earth sees this year’s summit as “a reckoning” for this part of the world, while the editors of SUMAÚMA see themselves as war correspondents ”reporting on the war waged against Nature”. I leave you with words from their recent editorial Recentering the world, Amazonizing COP.

It is a lopsided conflict, in which Nature is being slaughtered and humans are not walking but running toward extinction. We are arriving at COP30 ready to challenge lobbyists from the oil, mining, soy, and carbon credit sectors.

SUMAÚMA has, since its foundational manifesto, defended the position that the legitimate centers of the world are where life is: the Amazon, other tropical rainforests, the oceans—all biomes. It is not where the market is, that is, the political and economic centers that are most responsible for climate collapse.

ICYMI

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 82 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

Earlier this month, I found myself facing a case of narrative dissonance while in Athens for a conference that delved into AI in journalism. The event punched above its modest size—it gathered some of the top researchers and practitioners doing hands-on, cutting-edge work to integrate AI tools into newsrooms, from Bloomberg to the Financial Times and the BBC.

Here’s where the dissonance came in: much of the narrative about the use of AI was positive; it was about the possibility, the potential of how the new technology can help us do better journalism. This is very different from narratives focusing on risks, which is what I come across on a regular basis in my information landscape (and not just from freelancers fearing obsolescence).

It wan’t quite as black-and-white as that. Many of the conversations that went beyond technical and practical aspects of using the technology did balance the promise with sharp awareness of the risks and notes of caution. This was a community thinking about responsibility in how AI is used. Still—in the bigger picture, the direction of travel was clear. AI tools are already shaping journalism and how we access information.

Thinking about this trend always leaves me wondering about the human: where and how do we fit in this new reality?

Enter the op-ed we feature today. Branko Brkic, leader of Project Kontinuum and co-founder of The Daily Maverick argues there’s still a place for dogged, savvy journalists—that “only humans can bring empathy, moral judgment, and persistence to the search for truth”. If that seems a bit abstract or ‘inside baseball’ to journalism, his references to global uncertainty and insecurity as the old world order breaks down might feel closer to home.

This newsletter has been tracking global developments that feed into the sense of instability. When people or societies are unsettled, we tend to reach for something anchoring. There’s plenty of divisive, destructive rhetoric that stands in for that anchor. Here, Brkic offers a healthier option: trustworthy information as solid ground. That’s an idea I can get behind as WorldWise once again joins other global publishers to support this year’s World News Day campaign.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

The light we cannot lose.

On this World News Day, for too many people, the future is getting too dark to see. This moment is best described as living in a state of perpetual flux, of global uncertainty and deep, unsettling insecurity.

Our world is increasingly built on information, sometimes almost exclusively, and the news media is its basic infrastructure.

Like water and energy, we often only notice its absence when the service stops. So too with reliable news - only when it disappears will we realise how deeply our daily lives depend on the steady delivery of reliable information.

AI is an important part of our common future, but it will not be a panacea for every problem we encounter. An algorithm still cannot replace a dogged reporter or a savvy investigative journalist.

It is humans who make a crucial difference – because only humans can bring empathy, moral judgment, and persistence to the search for truth.

As the institutions of old are crumbling, and many are already gone with no replacement, this task is getting more complex by the day.

In this perilous moment, news media’s duty, its daily delivery, and indeed its existence itself, feel more important and consequential than ever before.

We are still truth’s most important messengers.

If we are to continue delivering on our mission’s promise, we in the news media also must think long and hard about the years ahead.

We understand that, with the greatest urgency, we must reaffirm news media’s compact with the communities we serve; to fortify our personal covenant with each and every reader, viewer and listener; to hold steady while the very ground is shaking under our feet.

We strive to be guardians of the line separating current times from an all-too-realistic dystopian future.

“Whichever shape our ‘new’ civilisation may take, it will still have to have its foundations in trustworthy information—that’s the only solid ground that anything lasting can be built on.”

As you read this, journalism is suspended precariously between old and new worlds; an integral part of both history but also of the transformation that is rewiring our humanity right now; a force for change and yet itself in danger of becoming a relic of the past.

What once was a comfortably profitable business has now transformed into a struggling sector with an uncertain future. In these changing times, our old media business model has rapidly aged. A new one is still nowhere to be found. When newsrooms close, communities lose watchdogs. Corruption flourishes in the dark. Truth has fewer defenders.

We are hardly making any money anymore, harassment is our daily norm, and our long-term viability is under threat. Financial precarity knocks on the doors of all but the most secure outlets.

Autocrats, Big Tech, influencers, and industries of all colours are still major news media consumers even as many from those circles claim it has no importance anymore. ‘Ordinary’ readers might not know, but in every discussion, every debate, every understanding and every decision made, there was a significant, and most times decisive, component of the news media reporting.

For many decades, journalism has been a defender of global democratic values and the rules-based system that has defined our civilisation and underpinned an unprecedented, if unevenly distributed, period of planetary growth and prosperity.

We were there every step of the way: to report on human rights abuse, the horror of armed conflict, the injustice of corruption, and so much more.

It is highly unlikely that we will ever return to these ‘old’ times though - the march of technology is ushering in a new era that changes the very fundamentals of our lives together.

And yet, whichever shape our ‘new’ civilisation may take, it will still have to have its foundations in trustworthy information - that’s the only solid ground that anything lasting can be built on.

As a human race, we evolved because we were able to pass information to the next generation. Information is the best, and possibly the most powerful technology we have ever invented.

But we cannot create, or re-create, anything while flying blind, or stumbling in the dark.

It is not only the democracies that die in darkness, it is entire civilisations that perish. The news media’s message on this World News Day is not about saving sectoral jobs - it is about saving what we all built over thousands of years. Our civilisation is worth fighting for.

An overwhelming majority of journalists swear a silent oath to serve our communities by serving truth. It is a sacred duty that fulfils our lives in ways that richly compensate for any financial shortcomings and deprivations.

Truth and trust are truly of the essence in moments like these.

And the best way to respect yourself is to be careful about your sources and who you trust. Support the news that supports you. Subscribe, share, defend truth. Choose trustworthy journalism—because without it, the light goes out for us all.

📌 This opinion piece was commissioned as part of the World News Day campaign—an initiative to show the value of journalism.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+fellowships

GLOBAL | GRID-Arendal and UNEP Communications are inviting journalists interested in reporting on the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) to register for a webinar and apply for grants for in-depth reporting—closing 8 and 13 October.

MENA | The Culture Resource is calling young writers and artists from the Arab region to apply for grants to produce their first creative projects—closing 31 October.

GLOBAL/AFRICA | The Pulitzer Center is offering grants to journalists and newsrooms anywhere in the world who are looking to advance journalism on issues impacting communities in Africa—apply now.

GLOBAL | The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is inviting journalism and communication mid-career professionals to apply for a year of nondegree graduate-level study, leadership development and professional collaboration—rolling deadlines from March to September.

GLOBAL | The Open Notebook is offering a paid, part-time fellowship for early-career science journalists—closing 31 October.

pitches+positions

LAC | The BBC is looking to fill two positions at its Brazil news desk in London, recruiting a bilingual Journalist and Senior Journalist working across text, video, and audio platforms—closing 28 September and 12 October.

AFRICA | Again for the London office, the BBC is also hiring a Senior Journalist to help shape digital content that inspires the next generation of African audiences—closing 28 September.

GLOBAL | The agency Factual is on the lookout for quality fact-checkers who specialise in narrative, investigative, litigious, or scientific projects—final deadline 30 September.

ASIA | The Economist is hiring an Asia correspondent—apply by 3 October.

GLOBAL | Climate Home News is looking for pitches on the trends shaping the extraction, processing and governance of key raw materials for the energy transition—pitch now.

GLOBAL | The Examination is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the positions of Investigative Editor, News Editor and Data Editor—apply now.

resources+tools

• Lydia Namubiru on How to Tell the Story of Sudan - Columbia Journalism Review

• 40 essential newsletters every journalist should read - Media news

• Reporter’s Guide to Detecting AI-Generated Content – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• Africa Bias Buster: The AI tool helping journalists rewrite the narrative on Africa - International Journalists' Network

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

As always, a big thank you for supporting this project.

The newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

PLUS | global briefing top-up

ICYMI

In the media spotlight

• The high-level debate session of the UN General Assembly is underway this week—briefings are available from Devex and Al Jazeera, among other outlets. The Sustainable Development Goals have slipped down the list of priorities this year, suggests a round-up of issues on the agenda by Eleonora Vasques for Euronews. The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor has an analysis of the UN’s existential crisis from the point of view of US investment and competition from China. The organisation says it’s pressing ahead with its mission of promoting peace and sustainable development. As Giles Whittell of Tortoise Media puts it, “it’s suffering, but not dead”.

• The US government’s top diplomat, Gabriel Escobar, is due to travel to the Amazonian city of Belém, host of the upcoming COP30 summit, reportedly to talk deforestation and organised crime, Fabiano Maisonnave writes for Bloomberg.

• Europe’s landmark deforestation law—which is expected to have global knock-on effects—was due to come into force last year as regular readers might recall, but the European Commission now wants to push it back for another year, Bobby Bascomb reports for Mongabay.

• The World Meteorological Organisation has warned that the water cycle is swinging between extremes, with nearly 60% of rivers now flowing with either too much or too little water, according to Euronews.

• The Anacé Indigenous community in Brazil is taking TikTok to court over its plans to build a data centre on their land, Laís Martins reports for Rest of World. In a separate story for RoW, Daniela Dib and Pablo Jiménez Arandia investigate how several countries are scrambling to meet the rising energy demands of data centres that come with growing use of AI technology.

• Ethiopia inaugurated the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam earlier this month, highlighting growing disputes over water resources as climate change intensifies—RFI has an interview with climate diplomacy expert Benjamin Pohl to unpack what’s at stake.

• In Ecuador, tens of thousands of people are protesting a planned gold mine in the country’s Azuay province, concerned it will pollute their drinking water supply, report Reuters and World Politics Review.

• For Nautilus, John Steele writes about the “Deep Ocean Fund”, a hybrid financial mechanism aiming to unlock capital for research and technology that preserves the world’s deep oceans.

• Afghanistan is planning to ban female authors from university curricula, a move covering hundreds of texts on human rights and Western political thought, Mariamne Everett reports for Al Jazeera.

• For the New Yorker, Dhruv Khullar asks what doctors are for as AI tools transform medicine.

• In a newsletter, Will Shoki, editor of Africa is a Country, questions the idea that Israel is having a ‘South Africa moment’, and calls for rediscovering our collective capacity “to dream freedom as universal”:

  To recover that horizon of universality means refusing to speak of freedom only in the language of blocs and civilizations, and insisting instead that what is denied in Gaza diminishes all of us.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 77 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

When I learned that this year’s Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo had a geographic focus on Australia as its theme, I must admit to wondering how relevant I’d find it to what we cover in these pages. But any doubt was put to rest once I had a chance to get closer to the work.

Scroll down for a few highlights, check out the full line-up on the festival site here, or if you can make it to Austria for a walk through the open-air installations, there’s time—free to access and with a 350K footfall each year, the festival is open until October 12th.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

A view from down under.

One of the reasons I love photographic work—and bring it into this space—is the capacity to convey an essence, or a feeling, in what it captures.

It’s in the fiery reds, smoke-filled landscapes and worried faces of Matthew Abbot’s ‘Black Summer’; the rich and colourful motifs, diversity and vulnerability in Bobbi Lockyer’s work; in the rural encounters and quiet intensity of a sparsely populated land in Adam Ferguson’s ‘Big Sky’; and it’s in the vibrant energy in Ulla Lochmann’s images of lives immersed in nature, at ease with the unpredictability that comes with the nurturing.

Like in last year’s exhibition, the 2025 Baden photo festival has once again drawn some of the world’s best photographers presenting powerful work curated to focus on environmental and social issues. Some 1,500 large-format installations are dotted across Baden’s gardens, streets and squares, offering a view from Australia that speaks to universal issues and global challenges—sometimes from far-flung places most of us are unlikely to experience first-hand.

Images made to freeze a moment in time that brings us instantly closer to the core of a story. Here are four highlights.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

MENA | The Al-Jumhuriya platform is inviting experienced Syrian women journalists to apply for a grant that supports work to complete in-depth stories or investigations which highlight a topic of public interest in the country, or within Syrian diaspora communities—closing 25 June.

🎥 ASIA | Internews is offering grants for cross-border teams to produce content promoting regional cooperation relevant to Central Asia—applications accepted on a rolling basis until 30 June.

GLOBAL | The Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism is inviting women and nonbinary journalists with at least three years’ experience to apply for a story grant—closing 13 July.

🎥 MENA | Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) is offering a series of grants to support the travels of artists and cultural actors from the Arab region—various deadlines: Production Awards Program, Wijhat, Stand for Art, Abbara.

ASIA & AFRICA | The non-profit SMEX is accepting applications for its Digital Rights Fund, designed to empower human rights defenders and related groups that need support to continue working in the face of digital threats across West Asia and North Africa—apply now.

fellowships+scholarships

🎥 ASIA | Journalists, photographers and freelancers in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan can apply for a fellowship at Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières—apply by 30 June.

GLOBAL | The Society of Professional Journalists Foundation is accepting applications for its Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship, a program to enable a mid-career journalist employed at a US outlet who specializes in fact-based commentary or analysis to pursue in-depth reporting projects—deadline 19 June.

GLOBAL | Climate Feed, an initiative of Green Queen Media, is accepting applications for its 12-week Climate Feed Fellowship which is dedicated to empowering young reporters to tell a better food and climate story—deadline 20 June.

GLOBAL | The Online News Association is accepting applications for the MJ Bear Fellowships from digital journalists born between mid-1995 and mid-2002—deadline 22 June.

GLOBAL | Journalists and editors from emerging, transitional, and fragile states who work in mid-level newsroom management positions can apply to the WAN-IFRA WIN Global Leadership Accelerator 2025—deadline 29 June.

🇧🇷 LAC | Deutsche Welle is inviting applications from early-career Brazilian journalists for its Visiting Journalist Program, a three-month internship in Bonn, Germany—closing 30 June.

GLOBAL | Reuters and Durham University are inviting applications for the Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship in Investigative Journalism, which offers an exceptional early-career journalist a nine-month fellowship at Durham University with an opportunity to undertake an investigative project from inside a Reuters newsroom in London, New York, Sydney or Toronto—apply by 7 July.

training+events

GLOBAL | CNN Academy is offering its Voices from the South: Storytelling for Impact program for young storytellers from developing countries in the Global South, including Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia—deadline for the virtual and in person training courses happening in the second half of the year is 23 June.

GLOBAL | Mongabay is hosting a webinar on how to cover plastic pollution which will be broadcast on LinkedIn and on Youtube—join on 24 June at 12pm UTC.

🇵🇹 🇧🇷 LAC | The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) is inviting journalists and students to register for online or in-person attendance of its 20th International Congress of Investigative Journalism, to be held in São Paulo in July 10-13, which features panels, lectures and short courses—register now.

awards+competitions

🎥 LAC | The Vladimir Herzog Journalism Prize for Amnesty and Human Rights is accepting entries from journalists who cover human rights, social justice and democracy issues—deadline for main categories 10 June, for the special Democracy Advocacy category is 23 September.

GLOBAL | The judges of the Press Gazette’s Future of Media Awards are looking for work which brings quality journalism to digital audiences in the UK and worldwide—deadline 19 June.

🎥 GLOBAL | Young filmmakers can submit short films on migration, diversity, social inclusion and prevention of xenophobia to the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival, a competition sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization for Migration—closing 22 June.

GLOBAL | The International News Media Association is accepting applications and nominations for the 30 Under 30 Awards, a competition that rewards outstanding achievement and career potential among young professionals in the news media industry—apply or submit your nomination by 27 June.

🎥 GLOBAL | The Association for International Broadcasting is accepting entries for its annual competition that recognises TV, video, digital, radio, audio and social media work—deadline 30 June.

🇪🇸 LAC | The Instituto Prensa y Sociedad has launched a new edition of the Latin American Investigative Journalism Award "Javier Valdez," which aims to encourage greater transparency in government, business and media, and to promote investigative reporting on matters of public interest—submit your work by 30 June.

‼️ It’s awards season—14 more opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available).

pitches+positions

MENA | The Public Source is hiring a deputy editor-in-chief based in Beirut, Lebanon—deadline 20 June.

GLOBAL | Rest of World is hiring a publisher who will be responsible for the publication’s business, brand, and sustainable growth through its next chapter—apply now.

GLOBAL | The Examination is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the positions of Interim Managing Editor, News Editor and Data Editor—apply now.

GLOBAL | Slate needs pitches for science & health features that will shift/challenge how readers see the world and how it works—send yours to Shannon Palus.

AFRICA | The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project is accepting pitches for investigative journalism projects—pitch now.

GLOBAL | Big Think is looking for original feature pitches about transformative trends, scientific breakthroughs, and emerging ideas that challenge conventional wisdom—pitch now.

AFRICA | Minority Africa, a digital publication that uses data-driven multimedia journalism to tell stories focused on minorities in the African continent, is open to pitches—check out their guide.

GLOBAL | Current Conservation, a non-profit print and online magazine, is looking for pitches from writers and photographers interested in conservation research—pitch now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available). We currently have a total of 62 opportunities listed with deadlines through to September.

resources+tools

• Legal strategies for foreign journalists in the US - International Journalists' Network

• Under Attack: How Journalists Can Defend Themselves Against Digital Threats - Knight Science Journalism

• When health data disappears: 8 tips for finding what’s hidden from public view - The Journalist's Resource

• From despair to purpose: Six climate reporters on how to protect their mental health - Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

• Covering the Extractive Industries – Global Investigative Journalism Network

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

As always, a big thank you for supporting this project.

The newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all. In addition to full archive access, you’ll get:

📌 Bonus content on media engagement—exclusive access to our master list of global opportunities

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PLUS | in other editions

UPDATE | from the network

A brand-new edition of an Oxfam course, ‘Making Change Happen’, is now live—available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. Activism should be covered by the media with the same attention and weight as government or corporate news, Jennifer Oldham argues in Climate Changes Everything. The Forum on Information and Democracy is inviting contributions for a global policy brief on disinformation and attacks on information integrity related to environmental issues—learn more and contribute by 30 June. The Association for British Science Writers has announced the list of finalists for its 2025 science journalism awards—46 entries shortlisted out of 277 across 11 categories.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 72 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

For this issue, something different from recent preoccupations about the state of the world: a few tips on telling stories from the field, intended for journalists but perhaps also a useful insight for scientists and practitioners who may consider opening up their fieldwork to media coverage.

But before we get to that—let me take a moment to pay tribute to a dear colleague and WorldWise reader we lost recently.

Kenyan science editor and journalist Ochieng’ Ogodo passed away suddenly last month at age 64 in Nairobi. I first met Ochieng’ on joining SciDev.Net’s editorial staff some 15 years ago. We worked together for several years before taking separate paths—his latest role was with Mongabay as East Africa editor, where it’s clear by founder Rhett Butler’s moving obituary that he quickly made a mark. A knowledgeable journalist with professional integrity, Ochieng’ played a big part in developing science journalism in East Africa back in the days when that capacity was only nascent. Beyond that, what stays with me is his quiet, thoughtful demeanour that would very quickly break into a smile and a lighthearted joke. We hold him in our memory.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

A lot goes into getting it right.

Over the past decade or so I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit development and science initiatives on location; and each time, the trip surpassed my expectations. There’s nothing like firsthand experience to get a real feel for the issues we write and think about.

Because of time constraints, not everything I saw and documented became a story. That’s one of my biggest regrets. I gained so much insight from scientists and practitioners with a wealth of knowledge and incredible dedication, sometimes working in harsh conditions; and again, not all of that made the editorial cut.

But a lot of it did. Among the earliest pieces are audiovisual stories on waste management in New Delhi and a project on small-scale mushroom production to fight malnutrition in the Peruvian Andes—among the latest, a piece on how Swiss-funded research is helping to tackle invasive species in Kenya, and a feature about hydropower and Indigenous rights in the Brazilian Amazon.

Many of these excursions happened at short notice. But there was time to prepare before the very first trip, which served me well for everything that followed. That’s not to say everything’s gone well—there’s been plenty of hiccups along the way—and looking back on it all, here are 5 points to bear in mind before you take the leap.

1—Don’t make a rushed decision

I came very, very close to declining a field reporting invitation for a recent story. That’s because at first glance, the logistics looked impossible. But by not closing the door immediately, a path opened up to explore options and find a way to make it work despite the difficulties. I knew it’d be worth that effort, and it was.

The take-away: it’s important to be considered and take time to weigh things up before making the decision. Think about whether making the trip is really necessary. For example, does the story rely on first-hand accounts, or local context, or audiovisual material? Also consider whether travelling to the specific location would be risky or objectionable in any way—whether it could put yourself or others in danger, for example.

Sidenote: ‘the field’ doesn't have to mean a far-flung place or even crossing national borders—chances are, there's something interesting to report on in your locality or region, whether a lab-based or community project.

2—Tackle the practicalities first

Tied up with the decision are some key practical questions. Is making the trip possible? One key factor is funding. That could be secured through a commission from a publisher, or a grant, for example. Self-financing could also work if you’re confident of a commission coming through eventually.

Sometimes, organisations offer to pay journalists’ expenses for coverage on location. Accepting such an offer comes with actual or perceived conflicts of interest—so it’s important to be guided by professional ethics on this, and to consider how it might affect your chances of publishing the work (editorial policies vary by publication).

Another set of practical questions have to do with access and permissions, and whether to partner up with someone else to carry out the work. If you need to obtain access to the location, for instance, the first step is simply to reach out to the people or organisations involved to test the waters. If travelling overseas check on visa requirements, including costs, prohibitions and processing times—any hiccups there, and plans can be thwarted very easily.

The story you want to cover may be located in unfamiliar environments and languages; it may come with risks when reporting from areas under military or environmental conflict. In those cases in particular, it’s essential to work with a local colleague who knows the lay of the land. Make sure to plan and agree what form that relationship takes, for instance whether to co-produce with a local journalist or hire a fixer.

3—Plan and prep, again and again

After working out if making a trip is realistic and safe, the planning gets into the more nitty gritty practicalities. There’s a lot of detail that could go into this—I’ll just touch on some overview points here.

On the logistical side, the first thing I do is make a planning checklist. This should be comprehensive and include everything from travel essentials to location contacts to production kit—believe me, it’s easy to forget something basic.

Many of the items on there should reflect the conditions of travel and location. For instance: packing the right gear for the weather and any extreme conditions, including a first aid kit and energy snacks; getting health insurance and/or travel advice including any immunisations; planning for a safe arrival and reliable communications.

The checklist should also include the essentials for gathering the story material you need: recorders, notebooks, pens and pencils (yes, the old-fashioned pencil is more reliable), laptop or tablet, backup equipment.

Go over that checklist again and again… especially if you’re heading to a remote location with limited options to secure supplies onsite.

4—The reporting: same but different

When it comes to the actual reporting work, much of what's involved is a familiar part of how you do journalism anywhere: preparing for interviews, following leads, making sure you have enough material to get to the bottom of your story.

But some of it will be different. Being in a field location comes with less control and more activities not directly related to reporting plans. All that needs to be navigated with a mix of flexibility, sensitivity and focus.

For instance, your chance to talk to someone may be limited to 5-10 minutes while they're on their way to a community meeting. Grab your opportunities when you can, while respecting the time, circumstances and consent of the people involved. And when you do talk to your source, stay present and listen well.

It’s equally important to stay alert to other details like body language, group dynamics or hierarchies, features of the location. That kind of information can enrich a story in a way that’s only possible with a field visit.

And don’t forget to do background research in advance—it really saves energy and makes the reporting go further once you’re on the ground.

5—Stay mindful of local context

Practicing journalism in the field is as much about the relationships involved as it is about the reporting itself. Be sure to contact your main partners to touch base on arrival. Stay open minded about different communication styles while getting on the same page about important arrangements and agreements.

Also bear in mind that remote communities, and sometimes scientists, may not be used to interacting with the media. It helps to adapt your style to the situation to build trust and rapport.

When there’s so much to stay on top of on location, it’s easy to overlook simple things like showing appreciation to those who contribute their thoughts and insights. A sincere ‘thank you’ goes a long way and transcends language barriers.

And when it comes to what happens to the material collected in the field: make sure to share the production with those who offered time and insights through any channel you have available, even if it’s not practical to take it back to the location yourself. It’s not only respectful to the people who contributed, but taps into the politics of how knowledge is shared and valued—for many communities there’s a lopsided history of extraction without benefit.

Finally, stay open to feedback. Even if something somewhere has gone wrong, it will serve as a learning for the next opportunity to do better.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

🎥 GLOBAL | Photojournalists and documentarians are invited to submit their work to the Visa pour l’Image - Perpignan Festival, which recognises the best visual journalism with a number of awards and grants—deadlines range from May 21 to June 12.

🇧🇷 LAC | The Serrapilheira Institute is accepting proposals for grants to support podcasts led by black and Indigenous people—send yours by 30 May.

🎥 ASIA | Internews is offering grants for cross-border teams to produce content promoting regional cooperation relevant to Central Asia—applications accepted on a rolling basis until 31 May.

🎥 🇫🇷 GLOBAL | The Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation is offering three grants to support young media professionals to develop their journalism projects in France or abroad: one for young photographers, one for print reporters and another for young documentary filmmakers—closing 15 June.

🎥 MENA | Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) is offering a series of grants to support the travels of artists and cultural actors from the Arab region—various deadlines: Production Awards Program, Wijhat, Stand for Art, Abbara.

fellowships+scholarships

ASIA | The South Asian Journalists Association's SAJA Reporting Fellowship is looking to support in-depth reporting projects focused on South Asia or the South Asian diaspora—apply now.

LAC | The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) and Transparência Internacional - Brasil are offering travel fellowships to attend Abraji's annual investigative journalism conference, which is set to take place in São Paulo between July 10 and 13—deadline 19 May.

AFRICA | The African Investigative Journalism Conference is inviting young and mid-career investigative journalists from the continent to apply for a fellowship to participate in its three-day celebration of the continent’s investigative reporting in Johannesburg, on November 5-7—closing 23 May.

ASIA | Internews’ Earth Journalism Network is offering fellowships for India-based video producers interested in creating content on India's renewable energy policy, financing, payment and infrastructure hurdles, as well as potential solutions for renewable energy development—closing 30 May.

ASIA | The Asian American Journalists Association and the Indigenous Journalists Association are accepting applications for the 2025 Pacific Islander Journalism Scholarship—apply by 31 May.

‼️ It’s high season for fellowships and awards opportunities—more are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available).

awards+competitions

AFRICA | Journalism and Digital Public Infrastructure in Africa is the theme of the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards, organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa—submit your work by 14 May.

GLOBAL | The Online News Association is accepting entries for its 2025 Online Journalism Awards, which recognise excellence in digital reporting—closing 15 May.

MENA | The Dubai Press Club is inviting media students, including audiovisual producers, to enter the IBDAA-Arab Youth Media Award—apply by 16 May.

🎥 GLOBAL | The Global Peace Photo Award is inviting photographers to submit work expressing the idea that our future lies in peaceful coexistence. The award recognises and promotes photographers from all over the world whose images capture human efforts towards a peaceful world and the quest for beauty and goodness in our lives—deadline 18 May.

🎥 GLOBAL | The 12th annual Yale Environment 360 Film Contest is accepting submissions of films up to 20 minutes long that focus on environmental issues—enter by 18 May.

🎥 GLOBAL | Photojournalists and documentarians are invited to submit their work to the Visa pour l’Image - Perpignan Festival, which recognises the best visual journalism with a number of awards and grants—deadlines range from May 21 to June 12.

training+events

GLOBAL | The Columbia Journalism School is offering scholarships to reporters and editors living and working in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, for its Summer Investigative Reporting Course which will be held in New York between July 7-25—deadline 15 May.

🇫🇷 AFRICA | The Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (CENOZO) is offering scholarships to attend the conference of French-speaking science journalists, CMJSF 2025, taking place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on June 9-14—deadline 15 May.

GLOBAL | The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is inviting applications for ComLab#10: Living Longer, Living Better, a three-day workshop bringing together researchers and journalists in Berlin between September 4-6—closing 16 May.

🎥 MENA | Filmmakers in the Arab world can apply for the launch of a co-production platform by Aflamuna Connection and AFLAMUNA x Cinemed, where up to 20 feature film projects will be selected—submit works in progress by 21 May.

GLOBAL | Mid-career journalists who want to advance their reporting skills are invited to join OCCRP and Transcrime-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore for an intensive one-day online training taking place on 26 June—register by 9 June.

pitches+positions

GLOBAL | Big Think is looking for original feature pitches about transformative trends, scientific breakthroughs, and emerging ideas that challenge conventional wisdom—check out their pitch form.

AFRICA | Minority Africa, a digital publication that uses data-driven multimedia journalism to tell stories focused on minorities in the African continent, has a guide on how to pitch them stories—check it out.

GLOBAL | Bellingcat is looking for wildlife and environment related pitches grounded in open source methods and tools—pitch now.

GLOBAL | Current Conservation, a non-profit print and online magazine, is looking for pitches from writers and photographers interested in conservation research—pitch now.

GLOBAL | Quanta Books is inviting submissions from scientists, mathematicians, and journalists, including first-time authors—pitch now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available). We currently have a total of 60 opportunities listed with deadlines through to September.

resources+tools

• What Is Pre-Reporting—and Do You Really Need to Do It? - The Open Notebook

• Essential OSINT tools for journalists investigating air pollution - International Journalists' Network

• AI for research: the ultimate guide to choosing the right tool - Nature

• How to Protect Yourself From Phone Searches at the US Border - WIRED

• CPJ Safety Advisory: Traveling to the US - Committee to Protect Journalists

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

This newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all. In addition to full archive access, you’ll get:

📌 Bonus content on media engagement—exclusive access to our master list of global opportunities

📌 Bonus content on global affairs—exclusive access to curated coverage on trending issues

📌 DMs open on Fridays—a direct line where I’ll be happy to answer your questions

As always, a big thank you to those of you who continue to support the project.

UPDATE | from the network

Visualising Palestine has released its fourth update of the visual “Killing the Story” to honour the hundreds of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel, and Maram Dorgham writes for WAN-IFRA with a call for accountability for the record-high death toll. Sarah Scire writes for Nieman Journalism Lab that Thomson Reuters is the latest media company to drop “diversity” language in response to Donald Trump’s executive orders. One World Media has revealed the shortlist for its 2025 Awards—check out the 39 finalists and their stories.

PLUS | in other editions

🌊 The new feature film OCEAN with David Attenborough is out on general release since 8 May, coinciding with Sir David's 99th birthday. I had the pleasure and honour to attend the world premiere in London last week for an early glimpse of this beautiful and important film, which takes us on a journey through the blue planet's wonder, harsh realities and new discoveries over the past century—and yes, it ends on a hopeful note. Catch it in cinemas, and on Nat Geo, Disney+ and Hulu later this year 🍿

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 69 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

Much of the narrative that flows in front of our eyes is shaped and gatekept by editors, publications, and business imperatives. Their work stays in the background but holds real power not only over which ideas and stories see the light of day, but how those stories are told.

Editorial choices come with filters, blind spots and motivations that aren’t obvious. The best challenge themselves and their own biases—but don’t count on it being the norm.

Writers and storytellers are often in a position of having to yield to that power. That doesn’t mean they always should. It’s important to reserve a right to hold the line when it’s called for, and even to walk away. It’s important to remember the power of what creators do.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

The train of thought made an unexpected stop.

If you’re a regular reader, you may have noticed that lately I’ve been preoccupied with how we can navigate the breaking of norms and respect for human rights that have lent some stability to this world for the past decades (if you’re not a regular reader, catch up here and here).

At the same time, deadlines are real and I’ve been getting on with my projects. While plugging away I’d catch the occasional, almost surreal conversation in journalist networks—colleagues sharing tips about avoiding unnecessary travel and protecting ourselves from surveillance.

It all got me dwelling on writing as a profession, and how it fits into this picture. Somehow, the trail or those thoughts kept leading to imagery from The Lives of Others, a 2006 film that won several awards at the time, including the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. It’s a bit hazy at this point, so I had to look it up to remind myself of the story, which is essentially about East Germany’s secret police monitoring a playwright and his actress girlfriend in East Berlin.

Two plot details resonated with my memory. One is the sense of action unfolding in a small, modest apartment that the film makes us feel is eerily far from a private, safe haven. The other is the image of a typewriter which at some point in the story has to be hidden under the floorboards. All East German typewriters had to be registered with the authorities so they could be identified. The playwright had published an anonymous article accusing said authorities of concealing elevated suicide rates; and so, the registered typewriter became a key to revealing this dangerous piece of authorship. It was vital that it disappeared.

At the time, as much as the film struck me, I remember feeling how it all seemed just so unreal, far removed from any reality I’ve known. I can say that no more.

Writing.

It seems so innocent, the solitary typing of words on a page. A whole universe of them has been unleashed in front of our eyes since the advent of the printing press, and even more now through the virtual press—everything everywhere all at once. Can words on a page really, still, hold any real power?

The answer is probably measured by the words suppressed, rather than those flowing into the world undisturbed. There’s a long history of writers persecuted for their work—read PEN’s list here, and a list by Canada’s Freedom to Read initiative that goes all the way back to 210BC.

Looking through this list makes it clearer to me that attempts to silence focus our eyes exactly where they need to be; exactly where a truth hurts, or where the doors of our perception can open.

Words, and images, will take the shape you give them. In the end, what really matters is the ideas behind them. And behind that are the people who breathe life into those ideas—who dare to do so, at a risk, even when they know the shape of the world cannot (yet) hold them.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

ASIA & AFRICA | The non-profit SMEX is accepting applications for its Digital Rights Fund, designed to empower human rights defenders and related groups that need support to continue working in the face of digital threats across West Asia and North Africa—apply now.

🎥 🇧🇷 LAC | The program Conexão Oceano de Comunicação Ambiental, an initiative of Fundação Grupo Boticário de Proteção à Natureza, in partnership with UNESCO, is looking for story pitches about ocean conservation and art—submit yours by 20 April.

GLOBAL | The Earth Journalism Network is offering Biodiversity Story Grants as part of its Biodiversity Media Initiative to support reporting that highlights under-reported threats to global biodiversity or explore new conservation-based solutions—deadline 29 April.

GLOBAL | The Council for the Advancement of Science Reporting is accepting applications from experienced science journalists for the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award for a significant reporting project—closing 30 April.

🎥 GLOBAL | The Inge Morath Award, a grant given to a woman or nonbinary photographer under the age of 30 to support the completion of a long-term documentary project, is open for applications—closing 30 April.

ASIA | Applications are open for the Pulitzer Center Impact Seed Fund to support educational and engagement initiatives in Southeast Asia—deadline 30 April.

fellowships+scholarships

AFRICA | Apply for the journalist-in-residence programme at the New South Institute which is designed for storytellers who can bring governance and public policy to life through investigative research, sharp analysis, and compelling narratives—closing 11 April.

GLOBAL | ICFJ and News Corp are accepting applications from international journalists for the 2025 News Corp Media Fellowship for Digital Innovation—deadline extended to 15 April.

GLOBAL | The International Women’s Media Foundation has opened applications for the 2026 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship. The programme includes six months working with The Boston Globe and The New York Times and an educational stay at MIT's Center for International Studies—open until 20 April.

GLOBAL | Applications are open for the NYU Stern Climate Economics Journalism Fellowship—apply by 20 April.

GLOBAL | The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists is accepting applications from journalists from the developing nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to cover deliberations of the UN General Assembly for around 10-12 weeks beginning in September—deadline 26 April.

training+events

GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is hosting a webinar for journalists interested in uncovering the realities of Africa’s carbon market—register for the 15 April online session.

🇪🇸 LAC | The Solutions Journalism Network is hosting the workshop "Solutions journalism for climate stories with a gender perspective: Experiences from Latin America" which will take place on 29 and 30 April and be led by the editor of Climate Tracker Latin America—deadline 20 April.

GLOBAL | Submissions for proposals are open for the World Conference of Science Journalists, which will take place in Pretoria, South Africa in early December—deadline 21 April.

LAC | The Panter Foundation of the German daily newspaper taz is offering a free networking and training workshop focused on climate journalism for journalists from the Amazon region before the UN Climate Change Conference COP 30 in Belém, Brazil—apply by 22 April.

awards+competitions

🎥 GLOBAL | Submit your audio work, podcast and radio features to the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition to win a prize—deadline extended to 17 April.

GLOBAL | The International Press Institute and International Media Support are seeking nominations for the World Press Freedom Hero Award and the Free Media Pioneer Award—closing 30 April.

GLOBAL | The Online News Association is accepting entries for its 2025 Online Journalism Awards, which recognise excellence in digital reporting—closing 15 May.

pitches+positions

GLOBAL | RMIT University’s nonfiction/lab, in partnership with Mekong Review, is seeking to commission a new series of short literary works or criticism, including non-fiction and book reviews, for publication in forthcoming issues of the international publication—deadline 17 April.

GLOBAL | Bellingcat is looking for wildlife and environment related pitches grounded in open source methods and tools—pitch now.

GLOBAL | Current Conservation, a non-profit print and online magazine, is looking for pitches from writers and photographers interested in conservation research—pitch now.

GLOBAL | Quanta Books is inviting submissions from scientists, mathematicians, and journalists, including first-time authors—pitch now.

AFRICA | TechCabal, a publication dedicated to covering Africa’s vibrant technology industry, is looking for reporting and stories that drive understanding of how innovation is shaping the economies, policies, and everyday lives of Africans—pitch now.

ASIA | Foreign Policy is looking for a writer on a contract basis, to take over a new weekly newsletter on Southeast Asia—apply now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available). We currently have a total of 40 opportunities listed with deadlines through to June.

resources+tools

• Keep things simple and cut the blame: five lessons from Christiana Figueres on covering climate change - Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

• 6 tools to take your data visualizations to the next level - International Journalists' Network

• An Editor’s Eye View to Successful Pitching - SEJ

• Tipsheet: How Journalists Can Use a UN Process to Evaluate National Human Rights Records – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• 10 tips for covering legislative bodies - International Journalists' Network

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

This newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all. In addition to full archive access, you’ll get:

📌 Bonus content on media engagement—exclusive access to our master list of global opportunities

📌 Bonus content on global affairs—exclusive access to curated coverage on trending issues

📌 DMs open on Fridays—a direct line where I’ll be happy to answer your questions

As always, a big thank you to those of you who continue to support the project.

PLUS | in other editions

UPDATE | from the network

News organisations are starting to embrace creator-model journalists as collaborators rather than competitors, Klaudia Jaźwińska reports for Columbia Journalism Review. The Pulitzer Center has announced the 2025 cohort of its Rainforest Investigations Network fellows, who tackle stories at the intersection of climate change, corruption, and governance in the world’s three main tropical rainforest regions: Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. The Global Investigative Journalism Network interviews Hyury Potter, a Brazilian freelance reporter who recently won the Pulitzer Center’s Breakthrough Journalism Award.

In Oxfam’s From Poverty to Power blog, Duncan Green explores the future of aid and what next-gen jobs might look like in the sector. Applications are open for the Innovate for Impact Challenge, a global competition by the World Food Prize Foundation and America’s Cultivation Corridor, which is looking to support emerging agricultural technologies that could leave a lasting impact on communities worldwide—and there’s still time to make a nomination for the 2026 World Food Prize Laureate.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 69 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

Many of us are involved in sectors working for the common good. When that work and that vision gets eroded it can be unsettling; more so if livelihoods are on the line. How to keep a balance between staying positive, holding our ground and taking care of the day-to-day?

Maybe the oxygen mask needs to come on first: taking care of the basics before any decisions about what to do to adapt, and why.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

Finding strength in adaptation.

The developments we’ve been tracking in the VIEW edition of the newsletter are having an impact not just on those who benefit from international aid programmes, but on the media as well—and many professionals in both sectors.

According to a report by David Kenner and Sam Ellefson for the International Consortium of Investigative journalists, the Trump administration’s assault on foreign aid funding and institutions has left many news organisations in survival mode:

The United States allocated $268 million in 2025 to support independent media and the free flow of information. A USAID fact sheet from 2023 that was on its website before the site went dark on Feb. 1, showed the agency provided funding to more than 700 non-state news outlets and 6,000 journalists, the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders reported.

Cuts to foreign aid also leave local investigative media vulnerable to attacks from authoritarian regimes that see the US agency as a mechanism for interfering with domestic affairs, according to their report.

The concerns are echoed in a piece by Jon Allsop for Columbia Journalism Review, which offers several examples of the fallout for independent media. It also points out that, according to Reporters Without Borders, the full impact is hard to measure because many organisations stay silent “for fear of risking long-term funding or coming under political attacks.”

Within the United States, “journalists need to come to terms with our new reality” as intensified legal and regulatory challenges loom for media organisations, writes Joel Simon, also in Columbia Journalism Review. Meanwhile, the Associated Press is suing members of the Trump administration after being barred from the White House press pool and Air Force One for refusing to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America—something that analysts see as a test case that goes beyond this particular location, according to Tortoise Media.

You could say these are fairly aggressive routes to muffling the media. There are subtler ones too, if no less strident. Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post and one of the world’s richest men, has announced that the paper will no longer publish opinions which question “free markets”. Margaret Sullivan writes for The Guardian that although owners and publishers of news organisations often influence their opinion sections, Bezos’ order “goes far beyond the norm”.

Aid budgets were already being eroded, and journalism was already struggling for funding. Successful business models are limited and slow to take shape. And, the big picture aside, these are developments that in the meantime leave many jobs on the line.

So—a couple of thoughts for anyone grappling with that kind of scenario:

The usual advice in these cases is to try and pinpoint skills that can be transferred to other sectors. It’s one I would second and have urged others to do when coming across a career crossroads.

That’s exactly what I did when making the shift from research scientist to editor (and then journalist). I’ve never looked back—but that’s more down to the choice of what to transfer the skills to, rather than making a move to anywhere. And that’s the other thing to bear in mind: the time of upheaval is the time to get intentional about what to aim for next.

Change rarely happens without need or want pushing us in a new direction. What form that direction takes is hardly ever in our control. But here’s what is in our control: to use this time for conscious choices about where the energy is channelled. Sometimes that means digging deep to uncover core motivations, unexplored desires, realistic strategies. It’s not easy, but it could make the difference between just making do, or taking a step towards a more rewarding life and meaningful work.

📌 If you’re directly affected by the budget cuts and thinking about next steps I’m happy to share thoughts based on my experience, feel free to get in touch.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

ASIA & AFRICA | The non-profit SMEX is accepting applications for its Digital Rights Fund, designed to empower human rights defenders and related groups that need support to continue working in the face of digital threats across West Asia and North Africa—apply now.

AFRICA | Akina Mama wa Afrika is looking to award between 10 and 15 storytelling grants to support the reporting of bold and transformative stories that amplify the voices of African women and girls—deadline 7 March.

🎥 GLOBAL | Applications for the Doc Society Climate Story Fund are open. They are looking for stories that illuminate the interconnectedness of all life and demonstrate how climate action can lead to a new era of abundance—closing 10 March.

🇧🇷 LAC | Amazônia Vox, with the support of the Serrapilheira Institute and the International Center for Journalists, is offering microgrants to map knowledge sources in the Amazon—deadline 10 May for cycle 3.

fellowships+scholarships

GLOBAL | The Club of Rome is accepting applications for its 2025 Communications Fellowship, a 7-month remote mentoring program aimed at increasing the diversity of voices covering sustainability issues and supporting early-career communications professionals—closing 7 March.

GLOBAL | Equal Measures 2030's Storytelling with Data Fellowship is seeking applications from feminist storytellers, journalists and data/gender advocates in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa—apply by 9 March.

LAC | The Carolina Foundation has launched its 2025-2026 graduate scholarship programme and is accepting applications from journalists, media specialists and students from member states of the Organization of the Ibero-American States—deadline 12 March.

GLOBAL | DW Akademie is keen to hear from applicants from Africa, Asia, Latin America or Eastern Europe for its International Media Studies four-semester programme in Bonn, Germany—apply by 15 March.

GLOBAL | The US’s National Press Club and the NPC Journalism Institute are offering five scholarships to promising future journalists—deadline 16 March.

GLOBAL | Chatham House is accepting applications for its Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship which offers candidates the opportunity to spend 10 months at the UK think-tank working on a research project—send yours by 19 March.

AFRICA | Chatham House is also accepting applications for its Mo Ibrahim Foundation Academy Fellowship—apply by 19 March.

training+events

🇪🇸 LAC | Spanish-speaking journalists and other professionals interested in communicating about environment and energy transition can register for this free online session “Energy reporting in LatAm: Challenges and tools for journalists" hosted by Climate Tracker Latin America—register for the 13 March session.

LAC | Brazilian journalism school Cásper Líbero is offering a course for media and communication professionals wishing to provide quality information on health—register and tune in on 15 March.

🇧🇷 LAC | Brazilian journalism school Cásper Líbero has registrations open for an online course in Portuguese called "How to become a foreign correspondent”—register for the course taking place on March 15 and 29.

awards+competitions

🎥 GLOBAL | Submissions are open for the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. Entrants must be women, nonbinary or gender non-conforming full-time photojournalists of any nationality—send your nominations by 14 March.

LAC | Climate Tracker is accepting entries for its Caribbean Climate Journalism Awards, a competition in partnership with the Open Society Foundation, which recognises and celebrates outstanding journalism focused on climate change and environmental issues within the Caribbean region—deadline 14 March.

GLOBAL | The Royal Society is accepting entries for the Trivedi Science Book Prize, which awards books that make popular science writing compelling and accessible to the public—call for entries closes on 21 March.

GLOBAL | Nominations are open for the International Women's Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Awards, a prize to honour women and nonbinary journalists who exhibit extraordinary bravery, persistence, and resilience—submissions open until 30 March.

pitches+positions

ASIA | The Tax Justice Network is hiring a consultant producer to establish a new monthly podcast/radio programme for audiences in India and Pakistan—apply by 16 March.

GLOBAL | The British Medical Journal is inviting contributions to its topic collection focused on the role of leadership in addressing Planetary Health challenges—submit by 31 March.

GLOBAL | The agency Factual is on the lookout for quality fact-checkers who specialise in narrative, investigative, litigious, or scientific projects—rolling deadlines (next: March 31st).

GLOBAL | The New York Times is looking for a visual editor—apply now.

ASIA | FT Live, the conferences and events division of the Financial Times, is looking for an Asia-based Senior Content Editor on a freelance contractor basis—apply now.

ASIA | The China-Global South Project is looking for an experienced and knowledgeable researcher to focus on the transition minerals supply chain—apply now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available). We currently have a total of 46 opportunities listed with deadlines through to May.

resources+tools

• Six tools to elevate your data storytelling - Pragya Malhotra for Media news

• Guide to Investigating Fossil Fuels: The Industry’s Future – Fermin Koop for Global Investigative Journalism Network

• Loving the Questions: Reporting for Essays - Kate Fishman for The Open Notebook

• How journalists can access high-quality satellite images of earth - Rowan Philp for International Journalists' Network

• 6 Opportunities for Ocean Conservation in 2025 - Tom Pickerell for World Resources Institute

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

This newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all. In addition to full archive access, you’ll get:

📌 Bonus content on media engagement—exclusive access to our master list of global opportunities

📌 Bonus content on global affairs—exclusive access to curated coverage on trending issues

📌 DMs open on Fridays—a direct line where I’ll be happy to answer your questions

As always, a big thank you to those of you who continue to support the project.

PLUS | from the archive

UPDATE | industry news

As the US government removes websites and data that journalists and other practitioners rely on worldwide, a number of organisations have stepped in to salvage information or point to alternatives. The Journalist’s Resource has curated a list of non-government websites with health databases, writes Naseem S. Miller in a piece that also offers tips on how to preserve websites. The health news publisher STAT is backing up and monitoring CDC data in real time.

On how AI is changing journalism, Aultrin Vijay writes for WAN-IFRA about the evolution from traditional to digital and now ‘fluid’, hyper-personalised content that can be generated in real-time. Journalists at the New York Times are getting AI help for tasks like preparing interview questions or socials-friendly content, but aren’t allowed to use the technology to write stories, Max Tani reports for Semafor. In a survey about how AI is used in newsrooms across 70 countries in the Global South, the Thomson Reuters Foundation found over 80% of journalists actively using AI, highlighting both ethical concerns and positive perceptions about the future of the technology.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 69 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

The year is getting underway with an epic shake-up as the new US president upends governance business-as-usual. The cracks will reach far and wide.

More on that in the next VIEW edition. For now, here’s a question: if you’re someone not inclined to fall in line with what this kind of power demands, then how do you make your way. What do you do—what can you do—if anything?

I don’t have an answer for you. What I can do is offer a spot of advice for anyone who may at some point be compelled to speak their mind. You can, of course, do that on socials or meetings, even the dinner table. But the old-fashioned column is still around too, and that’s what I’m aiming at with today’s 3-point guide.

As you’ll hear if you make it all the way down to PS., democracy isn’t just about elections.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

It’s a direct line.

For a long time, most people with something to say had to rely on journalists and editors to reach a wider audience than their network of peers. That’s changed with social platforms.

But you can still use the traditional channel of op-ed writing to get your message across. Getting published on a respected platform can offer credibility, and sharing a perspective means having more control over the message.

So, how do you go about getting such a piece published? You do, of course, need a solid idea—check out these tips in our previous post on opinion writing if you’re not sure where to start.

Here’s what comes next.

#1—Find the right publisher

The first step is to find a publisher that could be the right fit for your opinion. Do some research on outlets that publish op-eds, viewpoints or commentaries, and check if they cover issues relevant to your field.

Make a list of your options in order of priority. Here, think about what matters to you—perhaps it’s the publication’s reach, or the type of audience it caters to. It’s worth being ambitious at this point, but be realistic too. If your idea is about a niche debate in medical ethics, that’s probably more Lancet than Washington Post.

Once you have your target publisher, be sure to search for their submission guidelines. Most will have these guidelines posted on their site—if they do, you need to follow them.

#2—Craft your proposal

Once you have your idea, and your target publishers, it’s time to craft the pitch—this is what journalists call a short proposal that outlines the idea for an editor.

A good pitch is more an art than a science, but a well-presented proposal that hits the right notes will boost your chances at securing a commission. In essence, it should explain the basic elements of the article:

• what you want to write about—a hard-hitting message that grabs attention

• why it’s important and relevant now—a piece of news or an event that shows why it’s important to talk about it now

• how you’ll go about making the argument—the key points in your reasoning

The tips on opinion writing we shared previously will come in handy here too:

#3—Email you pitch to the editor

To structure your pitching email, start with a brief introduction: tell the editor who you are in one or two sentences.

Follow this up quickly with the gist of the proposal. Highlight something that’s newsworthy or special about your article—a novel piece of information, or a unique setting, or a link to a current event. Then the body of your email should be the full pitch expanding on your argument with the key points.

Before you close, outline briefly why you think the publication’s audience will be interested in your piece. End with a few words on why the reader can trust *you* to offer this opinion—outline your relevant experience in a brief bio.

Bear in mind that you’ll need to fit all this into a short space: a typical pitch is 300-500 words long. Better to avoid going any longer than that unless it’s really necessary. And when you email your pitch, address it to an editor—a specific person—not a generic address.

I’ll end by going back to the first point:

In reality, that should be “find the right publishers”. That’s because even though following good pitching practices can give you a better chance of getting your foot in the door, rejections are usually a part of the process. So be prepared with a backup target publisher, and be patient: your pitch may not work the first time. But keep trying.

In many cases, the first step is in fact the hardest: that’s coming up with the message you want to put across. If opining is out of your comfort zone, it’s a good idea to wait until the time feels right. Or, well, until silence becomes more uncomfortable.

📌 When you’re ready to get a message out there, if you need advice tailored to your idea and circumstances feel free to get in touch. Paid subscribers can reach me with specific questions via Friday DMs, otherwise email me to discuss if a 1:1 session could help.

Guidance is based on experience on both sides of the opinion-writing fence. My commentary has been published in Devex, Nature, Undark magazine and SciDevNet, where as head of the op-eds desk I commissioned and worked with dozens of contributors on science and global development issues.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network is offering grants to support project ideas from media outlets, journalism institutions and other organizations that work directly with media or content creators in the Asia-Pacific region—closing 30 January.

GLOBAL | The Fund for Investigative Journalism is inviting journalists to apply for grants to produce high-quality, unbiased, nonpartisan investigative stories—closing 31 January.

ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network is offering reporting grants to support the production of in-depth solutions-focused media reports on environmental and climate challenges in the region—apply by 3 February.

LAC | The Earth Journalism Network is offering grants to support journalism related to environmental crimes in the Amazon Region in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru—deadline 7 February.

🇧🇷 LAC | Amazônia Vox, with the support of the Serrapilheira Institute and the International Center for Journalists, is offering microgrants to map knowledge sources in the Amazon—deadline 10 February for cycle 2, 10 May for cycle 3.

fellowships+scholarships

MENA | Mid to senior level female editors and journalists from Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine can apply to WAN-IFRA’s Women in News Accelerator, a nine-month-long career and leadership program for female journalists—deadline 31 January.

🇪🇸 LAC | CONNECTAS is launching a fellowship to support stories that unveil new insights into a socially significant phenomenon at both national and regional levels for journalists residing in the region with at least three years of professional experience—closing 2 February.

GLOBAL | CFI, Reporters Without Borders, SINGA and Maison des journalistes are launching the second cohort of Voices in Exile, a project to support and accompany journalists and media in exile in Paris, France—deadline 4 February.

🎥 LAC | TBA21–Academy, in collaboration with Tactical Tech’s “Exposing the Invisible” project and artist-researcher Federico Pérez Villoro, invites applications for “Webs of Water”, an online activation series exploring the relationship between technology infrastructures, freshwater scarcity and water distribution issues in the Caribbean—closing 5 February.

🎥 ASIA | Reuters has opened applications from Indian citizens or residents for its 12-month Danish Siddiqui Photojournalism Fellowship at its Delhi bureau—apply by 9 February.

training+events

GLOBAL | The International Institute for Environment and Development is hosting a panel with experts on critical minerals, international policy and a just energy transition—online event on 29 January.

AFRICA | CANAL+ Impact is organizing a training program in visual journalism from April 8 to 12 in Cotonou, Benin—apply by 31 January.

ASIA | The Global Investigative Journalism Network is offering a fellowship to journalists in developing or transitioning countries to travel to the 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference taking place this November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—deadline 31 January.

ASIA | The Asian American Journalists Association's Asia Chapter's (AAJA-Asia) 2025 Executive Leadership Program will feature an international cohort and a fully in-person program from May 26 to 31 in Bangkok, Thailand—applications close 31 January.

GLOBAL | Journalists interested in learning how to track climate finance more effectively are invited to apply to attend a 4-week free online training programme from The Centre for Investigative Journalism—closing 2 February.

awards+competitions

🎥 GLOBAL | The Sidney Hillman Foundation is inviting journalists and photographers to enter their work into its Hillman Prizes, which honour investigative journalism and commentary that serves the common good and has been widely accessible to US audiences—closing 30 January.

GLOBAL | The Association of British Science Writers’ 2025 awards are open for entry—submit your work by 31 January.

GLOBAL | Amnesty International UK is inviting entries for its annual Media Awards, which seek to recognise the journalists’ role and the risks they face in highlighting human rights abuses around the world and holding power to account—closing 31 January.

GLOBAL | Submissions are open for the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, which honours a free and fair press and celebrates media professionals whose work explores issues of human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action—deadline 31 January.

🎥 AFRICA | Journalists who covered regional integration projects in Africa and are nationals of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa member states can enter the COMESA Media Awards—deadline 31 January.

GLOBAL | The National Association of Science Writers’ Science in Society Journalism Awards recognises investigative or interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact on modern society—submit your work by 1 February.

pitches+positions

⏳ 🇫🇷 AFRICA | Les Bonnes Ondes is looking for an editorial production assistant in Casablanca, Morocco—closing 31 January.

MENA | The Committee to Protect Journalists is hiring a head of programs to oversee the MENA Program’s advocacy, assistance, research, and reporting on press freedom violations and attacks throughout the region—deadline 31 January.

ASIA | News agency Agence France-Presse is looking for an experienced editor to join its English-language news desk at its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong—apply by 7 February.

GLOBAL | Rest of World is accepting pitches on its four coverage areas for 2025: EV revolution, China outside China, tech giants, innovation—send your pitch now.

GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is looking for an editorial intern for one year starting in late May—apply now.

GLOBAL | The New York Times is looking for a visual editor—apply now.

MENA | Newsweek is seeking a Middle East freelance news reporter—apply now.

ASIA | Foreign Policy is looking for a writer on a contract basis, to take over a new weekly newsletter on Southeast Asia—apply now.

ASIA | Tyler Roney from Dialogue Earth is open to environmental stories in mainland Southeast Asia—pitch now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available). We currently have a total of 57 opportunities listed with deadlines through to late February.

resources+tools

• 7 opportunities and challenges for journalists in 2025 - Jacob Granger for International Journalists' Network

• The climate development milestones to watch in 2025 - Jesse Chase-Lubitz for Devex

• Climate and health: Stories to watch in 2025 - Katie Burke and Lara Salahi for the Association of Health Care Journalists

• Here are all the journalism terms you need to know, defined - Poynter

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

This newsletter is the product of years of experience across sectors, plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all. In addition to full archive access, you’ll get:

📌 Bonus content on media engagement—exclusive access to our master list of global opportunities

📌 Bonus content on global affairs—exclusive access to curated coverage on trending issues

📌 DMs open on Fridays—a direct line where I’ll be happy to answer your questions

As always, a big thank you to those of you who continue to support the project.

PLUS | in other editions

UPDATE | from the network

The mental health challenges that journalists face in the course of their work were highlighted in this first-hand account by Ayman Oghanna for the Columbia Journalism Review, and a piece focused on Peru’s investigative journalists by Ernesto Cabral for IJNET. The International Journalists’ Network is looking for outstanding students and early-career journalists to feature in their new student journalism newsletter—nominate yourself or someone else here. The editor-in-chief of the Palgrave Handbook of Nature-Based Solutions is accepting contributions for 10,000-word chapters on a range of topics including urbanisation, ecosystem restoration, disaster risk reduction and financing nature-based solutions—submit here.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 69 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise reader—

No year-end reflections or predictions here. Simply the latest round of opportunities with deadlines into January, with a few thoughts on facing the reality of where we stand. They may be focused on journalism, but the ideas and sentiment go beyond it.

Time to recharge. I’ll be back with you again next month after our usual break.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

A reality-check is the first step.

It’s not unusual for new subscribers to this newsletter to comment on the fact that much of what we cover is, well, not exactly uplifting.

I hear that. It’s given me pause, many times.

But consider this: maybe the path to optimism just needs to pass through realism. This is what I hope we’re all doing here—not indulging in some penchant for doom and gloom, but trying to understand and face hard truths so we can find a way to better, whatever that may look like.

That goes for the realities of working with the media as much as it does for the state of the world. As the year draws to a close, I’m acutely aware of the treacherous environment in which journalism is operating these days.

Budgets are getting tighter, and the advent of AI tools risks adding to the squeeze for those who rely on producing content, whether words or images.

Copyright-grabbing appears to be growing too, a sign of publishing companies yielding more power over creators.

Authoritarian-leaning governments aren’t going away any time soon. The rise of one such government in particular has me watching colleagues reaching for security tools to implement in their day-to-day work.

Beyond these trends within the industry, which I’ve become aware of through networks or anecdotal evidence, the growing risks of reporting work are becoming more visible.

The International Federation of Journalists is one of the organisations tracking the numbers, which show that media workers lost in Gaza stand out for the second year in a row, AP News reports.

There’s overtly violent conflict, and there’s the less overt conflict over natural resources: alongside activists, environmental journalists continue to come under attack, physically and through legal routes. Dialogue Earth gives voice to five environmental defenders from Southeast Asia who have faced threats, violence and legal hurdles. Siripannee Supratya wrote for the same outlet about how strategic lawsuits are being used to silence journalists in Thailand, where a proposed broadcasting bill could further restrict journalistic investigations.

Mongabay is one of the publishers where you’ll find more of those stories. Rhett Butler, its founder and CEO, recently spoke to Lauren Watson of the Columbia Journalism Review about managing the risks that come with the coverage. You’ll find more examples of initiatives responding to the threat in the industry updates we share below.

Hats off to the journalists who continue to risk lives or peace of mind to pursue important stories—and to the outlets and organisations that support them.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

ASIA & AFRICA | The non-profit SMEX, a non-profit organisation, is accepting applications for its Digital Rights Fund, designed to empower human rights defenders and related groups that need support to continue working in the face of digital threats across West Asia and North Africa—apply now.

GLOBAL | The Future Earth Pathways initiatives is offering communication grants to support innovative communication of place-based scientific research on sustainability for non-academic audiences—closing 22 December.

LAC | The Earth Journalism Network is offering story grants for journalists to produce stories on transnational conservation crimes in the Amazon Region, and related threats for Indigenous and local communities—closing 9 January.

fellowships+scholarships

🇪🇸 GLOBAL | The Perfil-USBA Postgraduate Program in Investigative Journalism has launched a new edition of the Robert Cox Scholarship for a one-year online graduate course at the Universidad del Sur de Buenos Aires—apply by 29 December.

GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is accepting applications for the Rainforest Investigations Network’s one-year fellowship which aims to enable journalists to investigate financial networks, illegal practices, and legal loopholes that fuel large-scale deforestation and environmental destruction across the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.—closes on 31 December.

GLOBAL | The Migration & Technology Monitor is inviting displaced journalists to apply for a fellowship to explore how technology is used in the context of migration—closing 31 December.

GLOBAL | Investigative Reporters & Editors has opened applications for the David Donald Fellowship which aims to support computer-assisted reporting training to university educators so that they can better equip their students to be effective watchdogs through the use of data—deadline 6 January.

GLOBAL | The Erasmus Mundus Master’s programme in Journalism, Media and Globalisation is offering scholarship to graduate students interested in a journalism degree—closing 10 January.

training+events

GLOBAL | The Global Investigative Journalism Network is inviting ideas for skills-based sessions for the 2025 Global Investigative Journalism Conference to be held next year in Malaysia—closing 20 December.

AFRICA | The International Women's Media Foundation is organising a Hostile Environment and First Aid Training in Nairobi in April to train journalists in sub-Saharan Africa on how to stay safe in their work. This opportunity is part of the Safety in Numbers program—closing 31 December.

AFRICA | Resilience for All is inviting English-speaking journalists from selected African countries to apply for a training on extreme heat reporting, due to take place in Ghana next February—closing 6 January.

🇪🇸 LAC | Causa Natura Media is offering a training programme for environment journalists in Mexico—closing 7 January.

ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network is inviting applications from India-based journalists and communicators interested in attending a three-day workshop about reporting on renewable energy, which is taking place in Kanpur in February—closing 10 January.

GLOBAL | The American Association for the Advancement of Science offers a paid summer internship program in Washington D.C. for students interested in journalism who want to learn about science writing—closing on 10 January.

awards+competitions

GLOBAL | The American Association for Cancer Research invites journalists to apply for the AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism, which recognises stories that enhance the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research or policy—closing 23 December.

🎥 GLOBAL | The Photography Foundation Awards 2024 are open for submissions. All entrants get one free image entry—submit your work by 31 December.

🎥 GLOBAL | World Photography Organisation has opened up submissions for the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. All competitions, including those for professionals and students, are free to enter—closing 3 January.

AFRICA | The African Institute for Development Policy and the Platform for Dialogue and Action on Health Technologies in Africa are accepting entries for the 2024 Emerging Technologies Media Award of Excellence. Entries should address issues related to the development and use of emerging technologies in Africa—closing 10 January.

GLOBAL | Journalists can submit their stories for The Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability, which is organized by Arizona State University—deadline 10 January.

🎥 GLOBAL | World Press Photo is inviting visual journalists can submit digital work to the annual competition—closing 10 January.

pitches+positions

MENA | ESG MENA is recruiting a lead journalist to shape their content on ESG, sustainability, and climate change in the region—closing 31 December.

GLOBAL | Grist is recruiting for three editorial positions: Climate News Fellow, a Climate Solutions Fellow and Indigenous Affairs Fellow—closing 21 January.

🇫🇷 AFRICA | Les Bonnes Ondes is looking for an editorial production assistant in Casablanca, Morocco—closing 31 January.

MENA | The New York Times is looking for an editor to join their Middle East team on the International desk—apply now.

GLOBAL | The Examination is accepting applications on a rolling basis for a number of positions, including Audience Editor, Audience Development Associate and a Social video internship—apply now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here (a gift subscription is available). We currently have a total of 44 opportunities listed with deadlines through to late January 2025.

resources+tools

• 60 Gifts for Writers That Your Creative Friends Will Love - Reedsy

• Tips for overcoming writer's block - Muskan Bansal for International Journalists' Network

• Covering Science in the Context of Conflict - Claudia López Lloreda for The Open Notebook

• An introvert's guide to networking for journalists - Phil Clark for Journalism.co.uk

• The magic and the minefield of confidence - The Economist

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

A big thank you to those of you who continue to support my time and energy for the project. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

PLUS | in other editions

UPDATE | from the network

The Open Society Foundation is relaunching its programme on protecting rights defenders, with a focus on forging lasting protection systems. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also launched an initiative to provide environmental journalists with safety training and other forms of support. The Pulitzer Center shared a selection of stories it supported in 2024 that “that moved us, surprised us, challenged us, or made an impact”. The Magnum Foundation announced recipients of a photography fellowship that aims to expand discourse about climate-related extreme heat.

PS.

Site-specific murals by South African artist Esther Mahlangu (b.1935), which celebrate community and unity, are on view at London’s Serpentine Gallery until 28th September 2025.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 67 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise reader—

In his celebrated 1950s novel Things Fall Apart, which grapples with colonialism, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe plays a clever trick with the reader which is, of course, more than a trick.

I’ll try not to spoil it for any of you who haven’t read the book but plan to. So I’ll just say it has to do with the space Achebe devotes to the narrative of the main story vs. the perspective of the British commissioner in that story. The author brings the point home, simply and brilliantly, on the last page.

That point is still relevant today, as you’ll see below.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

When ‘leading’ outlets don’t lead.

“Negative stereotypes in international media cost Africa £3.2bn a year”.

I was immediately intrigued by this headline, which appeared in The Guardian last month. Caroline Kimeu reported from Kenya on a new index that tracks 20 of the world’s most influential news providers against how they represent the African continent in their coverage.

The results suggest that media portrayals are dominated by narratives of conflict, corruption, poverty, disease and poor leadership—a trend more pronounced during election time.

This won’t surprise anyone who looks critically at coverage of the continent. It’s a tendency that hails from colonialism and still shapes how Africa is perceived around the world.

What’s unexpected is having a price tag attached to it. The researchers behind the index came up with the figure by quantifying the gap between perceived and actual risks of investing in the continent—Kimeu writes:

Heightened perceptions of risk portrayed by the media causes lenders to apply “unjustifiably” high borrowing costs, even for African countries with decent credit ratings, and “provide cover” for unfair loan terms, according to the data scientists and economists behind the study.

Marcus Courage, CEO of Africa Practice, adds that the £3.2bn estimate only factors in how negative stereotyping affects sovereign debt, and doesn’t consider other drivers of development such as tourism or aid.

The index is based on research by Africa No Filter, The Africa Center, and the University of Cape Town. It’s the first large-scale quantitative study of how international media represent Africa.

So, how did different outlets rank?

The evaluation centred on three key measures: limited voices (gender disparities were prominent); limited scope (most outlets covered only a handful of countries in depth); and limited topics (more politics/poverty/corruption/conflict—less culture/innovation).

The good

• 1st place for overall coverage, topic diversity and diversity of voices goes to The Guardian—no wonder it covered the report. It was followed by AFP and Reuters.

• AFP outperformed all other outlets in covering the most African countries.

• Deutsche Welle and Le Monde shared the top spot on balanced coverage. Le Monde was also ahead of the rest on offering context to their stories.

• The Chinese outlet Xinhua had the highest score on avoiding stereotypes.

• All outlets performed relatively well in depth of coverage, a measure that took into account balance, context, framing, and avoidance of stereotypes.

The bad

• In terms of overall coverage, the three leading American publications—New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—came in last.

• The Wall Street Journal ranked lowest for the number of countries covered; The Washington Post ranked lowest in diversity of topics and on offering context to their stories.

• The Economist had the worst score on avoiding stereotypes.

• All outlets performed poorly in the diversity of topics covered, with much of the news focused on negative subjects.

• All the outlets studied “devoted disproportionate space to powerful men” as primary news sources, whether that was politicians, businesspeople or experts.

The hope

The institutions behind this work hope the index—and the economic cost attached to it— will help challenge coverage that creates a monolithic view of the continent in favour of more nuanced narratives.

📌 Read more about the index here and in this commentary in The Conversation.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

🇪🇸 LAC & IBERIA | Journalists from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula who are interested in journalism innovations can submit their projects for funding. By the Gabo Foundation—submissions open.

🎥 US & GLOBAL | The Aftermath Project is offering a grant for photographers to tell the other half of the story of conflict, focusing on the 1492/1619 American Aftermaths. They also encourage the exploration of Asian and Hispanic experiences—closing 1 December.

AFRICA | Journalists and communicators interested in agroecology in Uganda and beyond can apply to the Agroecology Media Grant from the Agroecology School for Journalists and Communicators—closing December 2024.

fellowships+scholarships

⏳ GLOBAL | English-speaking journalists from countries with restricted freedom of the press and information can apply to Reporters Without Borders and the taz Panter Foundation’s Rest & Resilience Fellowship in Berlin—closing November 25.

⏳ MENA | Logic(s) magazine and the Arab Reform Initiative are seeking applications for the Palestinian Journalist Fellowship—closing November 27.

⏳ MENA | Al Jazeera Media Institute is accepting applications for its 2025 fellowship, a two-month program in Doha—closing 30 November.

GLOBAL | Harvard University and the Nieman Foundation invite journalists, publishers, entrepreneurs and others who work to advance journalism to apply for The Nieman Visiting Fellowships, which offer short-term research opportunities for special projects—closing 1 December.

GLOBAL | The University of Michigan is accepting applications from mid-career journalists to The Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship that supports a year of academic study—closing 1 December.

ASIA | Georgetown University is inviting applications for its Asia Media Fellows Program, which provides support for seasoned journalists from distressed media markets in the Asia-Pacific region to conduct research and network—closing 1 December.

training+events

⏳ 🇪🇸 GLOBAL | The UAM/El País Journalism School is hosting an online workshop on science journalism on December 3 and 4—sign up by November 26.

⏳ GLOBAL | The project Data Against Feminicide is hosting a webinar called "Media against feminicide: narratives, challenges and responsibilities” in which experts from Uruguay, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina and the U.S. will talk about the media’s role in reporting human rights abuses—tune in on November 26.

GLOBAL | The University of Eastern Finland and the United Nations Environment Programme are inviting applications for a two-week course on Multilateral Environmental Agreements—closing 9 December.

awards+competitions

⏳🎥 GLOBAL | The World Photography Organisation has opened up submissions for the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. All competitions, including those for professionals and students, are free to enter—closing November 29.

🎥 GLOBAL | Smithsonian magazine invites submissions from professional and amateur photographers for its annual photo contest—closing 2 December.

GLOBAL | The American Association for Cancer Research invites journalists to apply for the AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism, which recognises stories that enhance the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research or policy—closing 9 December.

pitches+positions

🚨 GLOBAL | The Swiss nonprofit Fondation Hirondelle is hiring an editorial manager in Chad—closing 22 November.

🚨 AFRICA | AFP is looking for a journalist to report and edit stories about Kenya and the rest of the East Africa region—closing 24 November.

⏳ MENA | Al Jazeera is looking for an Executive Producer to manage in-house production, external commissioning and/or acquisition of content for documentaries—apply now.

⏳ 🇫🇷 AFRICA | Les Bonnes Ondes is looking for an editorial production assistant in Casablanca, Morocco—apply now.

GLOBAL | The New York Times is looking for a lead editor for a newsletter focused on international news—apply now.

ASIA | The Environmental Reporting Collective is seeking a managing editor—apply now.

AFRICA | Reuters is hiring for the position of head of Africa Hub in Nairobi, Kenya—apply now.

MENA | Eco-Business is looking for a freelancer journalist to join its team and produce content on sustainable development trends and news in the Middle East—apply now.

📌 More opportunities are available to paid subscribers here.

resources+tools

• Risk Journalism: a guide to clear reporting on any topic - Maricarmen Climént for Science Media Centre Spain

• Weaving Indigenous Science into Reported Stories - Emma Gometz for The Open Notebook

• Science Writing & Story Structures - Erika Hayasaki in The Reported Essay

• Scheduling rest is crucial for good journalism – Katherine Reynolds Lewis for RJI

• 4 ways to diversify your beat as a freelance health journalist - Anna Medaris for the US Association of Health Care Journalists

• 🎙 How journalists can become media consultants, with Ramaa Sharma - Jacob Granger for Journalism.co.uk

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

A big thank you to those of you who continue to support my time and energy for the project. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

PLUS | in other editions

ICYMI—the latest VIEW edition recaps what happened at the COP16 global biodiversity summit, takes stock of the key issues on the table at the COP29 climate summit, and looks ahead to the desertification COP16. Plus our highlights from the global news agenda.

📌 Additional curated resources to support past and forthcoming UN summits is available for paid subscribers here (a free 7-day trial is available).

UPDATE | from the network

The Pulitzer Center has published Making Waves, a report on the current landscape and opportunities for better ocean journalism. Filmmaker Breech Asher Harani from the Philippines emerged as the winner out of 200 entries to the first Climate and Labour Grant—a collaboration between One World Media, the Financial Times and Pulitzer Center—to tell a story about how the country’s cacao farmers and chocolatiers are adapting to the climate crisis. Mongabay has announced the awardees of its Conservation Reporting and Africa’s Environmental Reporting fellowships. Congrats to the winners of two science journalism competitions, the Kavli Science Journalism Awards and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 67 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise reader—

Without a LinkedIn reminder I wouldn't have clocked that this month marks 8 years of building my business as a freelance 🥂

When you’re in the thick of it and focused on what’s next, it's really easy to forget what’s come to pass. So with last week’s prompt I’ve taken a bit of time to look back and signpost a few things I’ve come to value, based on learnings from struggles as well as achievements.

Or if stocktakes aren’t your thing—skip down to the rest: lots more opportunities to share today, from Lusophone Latin America to Kazakhstan.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

Working as an independent isn’t easy.

It’s also incredibly rewarding. You get to learn about every single aspect of running a business. You can collaborate with amazing people and organisations. You can experiment, hone your voice and your vision.

I’m feeling lucky to have worked on projects I believe in, whether in journalism or training or consulting, which hopefully make a small difference in how we think about and make progress on various global issues.

If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll have seen plenty a-musing on freelance life and media work. This time I’m looking at the bigger picture—and that’s taken the shape of three themes that serve as guiding lights of sorts.

#1 | Communication as power and connection

Not everyone is inclined to share their work or views in public fora. Even when so inclined, some may feel unable or lacking in skills. Others may have specific ideas about what that communication does or should look like.

That was me too, once. Despite over two decades in publishing and journalism, communication was initially very far from my mind as a career (I started off in research and risk analysis). How that shift came to happen is for another day, but the belief in its value has only grown through the years.

Without finding ways to communicate, insight and useful ideas will—and do—go unheard. This ends up creating a distorted picture of who holds knowledge, and whose knowledge counts. It can also be isolating.

The need to change those imbalances is a big part of what drives me. The training I’ve developed on communicating science or development issues draws from that purpose. It also draws from personal experience, and from an editorial track record crafting opinion pieces with dozens of scientists and practitioners from the Global South.

Some of the most satisfying moments have come from helping people with something to say find a way to get their viewpoint forward and out into the world, where they can connect with others. Sometimes it’s ‘a journey’—there are aspects of communication that I still work on for myself. But it’s an empowering journey.*

*If this speaks to you, scroll way down for a work-anniversary offer from me.

#2 | Pushing boundaries—and being open to challenge

Much of the discourse that gets attention on a number of issues is about celebrating positive visions and milestones, even plain good intentions. I often see it as a case of dominant narratives swirling comfortably in their own bubbles.

One of the things I like about journalism at its best is how it can puncture those bubbles. Yes it’s about stories, but it’s also about taking a critical stance that can push on boundaries and take things out of their comfort zones.

Luckily some editors and publications have been receptive to my attempts to do that on issues like science and public trust, Covid-19 myths, consumer habits and the pandemic, photography for the Amazon, blind spots in the quest to meet the SDGs or eradicate disease.

Having said that: it’s just as important to stay open to your own ideas being challenged.

The point was driven home for me after an intense month as a visiting journalist at the The Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, which brought together thinkers and doers in science and global development. There was a gruelling schedule, great conversations. But the lasting impact on my professional life resulted from difficult exchanges with people who came to the same table from totally different worldviews.

There are many ways to grow, see things with fresh eyes and nudge others in that direction. Some of the best opportunities, and arguably hardest to take, come when we're challenged on narratives we take for granted.

#3 | Authenticity with visuals and relationships

No doubt, words are powerful. A writer can use narrative and skilled structure to take you places. But time and again I’ve seen how imagery and direct experience can take us even farther—imparting an authenticity that only becomes possible when connecting the physical world to the more abstract world of thoughts and ideas.

There's no substitute for first-hand 'field' experience to gain insight. And for me, that’s often come part-and-parcel with audiovisual work, whether it’s based on self-produced reports or working with talented colleagues to co-produce stories.

The value of this type of work also lies in what gets unlocked during the process. Much of what matters tends to stay behind the scenes of what we produce: stimulating conversations, a spirit of creativity and experimentation, pushing for impact with strategy, learning from each other—I’m always learning from so many incredible interviewees and collaborators.

It all hinges on relationships built on mutual respect, which I’ve come to prioritise over time. It’s about working with people who value what each brings to the table, with sensitivity to different needs and traits—not because we have to tick a box, but because it makes for better process and outcome. It makes partnerships stronger, and it’s just so much more interesting.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

🇷🇺 ASIA | The Internews office of Kazakhstan is inviting independent journalists and media teams registered in the country to apply for grants that support content production through its "Small and Big Format — 2025." programme—closing 27 October.

⏳ MENA | The Production Awards program is inviting young writers and artists from the Arab region to apply for grants to support production of their first creative projects—closing 31 October.

GLOBAL | The ICFJ’s Reporting Grants programme is introducing individual reporting grants of up to $3,000, which are open to all journalists in its network—closing 1 November.

🇪🇸 LAC & IBERIA | Journalists from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula who are interested in journalism innovations can submit their projects for funding. By the Gabo Foundation—submissions open.

fellowships+scholarships

⏳ 🎥 ASIA | The Skoll Foundation and the Video Consortium are inviting filmmakers and social innovators from and based in Asia to apply for a year-long, collaborative storytelling fellowship that will pair them with a non-profit to support the production of solutions-focused short documentaries—closing 28 October.

⏳ GLOBAL | The International Journalists’ Network is inviting female investigative journalists, in particular those from countries of the Middle East, to apply for a fellowship designed to support production of reports on corruption and its impact on women—closing 30 October.

⏳ GLOBAL | Early-career science journalists can apply for The Open Notebook’s paid, part-time fellowship programme, where they will work with a mentor to produce articles and become part of the TON editorial team—closing 31 October.

GLOBAL | The Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration (CERC Migration) is launching its CERC Migration Journalism Fellowship, a one-month residency available to journalists interested in learning more about immigration and migrant integration research—closing 1 November.

📌 More fellowship opportunities available to paid subscribers here.

training+events

⏳ GLOBAL | The Science Journalism Forum is holding its annual online event under the theme "Transforming Narratives: Reshaping the Landscape of Science Journalism"—starting 28 October.

⏳ 🎥 MENA | The San Diego Arab Film Festival is inviting submissions from documentary filmmakers for its upcoming Spring festival, which presents films from and about the Arab World that reinforce the humanity of its peoples—closing 28 October.

⏳ GLOBAL | The 18th Biennial Conference on Communication and Environment is calling for proposals on all kinds of environmental communication work—closing 31 October.

MENA | Science journalists in the Arab world can apply for an intensive workshop taking place in Abu Dhabi, which offers skills and knowledge to report more effectively on the science of climate change, its impacts on the Arab world, and options to respond to it—apply now.

📌 More training opportunities available to paid subscribers here.

awards+competitions

⏳ GLOBAL | The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is inviting submissions to its Road Safety Reporting Competition and Awards from journalists who have reported on road safety for publications in selected countries of the Global South—closing 29 October.

⏳ 🎥 AFRICA | The Pan-African STM Cinema Competition, a science communication competition sponsored by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, is inviting submissions of short explainer videos in science / tech / math—closing 30 October.

⏳ GLOBAL | The Merck Foundation and African First Ladies are calling journalists based in Africa, as well as Francophone or Lusophone Latin America and Asia, to enter its Diabetes and Hypertension Media Awards—closing 30 October.

⏳ GLOBAL | The International Labour Organization (ILO) is inviting professional and student journalists to apply for the tenth edition of its annual Global Media Competition, which recognises fair and balanced media reports on labour migration—closing 31 October.

⏳ 🎥 ASIA | Dialogue Earth invites young journalists living in Southeast Asia you to enter their first-ever Instagram reel contest by creating a short video that showcases how climate change is impacting their community or how local initiatives are addressing climate-related challenges—closing 31 October.

pitches+positions

⏳ GLOBAL | Rest of World is hiring its first-ever Investigations Editor, who can be based anywhere in the world—closing 25 October.

⏳ ASIA | Dialogue Earth is hiring a part-time commissioning editor focused on the Himalayan region—closing 31 October.

GLOBAL | The Santiago network for averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage is hiring a Senior Communications Manager—closing 3 November.

GLOBAL | The agency Factual is on the lookout for quality fact-checkers who specialise in narrative, investigative, litigious, or scientific projects—rolling deadline.

📌 More job opportunities available to paid subscribers here.

resources+tools

• Journalists launch Freelance Guidance for editors to encourage best practice - Women in Journalism

• Brazil's Tornavoz provides legal support to journalists targeted with lawsuits - Juliana Afonso and Lucas Bois for International Journalists' Network

• The Climate Blueprint: A New Resource Available for Climate Journalists - Solutions Journalism Network

• A new freelance business works like a "dating app for fact-checking" - Madelin Bodin for Nieman Storyboard

• 6 free resources to supercharge your freelance journalism - Cristiana Bedei for International Journalists' Network

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

A big thank you to those of you who continue to support my time and energy for the project. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all.

CONNECT | work with me

For my work anniversary, I’m opening up limited 1:1 slots for the first three weeks of November—if there’s something about communication or working with the media that you want to discuss, just hit reply and let’s arrange a 15-minute chat. It could be about getting into journalism, writing an op-ed, engaging with the media or anything else that you think I could help with. Open to all subscribers—just get in touch!

UPDATE | from the network

In the coming days the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA) is hosting two livestreamed events from COP16 in Cali, Colombia. The first, “Universidades y Protección de la Amazonía: Ciencia, Saberes y Cooperación para un Futuro Sostenible”, will be held in Spanish on 25 October at 2-3:30pm—live streaming here. Then on 28 October, from 11am to 12pm, tune in for “Scientific Cooperation for Tropical Forest Conservation and Sustainable Development: Amazon, Congo, and Borneo Science Panels” to be held in English—live streaming here and concept note here. Other recorded events should be available on SPA’s YouTube channel soon after.

PLUS | in other editions

ICYMI—our latest VIEW edition leads with analysis of the EU’s delayed legislation to curb global deforestation, plus the usual media briefing.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 67 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise readers—

This is where paying subscribers can access our full list of opportunities, for anyone interested in working with the media—journalists, photographers/audiovisual producers, practitioners, researchers—and for other professionals or organisations working in global affairs and development.

We currently have 45 opportunities listed with deadlines through to the end of February.

They include:

• open positions + calls for pitches

• grants + other funding sources

• fellowships + scholarships

• awards + competitions

• training + events

What the symbols mean: ⏳closing soon 🎥 audiovisual focus 🇪🇸 language

And our regions: AFRICA: Sub-Saharan Africa | ASIA: South & East Asia | LAC: Latin America & Caribbean | MENA: Middle East & North Africa

Dive in…

Last updated: 30 March 2026

positions + calls for pitches

Read more

WorldWise reader—

We’re both here, connecting over these words, because of journalism. On some level at least, we believe in what a healthy media sector can do to help make sense of the world and keep societies healthy.

It’s an assumption that underpins much of our daily consumption of news, but today WorldWise is taking a moment to make it explicit—we’re joining hundreds of other media organisations in over 100 countries to mark World News Day on 28 September. Organised by the World Editors Forum and The Canadian Journalism Foundation, this is a campaign to affirm the value of fact-based journalism, which is struggling to maintain its credibility and, in many cases, to simply survive. 

‘Choose Truth’: that’s the message. A simple idea, though the reality is quite complex. As Kathy English, Chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation, writes in an op-ed:

In a world in which we have increasingly witnessed fiction become fact and misinformation turn mainstream, choosing truth has perhaps never been more important—or more difficult.

She goes on to outline some of the reasons. Facts can be complicated. The truth is not always plain to see. Journalism isn’t free of error. To “choose truth” requires a foundation of trust between the public and journalists. And, as I’ve argued previously, in professing truth there’s a risk of creating false certainties.

Still: losing fact-based journalism—or any form of rigorous journalism—is a bigger risk.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

It’s far from clickbait material.

In introducing last month’s guest post, I deliberately skipped over the substance of the Nature news piece that inspired Waseem Hassan to give his scientific work a new lease of life. I said it was a simple article to write, and in one sense that’s true. But it’s not the whole story.

This is a good time to touch on that by asking a question which you may well have asked already: why should we, and one of the top science journals, care about who ranks where in the global production of scientific papers?

In short, it’s because those rankings tend to indicate how well-equipped a country is to develop with its own knowledge, its own technological tools, and its own capacity to innovate. Having that homegrown capacity means that less of it needs to be imported; perhaps more importantly, it means that the knowledge, tools or innovations are more likely to be guided by local creators looking to solve local problems.

There are scholars actively working to grow our understanding of how scientific research relates to policy and development. A respected voice in the field is Caroline Wagner, science and technology policy analyst at Ohio State University and a former adviser to the US government, who was the first expert I turned to for input in writing the news piece.

I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that knowledge of those relationships or capacities counts as fairly esoteric and tends to be overlooked, let alone prioritised at the top levels of government. If earlier this year you read our interview with Francisco Sagasti, Peru’s former president, you’ll have seen an unusual example of a leader with a deep understanding of their workings and their value.

These are complex issues that don’t exactly make for clickbait. It’s difficult to give them media visibility. Those who try may face additional barriers to communication—personal or cultural, relating to gender, a skills deficit or a history of colonisation.

Chipping away at those barriers can take a long time. But however small our part, in whichever field of work, I’m here to say it’s worth the effort.

Waseem followed his own path forward and crossed mine after doing the most important, internal part of that work: finding the belief, and resisting the simple narrative of gloom.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

MENA | The Al-Jumhuriya Grants Program is offering financial support to help experienced women journalists complete stories, reports or investigations that contribute to the Syrian public space—closing 30 September.

GLOBAL | The Eugene Smith Fund is offering a grant for photojournalists and visual storytellers whose work promotes social change to address an issue of import to the human condition—closing 8 October.

GLOBAL | The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering reporting grants to Indigenous and tribal journalists to support the production of investigative, innovative and/or enterprise reporting on environmental and climate issues—closing 16 October.

fellowships+scholarships

ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is inviting applications from early- to mid-career journalists based in six Asian countries for a fellowship that offers training, mentoring and story grants to report on infrastructural development and its impacts on the environment and human rights—closing 30 September.

GLOBAL | The Wilson Center is inviting scholars, practitioners, journalists and public intellectuals to apply for a 9-month residential fellowship to conduct research and write in areas of interest that address key challenges in the United States and worldwide—closing 1 October.

GLOBAL | The National Humanities Center is inviting experienced journalists with a Ph.D to apply for its 2025-2026 Residential Fellowship Program, which provides resources to generate new knowledge and deepen understanding of all forms of cultural expression, social interaction and human thought—closing 3 October.

GLOBAL | The International News Media Association (INMA), with support from the Google News Initiative, is accepting applications from early to mid-career journalists and other media professionals for its Elevate scholarship program, which is designed to help advance historically underrepresented and disadvantaged groups—closing 4 October.

GLOBAL | Dialogue Earth is running a fellowship programme supporting Indigenous journalists, writers and storytellers to develop stories and attend the COP30 climate conference in Brazil—closing 13 October.

GLOBAL | The Columbia Journalism School is inviting underrepresented news leaders to apply for its Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program, a five-month residency which offers training to lead innovation and solve strategic business challenges—closing 13 October.

training+events

GLOBAL | The Columbia Climate School is holding a webinar, "Building Resilient Food Systems”, for journalists interested in learning about global food systems and climate change—on 30 September.

MENA | The Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism is inviting Arab university students to attend the ARIJ 17th Annual Forum, which aims to shed light on the obstacles faced by independent journalism—closing 30 September.

GLOBAL | The Earth Negotiations Bulletin and the Geneva Environment Network are holding a webinar on the upcoming final session of intergovernmental negotiations towards a global treaty on plastic pollution—on 4 October.

GLOBAL | The Mental Health in Journalism Summit is inviting journalists to online sessions that aim to share good practices for mental health, and nurture a global movement that prioritises a healthy work culture in the media sector—starting on 8 October.

GLOBAL | The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is inviting applicants to its Oxford Climate Journalism Network, which offers the opportunity to learn from peers and academics while developing expertise in climate journalism—closing 13 October.

awards+competitions

GLOBAL | The United Nations Correspondents Association invites media to submit entries for its 28th annual UNCA Awards for best media coverage of the United Nations, UN agencies, and field operations—closing 30 September.

ASIA | Internews in Kyrgyzstan is inviting entries for its Aspiration contest from professional digital or TV journalists who have produced work related to child welfare, environmental protection, culture and other topics—closing 30 September.

AFRICA | The Merck Foundation is inviting submissions for its Africa Media Recognition Awards from journalists in African countries who have reported on infertility, women empowerment, ending child marriage, and girl education—closing 30 September.

LAC | The Atlas Network and Cátedra Vargas Llosa are inviting young journalists based in Latin America to submit work produced in Spanish to the Carlos Alberto Montaner Young Journalism Award, which rewards excellence, rigour, ethical coherence and the defence of freedom in journalistic practice—closing 11 October. (Spanish)

GLOBAL | The International Federation of Journalists and the International Francophone Press Union are accepting nominations for the Shireen Abu Akleh Prize, which recognises the courage and commitment of women journalists and media professionals—closing 15 October.

audio+visual

GLOBAL | The First Flights Short Film Fund is inviting applications for funding to support live action and documentary short films of any genre—apply now.

AFRICA | Documentary Africa (DocA) is launching its Shoot Your Short initiative, which provides grants for African filmmakers based in Africa to support production of short-form documentary content—closing 2 October.

GLOBAL | The Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) are accepting entries for an international documentary and educational media competition and showcase, inviting filmmakers and activists to submit videos that inspire activism, compassion and social transformation—closing 10 October.

GLOBAL | The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry is inviting professional or amateur photographers to submit their work to a competition that aims to showcase the beauty and critical importance of our planet’s biodiversity—closing 14 October.

pitches+positions

GLOBAL | The Global Investigative Journalism Network is recruiting a Resource Center Researcher as a remote full-time position—closing 30 September.

GLOBAL | Rest of World is looking for reporters native to regions outside the West who want to produce deeply reported work on how tech impacts labour and workers—closing 4 October.

GLOBAL | The Global Investigative Journalism Network is recruiting a Program Director as a remote full-time position—closing 10 October.

GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is looking for a full-time Senior Editor to head its Artificial Intelligence Accountability initiative—apply now.

GLOBAL | Climate Home News is accepting pitches for longform stories on supply chains for clean energy technologies—pitch now.

ASIA | Dialogue Earth is inviting pitches from journalists interested in covering environmental and sustainable development issues across Southeast Asia—pitch now.

MENA | Internews is looking for an Environmental Media Consultant to work remotely based in either Tunisia or the UK—apply now.

US | Nieman Storyboard, an online publication of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, is recruiting a new editor as a part-time, hybrid or fully remote position for someone living in the United States—apply now.

resources+tools

• Things to do when you’re stuck - The Clearing by Katherine May

• 7 effective strategies for managing anxiety as a freelance journalist - Beryn Orera for the International Journalists' Network

• GIJN guide to investigating extreme heat – Toby McIntosh for the Global Investigative Journalism Network

• Science reporting quick tips - The Open Notebook

• How to make your journalism more constructive: free one-year guide - The Fix

🕸 YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

A big thank you to those of you who continue to support my time and energy for the project. This newsletter is the product of years working across sectors plus hours of reading, curation and writing. If you find it useful and have the means, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just £1.5 a week to help keep it sustainable and free for all. If that’s not an option for you, consider showing support with a tap on 🤍 to flag the post for others, or simply spread the word with your networks 📲

UPDATE | from the network

A media briefing on a major report on forest loss is coming up on October 3rd, at 9am EDT/2pm BST. Hosted by Climate Focus, the briefing will preview embargoed findings on the latest global progress to halt forest loss and degradation and to restore forest habitats. On the panel, a lead author of the report will be joined by local experts from Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines. They will share insights on what is happening on the ground, highlight the key threats to forests and outline the solutions needed for the world to meet their forest protection targets. The media advisory is here + you can reach out to fwood@burness.com or stonassi@burness.com for the call-in information and embargoed materials.

PS.

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 67 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

WorldWise reader—

In January 2021, an email popped up in my inbox from Waseem Hassan, a chemist from Pakistan. He had come across a news article I’d written for Nature back in 2018, about Pakistan and Egypt rising the global ranks in research production. And he wanted to know how to go about publishing something along the same lines.

I really wasn’t expecting a response to that news piece. It was fairly straight-forward reporting on scientific production trends, a simple job assigned by an editor who knew this was a beat well in my comfort zone. But otherwise, Waseem’s email wasn’t a huge surprise—it happens fairly often that someone writes in after an article gets published, maybe with a comment or a query related to media work.

I sent a brief reply pointing him in the right direction and for a while, that was that. But then I heard from Waseem again.

Eventually, it dawned on me that the modest news piece had inspired a turning point for this scientist. After a Zoom chat I invited Waseem to capture the experience in writing—because in that conversation, I understood that the shift he was describing is really about something more universal than the challenges of doing research in a low-income country.

When we’re back to a normal schedule I’ll share my thoughts about that, and about how it connects with the global issues we think about in this space. For now, read on to Waseem’s account and lessons learned in today’s guest article.

Anita

INSIDER | views & experience

How a Nature article inspired me to push past limitations

By Waseem Hassan

Working as a researcher in Pakistan is far from easy. Universities suffer from poor financing and infrastructure. There’s a lack of collaboration opportunities. And the academic environment is still dominated by traditional structures that tend to compartmentalise knowledge into distinct disciplines.

Add to this a lack of awareness and misconceptions about qualifications. Some officials who decide grants have little knowledge of basic concepts in science. Once, when I was starting out, a senior researcher suggested I needed a mathematics qualification to make a fairly simple calculation for our project.

It all adds up. Far from feeling a sense of accomplishment or excitement, I found myself deeply disheartened. My research journey began to seem more like a tedious chore than a rewarding exploration of knowledge.

But then, unexpectedly, something shifted.

In 2019, I came across a news piece published in the esteemed journal Nature. The article highlighted Pakistan’s progress in research on a global scale. This was a foreign science journalist, writing on an international platform, with a story that showed appreciation for research in my country.

Reading this piece served as a catalyst for a mindset shift that not only addressed my initial concerns, but also fuelled a renewed vigour for exploration. Instead of focusing on challenges and limitations, I realised that a positive and appreciative approach could be more effective.

Anyone facing the significant challenges of doing research in a low-income country like Pakistan has to consider taking one of two distinct paths. They can choose to embark on a critical narrative—blaming the system and highlighting the country’s negligible progress in the sector. Or, they can opt to explore evidence of where a country, region, and yes, even us as individuals, are making positive strides despite the challenges.

I took inspiration from the Nature article, and I chose the latter.

Together with colleagues, we explored Pakistan’s research growth rates in chemistry and material sciences and compared them with over 40 other countries. We did this using data since 2001, rather than the single year the news piece reported on. We published the findings in the Journal of Chemical Society of Pakistan and Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.

In other articles, published in JMIR Dermatology and Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, we also reported on results after applying a range of performance indicators to gauge research output and impact across India, and in Africa, in various fields like dermatology and diabetes.

We delved into many more indicators—I’ll be happy to share with anyone interested to know more.

But I wanted to take this inspiration even further, to focus on the people working in research. I published a piece in one of the world’s best dermatology journals, highlighting the "Top authors in dermatology", later extending this approach of analysing performance indicators to present other researchers’ varied accomplishments in other disciplines, such as cardiology. The latest piece, co-authored with US-based researchers, has just been accepted for publication in the prestigious Educational Psychology Review.

I also used this approach to challenge myself.

After overcoming initial reservations, which were fuelled by anxiety and self-doubt, I actively sought out collaboration opportunities. Navigating through the process, I realised that collaboration extends far beyond merely sharing publications—it's about leveraging unique strengths and perspectives to create synergies that drive impactful research. I am thrilled to be collaborating with researchers from the United States, Brazil, Canada, India, and Australia.

Closer to home, I approached COMSTECH, the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), a respected scientific organisation based in Islamabad. My suggestion was to work with the organisation on compiling descriptive reports covering the research output of all 57 countries of the OIC for ten years (2013-2023). The idea was approved. Some of the reports are now available on their webpage.

Of course, like almost every author, I experienced rejections and the dejection that comes with it. But the shift in mindset also meant that I looked at reviewers’ comments in a new light. I realised that, in many respects, they were right in their criticism. In fact, I gained valuable insights and knowledge from those rejections. And I took heart from the positive comments that came my way from world-class researchers.

Throughout my journey, there were people who discouraged me, and there were others who surprised me by offering unwavering support and motivation. I’m now sharing my experience in the hope that it helps others who are facing what may seem—or may be, in fact—a difficult path to pursue research, or work in any field that generates knowledge, especially in nations that are struggling with financial issues and limited resources.

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way:

#1. In the face of financial constraints and resource limitations, it's easy to dwell on challenges. However, the pivotal lesson is to embrace a positive and appreciative mindset. Look for the silver linings, celebrate small victories, and acknowledge the efforts of individuals and the collective research community.

#2. Take inspiration from instances where international recognition shines a spotlight on the achievements of your country or region.

#3. Communicate proactively and seek collaborations both locally and internationally.

#4. Use milestones and anniversaries of journals or organisations as opportunities to contribute. Celebrate their achievements by publishing research articles or letters. This not only adds value to your portfolio, but also fosters positive communication within the global scientific community.

#5. Strive to strike a balance between appreciation and constructive criticism. While it's crucial to address challenges, a positive and appreciative approach can be more conducive to building relationships, gaining support, and fostering a collaborative spirit.

#6. When faced with a lack of awareness or misconceptions, approach communication with humility. Educate colleagues and decision-makers patiently. This will help to ensure that your proposals and initiatives are understood and valued.

👤 Waseem Hassan is a 44-year-old chemist from Charsadda, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, currently working at the University of Peshawar. He received his PhD in 2009 from UFSM, The Federal University of Santa Maria, in Brazil. You can contact him at: waseem@uop.edu.pk

This article was edited for length and clarity.

RELATED | from the archive

Thank you.

WorldWise is read across 67 countries—it remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign up | Browse the archive | Sponsor an issue

Created and edited by Anita Makri—journalist/writer, producer and editorial adviser covering global development and science in society. I also help selected organisations with compatible values to strengthen their media work. LinkedIn | Instagram | Email

✔️ YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email (there’s a handy how-to here).

I’ve never really followed a ‘career path’, however attractive that kind of strategic attitude has been on several self-doubting occasions. Over time I came to realise that what truly drives me is a different notion of achievement; a process more akin to that of a creative than say a white-collar worker.

I’m musing a bit around that idea today, with help and inspiration from a fine post by Sarah Hendren’s occasional undefended / undefeated here on Substack.

📢 This is the last regular email you’ll see from me as the newsletter takes the usual break over the Northern hemisphere summer—though this time, expect the occasional dispatch while we recharge our batteries and plan ahead for a new season. As ever, thank you for reading.

Anita

MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication

INSIDER | views & experience

How do you travel?

It’s safe to say that travelling makes for some of the best experiences; and also some of the worst.

One scenario that’s almost guaranteed to cause trouble is when you set out on a journey with someone whose travelling style is very different to yours (especially when neither of you knows that’s what you’re getting into).

We all have a way, an approach to how we venture into the unknown, even if it’s in pursuit of the same destination. Some plan every detail possible in advance. Others meander and never get there. In the shades between, you might have those who meander for a bit but not too far, stopping at regular intervals to check their bearings. You might have more adventurous meanderers, ready to reassess their destination if the journey throws up something else that’s enticing enough.

There’s little doubt you’ll know who you are in this scenario. But I wonder if we can say the same for how we navigate a working life, or a ‘career’ if you will. Are you a planner, certain of your destination? Do you feel a little lost? Or are you happy to feel your way through?

I suspect that, whatever your answer may be, it’s not really a conscious or deliberate choice. There are just so many factors that come into how we make our way. Part of it may have to do with conditioning—simply how we’re used to muddling through what we have to get through. Part of it may have to do with our clarity and sense of purpose about a specific destination. A big part of it usually has to do with the limitations and opportunities—or lack thereof—that come our way (enter the politics of equality).

But maybe there’s value in getting conscious about how we travel, and how it serves us—or not.

Over time, I’ve tuned in to a style of navigating that feels comfortable. It wasn’t so much a choice as an acceptance of what drives me, vs. what I simply can’t muster the energy to pursue.

In fact, is it ever a ‘choice’—and do we even want to exist in that kind of “choosing-controlling” stance, as Sara Hendren calls it in this wonderfully thought-provoking undefended / undefeated post, which is ostensibly about architecture / design / disability etc. but really goes much deeper into questions of how we live.

In delving into hidden meanings behind how we design spaces to dwell in, Hendren draws inspiration from David McPherson’s The Virtues of Limits:

McPherson writes that the limiting virtues are grounded in the dispositional substrate of an “accepting-appreciating” stance toward the world, as opposed to the “choosing-controlling” stance that is the naturalized, invisible, and totalizing definition of 21st century technocratic freedom. No one wants life without choices, of course. But McPherson writes that the limiting virtue of loyalty — especially “loyalty to the given world” — is one way to cultivate this accepting-appreciating posture and to enjoy the freedom that it brings.

Later on, Hendren cites philosopher Charles Taylor to put forward a critical stance on the “relentless quest for self-optimizing authenticity”—before concluding with a rejection of “the flexible, modular, all-purpose and all-choices” design, in favour of creating spaces that grant an “enhanced autonomy”.

I have a lot of resistance to any ideas that reject self-development and choice: take them away, and the quest to live a full life can easily be defeated into a dead-end. What does resonate is the placing of value on a way of navigating that finds freedom and creativity in constraints.

The truth is that how we navigate through working (or other) lives is often shaped more by limitations than by choices. It’s tempting to pour energy into smashing through those limitations; and that’s often the way to go. But maybe, sometimes, the real way forward comes by tuning into them instead—deciding if they are constraints we want or need to accept—and finding freedom to do our best work within the space they create.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

• GLOBAL | The World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters are offering grants for three science journalists to attend the Kavli Prize week in Oslo Norway, from 31 August 31 to 4 September—closing 8 July.

• GLOBAL | The Bertha Challenge is offering a year-long fellowship for activists and investigative journalists whose work focuses on farming and the climate crisis—closing 12 July.

• GLOBAL | Women and nonbinary journalists are eligible to apply for the IWMF’s Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism, which offers up to $5000 to support a project reported and published in English anywhere—closing 14 July.

• GLOBAL | Science journalists who live in a lower-income country can apply for the WFSJ’s Louise Behan Reporting Grant to support a locally relevant science story—closing 15 July.

• ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network is inviting content producers in the Philippines to apply for a grant and training to create engaging climate-related information on social media—closing 15 July.

• LAC | Journalists interested in reporting on education issues in Brazil can apply for a grant offered by the Society of Education Journalists and Itaú Foundation—closing 20 July. (Portuguese)

fellowships+scholarships

• LAC | Mongabay’s Latin America office is offering a scholarship for journalists who want to tell stories about oceans from Chile, Mexico or Peru—closing 21 June. (Spanish)

• LAC | Climate Tracker and FES Transformación are inviting journalists based in selected Latin American countries to apply for a scholarship to cover the 16th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity to be held in Cali, Colombia in October—closing 23 June.

• LAC | The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, which aims to enhance leadership among professionals who collaborate to address local and global challenges, is open for applications from citizens of countries in the Caribbean—closing 1 July.

• GLOBAL | Early-career journalists based anywhere in the world can apply for the Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship, which offers a nine-month fellowship with Durham University and Reuters to undertake an investigative project—closing 15 July.

• ASIA | The year-long Asia Foundation Development Fellows Program is open for applications from journalists and other professionals from Asia Pacific with a track record in addressing climate change—closing 29 July.

training+events

• LAC | The Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo is accepting applications for its Science and Health Reporting Training Program taking place from July 22 to August 23—closing 23 June. (Portuguese)

• ASIA | Young journalists from Asia and Europe are invited to apply for a seminar on AI in journalism, to be held in Hungary from September 9-12—closing 23 June.

• GLOBAL | Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction are inviting participants to a free webinar about key trends and insights from the latest Resilience Index—closing 26 June.

• LAC | Media professionals are invited to register for masterclasses offered as part of The Gabo Festival taking place in Bogota, Colombia in early July—closing 5 July.

• AFRICA | The ACOS Alliance and IREX are inviting journalists based in East Africa to participate in a three-day safety training course—closing 5 July.

• LAC | Brazil’s National Federation of Journalists and online school De Olho na Rede are offering the online course "2024 Elections: Combating disinformation with journalism", aimed at preparing journalists for upcoming local elections in Brazil by addressing topics such as media literacy and tools for combating disinformation—closing 6 July.

• MENA | CNN Academy Abu Dhabi is inviting applications from students or fresh graduates who are from or based in UAE to participate in workshops and training sessions on how CNN gathers information, verifies sources and produces content—closing 14 July.

awards+competitions

• GLOBAL | Grist has opened submissions for the short story contest ‘Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors’, which invites writers to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world—closing 24 June.

• GLOBAL | The International News Media Association (INMA) is accepting applications and nominations for its 30 Under 30 Awards, which aims to find 30 rising stars in news media—closing 28 June.

• GLOBAL | Journalists whose work defends democracy and human rights are invited to apply to the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize, sponsored by the European Commission, which this year emphasises a range of issues including gender equality, sustainable growth and forced displacement—closing 30 June.

• GLOBAL | Cassava Republic Press is inviting submissions for its inaugural Global Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize, which aims to amplify Black women writers as knowledge-makers across Africa and the African diaspora—closing 30 June.

• AFRICA | The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is inviting media professionals from selected African countries to apply for its Media Awards, with pieces that delve into the complexities of peace and security issues—closing 30 June.

• AFRICA | Ugandan journalists and editors who cover conservation issues can apply for the Conservation Media Awards organised by Uganda’s Wildlife Authority and WildAid—closing 30 June.

• AFRICA | The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) is calling for nominations for the 2024 Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism, which recognises journalists and publishers for integrity and fearless reporting to serve the people of South Africa—closing 30 June.

audio+visual

• GLOBAL | Global Health Film is inviting participants to an online screening of the film Transcendence, followed by a discussion with the film directors, NGOs and healthcare professionals who work with victims of torture—closing 26 June.

• MENA | The Red Sea International Film Festival is inviting applications from filmmakers based in Saudi Arabia, Africa, Asia and the Arab world, for its fourth edition due to take place next December in Jeddah—closing 5 July.

• MENA | The Marrakech International Film Festival is seeking entries from MENA-based filmmakers for its 2024 edition, starting in November—closing 31 July.

pitches+positions

• MENA | Agence France-Presse (AFP) is looking for a journalist to cover news in Israel and the Palestinian Territories from its Jerusalem bureau—closing 23 June.

• LAC | The Science Panel for the Amazon is accepting nominations for its Youth Advisory Committee to help mobilise the next generation of scientists in the region and ensure its work reaches a broader audience—closing 24 June.

• GLOBAL | The New York Times is offering an Editing Residency which provides early-career editors with up to two years of extensive training and support in the newsroom—apply now.

• GLOBAL | Axios is recruiting remote, experienced copy editors to help shape, structure, and edit newsletters and news stories as needed—apply now.

• LAC | South Pole is looking for a Colombia-based freelance copywriter for climate, nature, and sustainability content—apply now.

resources+tools

• Breaking into journalism: How to get your first byline - International Journalists' Network

• How to investigate IUU fishing - Pulitzer Center

• How investigative journalists can fight back against health misinformation – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• How to use social media to land your next job - Devex

• A mental health guide for journalists facing online violence - IWMF

• ‘You don’t need to be an extrovert’: Top tips from broadcast journalists - JournoResources

HIGHLIGHT | press calendar dates

• 67th Meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council | 17-21 June

• OEWG 3: Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution | 17-21 June

• 14th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG-14) | 25-28 June

• World Refugee Day | 20 June

• The 26th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) | 23-29 June

• Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development | 1-5 July

VIEW | insight & global news

ICYMI—Catch up on the latest VIEW post, which focused on the environment, leading with story about tough trade-offs in Kenya.

PLUS—Find more opportunities and news updates on our LinkedIn page, including a recent post on media coverage of cobalt mining in the DRC that features an interview with filmmakers Fiona Lloyd-Davies and Robert Flummerfelt, which was hosted by Global Health Film.

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE

📌 Signing up to WorldWise grants access to both VIEW & MEDIA editions automatically, but you can also subscribe or unsubscribe to one specific section—there’s a handy how-to here.

🤍 A big thank you to those of you who continue to support my time and energy for the project through a subscription (you can do that here).

PS. |

Source: The AI Revolution: Part 1 & Part 2

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VIEW: insight and news for a rounded take on global affairs

MEDIA: opportunities and support to grow in communication

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If you’ve ever struggled with the notion of “making a difference” through your work, I have a few thoughts to share this week, inspired by the view from the career pinnacle of some celebrated war photographers.

Anita

MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication

INSIDER | views & experience

Let’s get brutally honest.

If you follow photojournalism—and even if you don’t—you’ll have heard of Don McCullin, or at least seen some of his images. The British photographer is regarded as one of the world’s greatest living war photojournalists, having captured conflict in Africa, Asia and the Middle East for decades.

A recent piece by Charlotte Tobitt in the UK’s Press Gazette reports on comments McCullin made about his career at an event in London with a brutal honesty that crosses over into cynicism.

“I don’t really want to be known for taking pictures of other people’s deaths and suffering. I’ve done it but I don’t feel morally happy about it. I went too far I think.”

[Interviewer Tina] Brown suggested that “we all feel that you bore witness, you brought it home and made us care”.

But McCullin responded: “It was a waste of time. Every time there was a war, there was another war waiting in the wings… I know that as one war is finishing, another is following. And so did I do any good, or did we do any good?”

This deep questioning of the value of photojournalism is not unique to McCullin. The article also quotes comments made in the same event by Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, who was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in April for his work documenting the impact of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Neither is the questioning new. Earlier this month I attended a talk and exhibition of selected works by Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado as part of the Sony World Photography Awards (he is the 17th recipient of Sony’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography award).

I found Salgado’s work just as powerful as I did on first sighting a long time ago. At least as powerful is the story of his personal disillusionment—partly in response to accusations of being an “aesthete of misery”—and eventual retreat after a celebrated career covering conflict and devastation across continents.

All three photographers have faced a reckoning with the very real limits of what visibility can achieve, even when you are in the position of producing powerful work about powerful wrongs in the world.

Having faced what I suspect was a profound disappointment in people and the damage we inflict on each other, both Salgado and McCullin turned their gaze and their lives towards nature: protecting or photographing landscapes close to home.

From where I’m sitting, it’s not at all difficult to understand the decision. What *is* difficult is to get on board with nihilism about their—our—contribution to documenting wrongs, and hopefully adding a paving stone, however small, to somewhere better.

Salgado made no direct reference to his personal turning point when responding to questions at the Sony event. I was left wondering about the experience behind that simplistic story of before-and-after. In the end, what came through to me is a sense of someone who, despite turning the lens in a different direction, continues to resist human dominance and abuse of power. This time, the victim is nature.

The celebrated ideal of “making a difference” sometimes comes with a burden that’s too much for any single person. Student activism over Gaza suggests that following those ideals may be easier to do before experience weighs heavy. But there’s still a choice to make when it comes to where we stand, and what we’re working for.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

• GLOBAL | The Global Resilience Partnership is inviting individual artists, science communicators or knowledge brokers who partner with registered organisations to apply for a grant to develop a creative project on evidence about resilience—closing 26 May.

• GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is open to applications for it Impact Seed Funding microscale grant which supports education, research, or scientific activities that aim to enrich perspectives and knowledge within the university community—closing 27 May.

• MENA | The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) is accepting applications from anyone based in Arab countries for its Training and Regional Events grants which support training, workshops or other events—closing 14 June.

• AFRICA | Media Monitoring Africa and UNICEF are accepting applications for the Isu Elihle Awards, which offer financial support for research and news story development to encourage coverage of issues affecting children in the continent—closing 30 May.

fellowships+scholarships

• GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is accepting applications for its Ocean Reporting Network of journalists to report on ocean-related stories around the world, from fishing and extractive industries to systemic threats to coastal communities—closing 26 May.

• LAC | The CONNECTAS fellowship is inviting applications from journalists based in Latin America and the Caribbean who report on environmental crimes— closing 26 May.

• GLOBAL | Journalists interested in the economics of climate change can apply to the NYU Stern Climate Economics Journalism Fellowship to learn about the fundamental factors and latest trends in climate economics and finance—closing 31 May.

• AFRICA | GroundUp is inviting experienced journalists to apply for a fellowship in South Africa, which will support reporting projects on the themes of prisons and the justice system, some aspects of labour, mining, and climate change—closing 31 May.

• ASIA | Experienced media professionals working for nonprofits in selected Asian countries can apply for a fellowship to gain first-hand experience of the Taiwanese NGO sector through a workshop, NGO placement and roundtable events—closing 1 June.

• GLOBAL | The Climate Change Media Partnership is accepting applications by journalists from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and developing Asia to apply for a fellowship to cover the forthcoming UN climate negotiations (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan—closing 6 June.

training+events

• GLOBAL | City, University of London is offering a 5-week online course for journalists who wish to enhance their skills in non-fiction writing—closing 25 May.

• AFRICA | Young journalists based in Nigeria who have an interest in climate migration can apply for a two-day training which aims to help participants to develop stories that are simple, powerful and accurate, and resonate with audiences—closing 30 May.

• LAC | Taller Arteluz is inviting journalists, community managers and content creators to attend an online workshop in Spanish, which will cover social media strategies for journalists and media organisations—closing 6 June.

• GLOBAL | Journalists interested in using satellite imagery and geospatial data in environmental journalism are invited to attend a webinar by Gustavo Faleiros and Kuang Keng Kuek Ser, editors of the environmental investigations unit at the Pulitzer Center—closing 6 June.

• LAC | The UAM/El País School of Journalism is inviting journalists and others interested in covering science, health, environment or technology to register for an online course in Spanish—closing 12 June.

• LAC | Journalists, researchers, and media entrepreneurs from Brazil and across Latin America are invited to register for Festival 3i, a Brazilian festival dedicated to digital journalism, innovation and entrepreneurship—closing 12 June.

awards+competitions

• LAC | Instituto Prensa y Sociedad is inviting journalists with published work in Latin American or Caribbean news outlets to apply for the "Javier Valdez" investigative journalism award, which aims to encourage greater transparency in government, business and media as well as to promote investigative reporting—closing 2 June.

• GLOBAL | War correspondents can enter the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents, which honours coverage of conflict situations or news events relating to the fight for freedom and democracy—closing 6 June.

• GLOBAL | The BBVA Foundation is inviting entries for the Biophilia Award in Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences, which recognises contributions from the humanities, communication and social sciences that are informed by environmental science—closing 10 June.

• LAC | Journalists based in Latin America, Spain or the US who cover a range of health issues can submit works in Spanish or Portuguese to the Roche Health Journalism Award—closing 11 June.

• GLOBAL | Freelance journalists, local reporters and news fixers can submit entries for the 23rd annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism, which recognise excellence and courage in reporting conflict, corruption, injustice and human rights issues—closing 15 June.

audio+visual

• MENA | Al Jazeera Documentary is inviting documentary filmmakers to apply for a grant to support a project idea, and to participate in the third edition of its Industry Days event taking place September—closing 31 May.

• GLOBAL | The DIG Awards are inviting entries by producers of investigative audio and video reporting, as well as pitches to support a work currently in pre-production—closing 2 June.

• GLOBAL | The Women Photograph Mentorship Program is inviting applications from early-career women and nonbinary photographers interested in support for a local visual storytelling project over six months—closing 5 June.

• GLOBAL | The UK’s Royal Photographic Society and The Guardian are inviting applications for The Joan Wakelin Bursary, which offers financial support for the production of a photographic essay on an overseas social documentary issue—closing 6 June.

• MENA | The Cinema program of The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) is inviting applications to support feature and short-length fiction films in the Arab region—closing 14 June.

pitches+positions

• ASIA | Thomson Reuters is looking for a desk editor in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India—apply now.

• LAC | Radio Ambulante, a Spanish-language podcast distributed by NPR, is looking for surprising and moving stories about Latin America—pitch now.

• GLOBAL | Journalists interested in fact-checking are invited to apply to work with FACTUAL, a new specialist agency—apply now.

• GLOBAL | Spheres of Influence Uncovered, a cross-border media project, is inviting pitches for data-driven, multi-media, and cross-border stories—closing 31 May.

• GLOBAL | Global regulatory news service Chemical Watch News & Insight is looking for an ambitious news journalist interested in reporting on environmental policy and regulatory developments—closing 14 June.

resources+tools

• Covering the extractive industries – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• Tip sheet: Breaking into ghostwriting books - Association of Health Care Journalists

• Harnessing the power of Global Forest Watch for data-driven reporting on land cover change - Society of Environmental Journalists

• A tool to mitigate the dangers of environmental journalism - International Media Support

• How to turn all that "stuff" into narrative - Nieman Storyboard

HIGHLIGHT | press note

The Convention on Biological Diversity's subsidiary bodies are meeting in Nairobi, Kenya this month, to review the steps needed to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The meetings are also intended to set the stage for this year’s 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to be held in Colombia. At the conclusion of its meeting, The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 26) adopted recommendations on risk assessment and risk management; synthetic biology; marine and coastal issues; biodiversity and health; and the monitoring framework for the GBF. The Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) is now taking over and is due to discuss setting national targets and updates to national biodiversity strategies and action plans. For more details, see the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s final report, and this useful backgrounder by Carbon Brief, which tracks progress on protecting nature since COP15.

VIEW | insight & global news

ICYMI—Catch up on the latest VIEW post, where we pull together recent reports of weather and climate extremes from around the world before concluding with 4 big-picture points.

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE

This is the MEDIA edition of the newsletter, full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work. If you wish to support my time and energy for the project through a subscription, you can do that here.

PS. |

Fineprint.

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VIEW: insight and news for a rounded take on global affairs

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Today I’m sharing a blog I published on my website in the pre-Substack era, six years ago to the day.

It was born out of professional dilemmas at the time. But it’s really a perennial—similar dilemmas reappear from time to time.

For journalists, some of it may resonate. For those who work with journalists, it may give a flavour of the many, many judgment-calls that go into producing a piece of work.

Anita

MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication

INSIDER | views & experience

Journalists take a lot of flack, not without good reason.

But it’s also true that their—our—job isn’t easy.

You want to do justice to the things that matter—if only there’s enough time, money, interest, support from editors etc. You know, you’ve heard it all before.

I feel compelled to write about another tough part of the job: stepping back. Impartiality. Balance. Each word speaks to something different but all are connected to the core value of representing the truth and serving the reader.

I found myself tested on this with two stories recently. Very different issues—I won’t go into the detail of it—but both controversial, and both touching on evidence with impact on people’s lives, in different parts of the world.

In both cases, I had a point of view. If that surprises you, it shouldn’t. None of us is without one of those. The trick is what we do with it.

In one case I knew from the outset that I had my point of view, and would need to find a way to do the job without that getting in the way. It was clear I had to go beyond it, for balance.

But that balance is not as straightforward as putting equal weight on both sides, though many journalists and editors often see it as such.

The media treatment of climate change over the years, for example, has taught us that when the consensus expert opinion weighs more heavily on one side, so should your story.

But, deftly—so that the other side isn’t so overpowered that it’s invisible. Maintain a route to checks and balances, always. Because, like with most things in life, what we know is subject to change, flaw, evolution.

I tried to do this by taking an angle that wouldn’t be about weighing up the two sides; also by being explicit about where the weight of evidence lies; and by making a conscious effort to listen differently to the view I disagree with—to search for its validity in the minds of those who hold it.

In doing this I had the support of a solid editor who got our personal views out in the open from the get-go. The final piece didn’t reflect exactly the balance I would have chosen, and it doesn’t reflect my view. It does reflect impartiality.

The challenge of the second story revealed itself in a different way, more quietly. Slowly but surely I became attuned to the fact that I was exposed to a point of view on a contested issue. A view I agreed with; but still, when it comes down to it, one side of the story.

To do my job with integrity, here too there was no other way—but to stop, and step back. Take a look at the other side. Suspend belief. Go against my grain. Risk friendships.

My actions weren’t extraordinary—simply what needs to be done for any story. I made sure to open myself up to other interpretations, probe what I’d heard, reach out to a third source unconnected to the two sides.

It meant enduring discomfort as trust and relationships appeared to get wobbly. I did not know how much of my process others understood, how exactly cultural expectations factored in, if good faith would recover.

When these things matter, you come face to face with what your process as a professional can sometimes cost you as a person.

So yes, it’s not an easy thing to do. But we journalists do it—I think we should do it—to maintain our integrity and that of the profession.

And here’s the thing: it goes beyond simply adhering to a professional code. I’ve re-discovered that it matters to what ends up on the page.

Because in both stories (and in others before them), keeping my mind open to listening to the other side added tiny touches of insight that would otherwise be missing. In the end, this serves everyone better.

It meant I could get into the awkward, messy space between opposite points of view and extract a bit of that gold: a nuance that edges us closer to the truth of a matter.

Or at least, as close as one can get with an imperfect and time-limited chunk of words, readings, conversations.

Still—what a privilege to come with the responsibility.

You’re reading this because I wanted to stop and pay tribute to that part of the process. To unhide it, this time. Maybe you deal with it too; maybe you will deal with me too.

I also wanted to mourn the losses—they weigh heavily at times—that follow from letting go of my point of view at those times when duty calls to something other than my own personal truth.

PS: I’ve resisted the urge to edit—this is a reproduction of the original—but one point to add with the benefit of a few more years on the job: to try and minimise what I’ve called losses, it’s a good idea to signal the process and be as transparent as possible about it with the people we work with as journalists.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

• GLOBAL | The Fund for Investigative Journalism is offering grants to US-based reporters to support investigative projects that break new ground and expose wrongdoing in the public and private sectors—closing 29 April.

• GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is offering a microscale grant to support education, research, or scientific activities for students and educators addressing critical issues confronting our planet's ecosystems and communities—closing 27 May.

fellowships+scholarships

• AFRICA | African Liberty seeks candidates for a 12-month fellowship designed to identify an support promising African op-ed writers with training and an opportunity to publish their work—closing 30 April.

• GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is accepting applications for its Ocean Reporting Network of journalists to report on ocean-related stories around the world, from fishing and extractive industries to systemic threats to coastal communities—closing 26 May.

• AFRICA | The Africa Institute is accepting applications for a residency programme for creative writers working on a project related to Africa and the African diaspora—closing 1 June.

training+events

• LAC | A training on how to cover a just transition to sustainability is available for journalists from Brazil, Chile and Colombia, one of whom will be selected to report from the COP29 climate change conference—closing 28 April.

• LAC | The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas is offering an online MOOC in Portuguese, “Jornalismo de Soluções: Novas maneiras de produzir suas reportagens e atrair audiências,” on what solutions journalism is and how to use it—closing 29 April.

• MENA | The Fulbright Student Scholarship Program is accepting applications from Lebanese journalists and Palestinian residents of Lebanon for a grant to pursue a master’s degree at a university in the United States—closing 2 May.

• AFRICA | The Media Foundation for West Africa is offering a four-day in-person training workshop on women’s empowerment and gender-sensitive reporting for female journalists based in Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire—closing 5 May.

• LAC | Climate Tracker is calling for applications for its Climate Journalism Mentorship Program from journalists based in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico with a proven interest in environmental issues—closing 9 May.

• MENA | The Fulbright Egyptian Student Program is accepting applications for a fully funded master’s degree study in the United States for a maximum of two years—closing 30 May.

awards+competitions

• GLOBAL | Professional science and technology journalists from French-speaking countries can apply to Prix Roberval, an international competition that supports the development and dissemination of technological culture in the French language—closing 29 April.

• GLOBAL | Experienced science journalists can apply for The Sharon Begley Award, which offers a grant of at least $20,000 to enable the winner to undertake a significant reporting project—closing 30 April.

• AFRICA | The Uganda National Journalism Awards are open for applications from journalists working in the country—closing 30 April.

• MENA | The Al-Masry Al-Youm Awards competition is accepting applications from young Egyptian journalists who work for a newspaper, news online platform or news agency—closing 30 April.

• GLOBAL | Freelance journalists, local reporters and news fixers from around the world are invited to submit entries for the 23rd annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism—closing 31 May.

• MENA | The Mohamed Hassanein Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism is seeking applications from Arab journalists who have published in print or online media—closing 31 May.

• LAC | Journalists based in the Americas or Spain can submit their work to the 2024 Excellence in Journalism Award, which recognises work across 16 categories—closing 31 May.

audio+visual

• GLOBAL | The Bloomberg Green Docs competition is inviting eligible filmmakers to submit a short climate documentary for a $25,000 grand prize—closing 26 April.

• GLOBAL | The 19th edition of the Summer School in Cinema Human Rights and Advocacy is inviting applications from young professionals who wish to broaden their understanding on the connections between human rights, films, digital media and video advocacy, and learn how to use film as a tool for social change—closing 30 April.

• GLOBAL | The Visa pour l’Image - Perpignan Festival and Canon are inviting submissions of visual journalism from around the world for a number of competitions—closing April 30 to June 9.

• GLOBAL | Francophone college seniors can apply for the Graine de Doc competition to win a grant that supports their first documentary on the topic of borders: territorial, social, identity, virtual, or between generations—closing 12 May.

• LAC | Instituto Serrapilheira is inviting applications for training and funding to produce Black-led podcasts in which science plays a central role and focuses on any of these scientific areas: life sciences, geosciences, physics, chemistry, computer science or math—closing 14 May.

• GLOBAL | Women Photograph is inviting applications for grants to support new or ongoing photography projects from visual journalists—one of which is earmarked for a nonbinary or transgender photographer—working in a documentary capacity—closing 15 May.

• GLOBAL | The Global Peace Photo Award is open for submissions of images that show what peace looks like, with cash prizes totalling €11,000 across six categories—closing 19 May.

pitches+positions

• Mongabay is looking for a wire reporter—apply now.

• Mongabay is looking for a staff writer for West and Central Africa—apply now.

• Unbias the News is inviting pitches for the project Democracy Playbook—closing 1 May.

• BBC Media Action is looking for a senior producer for social media in Tanzania—closing 5 May.

• Carbon Pulse is looking for an Asia-Pacific Environmental Markets Correspondent, for a home-based/remote working arrangement from a base in Asia or Australia—closing 15 May.

• Allison Parshall at Scientific American and is accepting pitches for science stories—pitch now. 

• Kareem Shaheen at New Lines Magazine is inviting stories on the Mideast region—pitch now.

resources+tools

• The power of peer support: helping journalists persevere in the face of online abuse - PEN America

• Tipsheet for using ocean data in your investigations – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• I used Lore Machine's generative AI to turn my story into a comic—and you can too - MIT Technology Review

• Good Conflict Journalism toolkit - Lenfest Institute

• Safety of women journalists - IMS

HIGHLIGHT | call for papers

The Africa Policy Research Institute, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg Department of Politics and International Relations, is inviting submissions for thought pieces ahead of the BRICS 2024 Summit. Papers should focus on BRICS-related topics such as member relations, implementation, democracy, elections, global conflicts, digital economy, and many more. Get the details and submit by 31 May.

VIEW | insight & global news

ICYMI—Catch up on the latest VIEW post on the pandemic’s lasting legacy, plus the usual briefing with news from forests to FGM.

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE

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VIEW: insight and news for a rounded take on global affairs

MEDIA: opportunities and support to grow in communication

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It’s an oddly fuzzy-yet-clear memory from a long time ago. Someone whose judgment I trusted offered a piece of advice. “Read everything”, he said; whatever you get your hands on.

The idea being, it helps you become a rounded person able to draw on all sorts of influences in whatever you do.

I followed the advice, to the best of my ability. And he was right. I’ve seen the benefits.

It’s now a very different information era; one where “read everything” feels like asking for trouble: the explosion of content has made even attempting it almost dangerous. Our collective way of coping with the volume—splitting into isolated ‘bubbles’—was one of the motivations behind this newsletter.

But the essence of that advice isn’t about volume. It’s about diversity—opening yourself up to different ways of seeing and experiencing the world.

Information bubbles that help us manage the volume also close us down. Diversity gets sacrificed for ease. Our field of vision narrows. Empathy suffers. And that’s something we can’t afford to lose.

Anita

MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication

INSIDER | views & experience

It’s a hidden cost.

Women are still largely excluded from the highest rankings of power and editorial decision-making in the news media industry globally. Sadly, that’s hardly news to most of us. The last major reports I’ve seen document this were published a couple of years back.

A study by Luba Kassova, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, analysed gender and race in major news media within the UK, US, India, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. It found women missing along the value chain of the news ecosystem, from leadership through to expert sources, in these six major media markets.

Another report, by WAN-IFRA Women in News (WIN), was a leadership mapping of 192 major news media companies in 17 countries throughout Africa, Asia and the Arab regions. It found that women make up just 10% of top business roles (publisher or CEO) and some 30% of the top editorial positions (editor in chief or executive editor). The findings are largely consistent with earlier research by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which found women held on average 20% of the top editorial positions of the more than 250 media surveyed.

The combined results paint a damning picture overall. It matters for a number of reasons, and not just to women.

A lack of female sources fuels inequality and creates room for biased reporting—a 2011 snapshot-estimate by the International Labor Organization revealed that 46% of stories published by media enabled gender stereotypes. Then there’s the bottom line: studies show consistently that companies with greater diversity at senior leadership levels outperform those without. McKinsey research has also shown that diverse and inclusive companies are a major priority for the new wave of talent that is entering the workforce—and will dominate—in the next decade.

There’s another less obvious sign of gender inequality in the media: women tend not to be thought of as authoritative experts in certain fields.

As subjects of stories and interview sources, women are far less likely to be interviewed as experts and only appear in about a quarter of television, radio, print and online news, according to a report by the Global Media Monitoring Project. And in an analysis of COVID-19 pandemic coverage by major news sources in the US, UK and Australia, women were quoted only a third of the time and in a quarter of all interviews in the area of public health and epidemiology.

In Africa specifically, only 22% of the people seen, heard or read about in the news are women, according to a 2021 Global Media Monitoring Project report. Women sources are especially less visible in issues like politics and the economy, which often dominate news coverage across the continent.

And that’s even after a period of improvement: “The usage of female experts as sources in the African media has increased significantly compared to 10 years ago,” said Ijeoma Okereke-Adagba, a program officer at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development.

Equally interesting is the fact that having better access is not the whole story.

A South Africa-based nonprofit media company called Quote This Woman+ (QW+) has curated a database of women experts in Africa for journalists to reach out to. The database is being used by over 1,000 journalists, some of whom write for international outlets like The New York Times, the BBC, and Al Jazeera.

But, according to QW+ director Kath Magrobi:

"Even with access to the QW+’s database, it’s still difficult to convince these experts to go out on a limb and talk to [the media], unless it is 100% aligned with the expert’s field of study. Yet the experts who are men are prepared to talk on wide-ranging subject matters with supreme confidence.”

I heard the same reflection in my interviews of journalists who covered science in the pandemic, I’ve seen it play out time and again, and it’s worth noting that the problem is intersectional (which is to say, perceptions of authority don’t get skewed only by gender). There’s a lot to unpack on why it happens, but that’s for another day. I’ll just say for now that in my experience, simply becoming conscious of this difference in behaviour can be transforming. I believe it opens up possibilities for women—and for men—to change entrenched habits that reinforce this authority divide.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

• GLOBAL | The Robert B. Silvers Foundation is inviting Anglophone writers of any nationality to apply for up to $10,000 to support long-form writing in fields that include political analysis and social reportage—closing 31 March.

• MENA | The Arab Culture Fund is accepting applications for a programme that supports documentary films of any length and at all stages of development, by filmmakers living in the diaspora or Arab countries—closing 4 April.

• GLOBAL | Journalists and media organisations are eligible to apply for the Biodiversity Media Grant, offered by the Earth Journalism Network and Arcadia, to increase the capacity of the media to cover conservation and biodiversity issues—closing 9 April.

• GLOBAL | National Geographic is accepting proposals for grants in the areas of conservation, education, research, storytelling and technology—closing 11 April.

• LAC | The initiative Conexão Oceano de Comunicação Ambiental is offering grants for journalists in Brazil with story ideas that address links between ocean preservation and aquatic sports activities directly influenced by coastal areas—closing 14 April.

fellowships+scholarships

• GLOBAL | The New Humanitarian is inviting locally-focused journalists from the Global South to apply for a reporting fellowship that offers an opportunity to learn skills, experiment and present local stories for global audiences—closing 31 March.

• MENA | Journalists and scientists in the Nile Basin countries can apply for a fellowship programme that offers training, mentorship, and co-production of communication outputs about water issues in the Nile River Basin based on scientific research—closing 31 March.

• GLOBAL | The National Association of Science Writers is offering a fellowship to help up to six students and early-career science communicators from anywhere in the world to fund a US-based internship during the summer of 2024—closing 1 April.

• MENA | Egyptian students can apply for a fellowship to pursue a Master's degree in journalism and mass communication at the American University in Cairo—closing 1 April.

• GLOBAL | The Club of Rome is accepting applications for its Communications Fellowship, a six-month mentoring programme for early-career communications professionals from underrepresented communities and regions who are covering sustainability issues—closing 5 April.

• GLOBAL | Young journalists who cover international affairs can apply for a fellowship by The Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists to cover deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly in September—closing 5 April.

• GLOBAL | Lighthouse Reports is inviting applications to a six-month fellowship programme that offers support to develop investigative skills and contribute to active, collaborative investigations—closing 8 April.

training+events

• LAC | Registration is open for Brazil-based students interested in a free course on how to avoid stereotypes and bias in their journalism practice, offered by the Black Journalists Network and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro—closing 27 March.

• ASIA | Environmental journalists in India who are interested in data-driven accountability reporting can apply for the Environmental Data Journalism Academy, offered by Thibi and Internews’ Earth Journalism Network—closing 30 March.

• ASIA | Science journalists from member countries of The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation who are keen to advance their skills to cover evidence-based climate stories are invited to apply to the Himalayan Climate Boot Camp 2024, which is taking place in May at the Pyramid Laboratory and observatory/ Everest Base Camp—closing 30 March.

• GLOBAL | The Knight Center is offering a free online course, “Freedom of Expression, Artificial Intelligence and Elections”, for students interested in the ever-evolving world of technology and democracy—closing 2 April.

• ASIA | The Asia chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association is inviting applications for mentors or mentees to take part in a programme aimed at students with an interest in journalism—closing 2 April.

• LAC | Journalists based in Mexico's northern border, or who have an interest in reporting on transparency and corruption in the region, can register for a free workshop by the International Center for Journalists which aims to provide participants with tools for professional and safe electoral coverage—closing 4 April.

• GLOBAL | The Global Press Journal is offering a four-week certificate programme on how to apply four narrative change techniques to storytelling—closing 4 April.

• GLOBAL | Mongabay is hosting a webinar discussion with journalist Ian Morse and indigenous rights advocate Galina Angarova on ethical, technical, and environmental issues for reporters covering transition minerals and their role in decarbonisation—closing 8 April.

awards+competitions

• AFRICA | The South African National Editors’ Forum is accepting entries for the Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards, which highlight exceptional work by South African journalists—closing 29 March.

• GLOBAL | The National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications are inviting submissions from individuals who have developed content in science communication, science journalism, or research—closing 31 March.

• MENA | The European Union is accepting entries by journalists from the Middle East for the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, which recognises work related to human rights and governance issues—closing 1 April.

• GLOBAL | One Young World is accepting nominations for the Journalist of the Year Award, which also offers a fully funded trip to their upcoming summit in Canada, from young journalists whose work focuses on social, economic and/or political rights—closing 7 April.

• GLOBAL/AFRICA | Agence EFE and Casa África are calling for submissions for the Sixth Saliou Traoré Prize for Spanish-language journalism on Africa, which is open to journalists with a track record on publishing about the continent—closing 15 April.

pitches+positions

• GLOBAL | Mongabay is recruiting an Operations Coordinator who will be working remotely—apply now.

• GLOBAL | The Markup has a call for pitches on how misinformation impacts immigrant communities—pitch now.

• ASIA | Rina Chandran is Rest of World’s new Southeast Asia editor and is calling for pitches—pitch now.

• AFRICA | Mongabay’s Africa-based news bureau is offering two paid reporting opportunities, one on how farmers and pastoralists in the Sahel are responding to climate change, and one on agricultural impacts on land degradation in West and Central Africa—pitch now.

• GLOBAL | The Gecko Project is looking for an experienced editor working remotely to oversee a series of ambitious investigations—closing 29 March.

resources+tools

• Mastering on-camera interviews: Key tips and essential strategies - Jamie Hellman for IJNET

• Amplify your freelance career: 10 key resources for freelance journalists - Kiril Stoimenov for EJC

• A beginner's guide to SEO for publishers and creators! - Ghost

• Should freelance journalists have a niche? - Lucy McGuire for Journo Resources

• Reporter’s guide to investigating carbon offsets – Toby McIntosh for GIJN

HIGHLIGHT | community space

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) are inviting journalists to fill out a survey as part of a study on the safety of environmental journalists. The study aims to map how extensive the problem is internationally, and assess the efficacy of attempts to address it. The survey is available in seven languages (including English, Portuguese and Spanish), and results will be presented in Santiago, Chile, during World Press Freedom Day on the 3rd of May. Click here to take the survey—it closes on the 28th of March.

VIEW | insight & global news

Catch up on our exclusive two-part interview with Francisco Sagasti, Peru's former president 🇵🇪 In Part 1, he recounts the circumstances leading to the appointment and key decisions taken to jump-start Peru’s pandemic response. In Part 2, Sagasti outlines the key principles that lay behind those decisions, and calls for a new style of political leadership to ride out turbulence in the coming decades.

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE

A big thank you to those of you who continue to support WorldWise through a subscription (the option is available here). And a reminder that signing up to the newsletter grants access to both VIEW & MEDIA editions automatically, but you can also subscribe or unsubscribe to one specific section—there’s a handy how-to here.

PS. |

Fineprint.

🕸 FOLLOW | Stay up to date on LinkedIn and X/Twitter.

🔗 CONNECT | Get in touch to sponsor or commission content.

🤍 SUPPORT | Share the newsletter or become a paid subscriber.

✔️ MANAGE | Your subscription includes two editions—

VIEW: insight and news for a rounded take on global affairs

MEDIA: opportunities and support to grow in communication

You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email.

As freelancers, we often say that the irregular flow of work is one of the difficult things about being self-employed.

That is true. But there’s a flip side to it: you can also use that rhythm to your advantage. When the work comes, it can be a charge of sorts for productivity and creativity.

It’s a bit like riding the energy of a wave. Best to be fully committed. Get immersed in what it asks of you. Leave yourself free to receive fresh ideas and directions. Let the wave carry you somewhere new.

Anita

MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication

INSIDER | views & experience

Eyes on Nairobi.

Ministers of environment and other leaders from more than 180 nations descended on Kenya’s capital earlier this week as the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) kicked off.

The world of the UN may sometimes feel like a parallel universe. A sphere of idealism. But when its slow and involved processes do culminate in something concrete, it sets the parameters for how countries operate on a number of issues, including environmental governance. So it’s worth following, even from afar.

All 193 UN member states are part of this Assembly, making it the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment. It meets every other year to set policy priorities and develop laws that apply globally.

This year’s meeting has a focus on strengthening environmental multilateralism to tackle what the organisers call the triple planetary crisis: climate change, nature loss and pollution. The Assembly will be negotiating resolutions on a number of issues within that triad: nature-based solutions, hazardous pesticides, land degradation and drought, environmental aspects of mining minerals and metals, and more.

Three issues to watch:

• This year’s focus highlights the value of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), an instrument that the UN says can improve governance of environmental issues that cross borders, and pave the way for smoother cooperation between countries. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has a summary factsheet of its MEAs here, and a full list of its side events is available here. The scope of its agreements is now expanding from Europe to other world regions, covering issues from air pollution and cross-border water cooperation to environmental rights and industrial safety. For media requests, contact Jean Rodriguez: jean.rodriguez@un.org

• Ongoing negotiations on the historic global plastics treaty adopted at the last Assembly are expected to continue as part of this year’s agenda. In the lead-up to this week David Njagi reported for Devex ($) about concerns that these talks could be hijacked by corporate lobby groups hoping to undermine the more ambitious goals in these discussions. Li Jiacheng’s feature for China Dialogue offers useful background on the topic.

• Also watch out for the launch of this year’s Global Resources Outlook report on the last day, Friday 1 March. It pulls together evidence that shows use of natural resources globally has been rising and accelerating since 2019—and that demand for those resources is set to grow, fuelling extractive activities that we know harm the environment.

The week’s proceedings involve leadership and multi-stakeholder dialogues, plus more than 30 official side events and other associated events. And through this process and associated resolutions, the idea is to strengthen coordination between the UN, countries and other partners in order to tackle the triple planetary crisis.

OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

• LAC | Fundación Gabo and Fundación Avina are inviting journalists linked to media outlets in Latin America to apply for ColaborAcción Scholarships for Investigative Journalism, to support up to 2.5 months of work on a journalistic investigation—closing 29 February.

• ASIA | Journalists and groups of producers based in India are eligible for fellowships, offered by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network to support production of in-depth reports on the country’s renewable energy sector in India, especially in Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh—closing 29 February.

• AFRICA | The Tony Elumelu Foundation is inviting African media entrepreneurs with promising business ideas to apply for a programme that offers intensive online training, mentorship, seed capital and access to a network of African start-ups and global contacts—closing 1 March.

fellowships+scholarships

• AFRICA | Young female journalists from East Africa with a background in newsroom journalism are invited to apply to the SheLeads Media Fellowship, by the Baraza Media Lab, to gain skills, insights, and networking opportunities essential for their professional growth—closing 28 February.

• LAC | The Gabo Foundation and the Avina Foundation are inviting applications for ColaborAcción Scholarships for Journalistic Research, which will support journalistic projects with funding and access to mentoring—closing 29 February.

• GLOBAL | Experienced journalists interested in covering the relationship between journalism and AI are invited to apply for the Cyber Valley Journalist-in-Residence programme at the University of Tübingen—closing 29 February.

• GLOBAL | Young journalists and other communication professionals can apply for DW Akademie’s International Media Studies program in Bonn, Germany, which offers a mix of research, lectures and practical experience—closing 29 February.

• GLOBAL | The International Center for Journalists is accepting applications for its 2024 ICFJ Knight Fellowships, a one-year programme that nurtures media projects that address challenges in the fellows’ home regions and helps share those innovations internationally—closing 29 February.

• AFRICA | Young journalists from selected countries are invited to apply to The Southern African-German Journalists‘ Bursary, a fellowship that supports journalists from the region, and from Germany, to gain insights into the host country while working in a local newsroom—closing 1 March.

• MENA | The Knight Science Journalism Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is launching a new fellowship, the Fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East, to support a semester of study for a science journalist at MIT and other Cambridge/Boston area universities—closing 1 March. The fellowship was created in honour of our colleague, pioneering Egyptian science journalist Mohammed Yahia, who died last year at the age of 41.

• AFRICA | Code for Africa is offering scholarships to journalists and/or fact-checkers based in Mali, aiming to build capacity to combat fake news in the country—closing 4 March.

• GLOBAL | Transparency International is offering travel scholarships for young journalists interested in covering the IACC meeting in Lithuania in June, to publish stories on corruption for the event blog and media outlets—closing 6 March.

training+events

• LAC | The National Federation of Journalists in Brazil is inviting journalists, students and others to take an online course on "Journalism and Media Literacy to Counteract Disinformation"—register now.

• GLOBAL | The Institute for Independent Journalists is inviting registrations to its online conference, which will cover issues such as what top editors want and how to land fellowships and create a portfolio of meaningful work—closing 29 February.

• ASIA | Sunway University in Malaysia is offering a training workshop for journalists in Asia on 15 April, on how to report on climate, air pollution and health—closing 29 February.

• LAC | The Google News Initiative is hosting a free three-month digital lab online for journalists and news organisations interested in learning best practices to grow their audiences and revenue—closing 29 February.

• LAC | The Cásper Líbero journalism school is offering an online course to train media professionals in inclusive language and how to use it—closing 6 March.

awards+competitions

• AFRICA | The Southern African Development Community is inviting journalists from selected countries to apply for the 2024 SADC Media Awards—closing 29 February.

• LAC | The Caribbean Broadcasting Union is accepting entries from journalists and other media professionals from the English, Dutch, French and Spanish speaking Caribbean for its annual media awards—closing 29 February.

• LAC | The Gabo Foundation is inviting submissions for its journalism prize, which promotes quality coverage in a variety of media of issues that affect the region—closing 29 February.

• ASIA | The Developing Asia Journalism Awards are open to submissions by journalists in the region who cover stories on climate risks and sustainable development—closing 1 March.

• GLOBAL | Covering Climate Now and Columbia Journalism Review are inviting journalists to submit work for this year’s Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards—closing 1 March.

• GLOBAL | The International Women's Media Foundation is inviting nominations for its Courage in Journalism Awards, which honour women journalists who have demonstrated extraordinary strength under difficult or dangerous circumstances—closing 3 March.

• GLOBAL | The International Press Institute and International Media Support are seeking nominations for journalists and news organisations who are eligible for the World Press Freedom Hero Award and the Free Media Pioneer Award—closing 5 March.

audio+visual

• GLOBAL | The 37th Pärnu Film Festival (International Documentary and Science Film Festival) is inviting submissions from documentary filmmakers who have produced work on human activities in social, historical or ecological contexts—closing 1 March. (early deadline)

• GLOBAL | BigPicture is inviting photographers to submit their work to a competition that celebrates and illustrates the rich diversity of life on Earth, and inspires action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery—closing 1 March.

• GLOBAL | Young photographers can apply to Canon’s Student Development Programme, which offers aspiring photographers from across Europe, Middle East and Africa an opportunity to meet leading industry experts and have their portfolio professionally assessed—closing 7 March.

pitches+positions

• LAC | Agência Estado is hiring a journalism intern to work in its São Paulo offices, to create reports and memos based on the monitoring of relevant news websites—closing 29 February.

• ASIA | The International Center for Journalists is seeking a contract-based security specialist for its programme for investigative journalists in Southeast Asia—closing 29 February.

• MENA | The Global Investigative Journalism Network is looking for a part-time Arabic Associate Editor who has a solid understanding of investigative and data journalism, as well as experience and strong skills in managing social media—closing 4 March.

• GLOBAL | Creative Lives in Progress is looking for texts from emerging writers, to critically engage with the ways in which photography can speak to issues of environmentalism, colonialism and climate justice—closing 4 March.

• GLOBAL | ProPublic is open to freelance pitches of ambitious accountability stories or projects from independent journalists whose ideas align with the mission of the organisation—pitch now.

• GLOBAL | Guardian US editor Blake Montgomery is looking for pitches about the impact of technology on the environment—pitch now.

• MENA | Maroc Diplomatique is seeking French-speaking journalists, for a position based in Casablanca, to produce articles, interviews, reports and features on current affairs topics—apply now.

resources+tools

• How to steer an interview so you get what you need - Tyler Santora for The Open Notebook

• Crowdfunding investigations: Lessons learned about harnessing audience buy-in from Ireland, Brazil, and Portugal – Laura Oliver for the Global Investigative Journalism Network

• How to switch from staff reporter to freelance journalist - Barbara Mantel for the Association of Health Care Journalists

• How journalists can develop a successful YouTube strategy - Inaara Gangji for the International Center for Journalists

• Photographers on 20 easy, enjoyable ways to vastly improve your pictures - Sarah Phillips for The Guardian

VIEW | insight & global news

ICYMI—our latest VIEW post reflects on the wider implications of South Africa’s landmark case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE

This newsletter comes in two editions. The VIEW offers insight and news briefings for a rounded take on current affairs, and the MEDIA edition is full of opportunities and resources for journalists or anyone else interested in communication work.

If you wish to support my time and energy for the project through a subscription, you can do that here. If that’s not an option for you, absolutely fine—WorldWise is free to read.

PS. |

Fineprint.

🕸 FOLLOW | Stay up to date on LinkedIn and X/Twitter.

🔗 CONNECT | Get in touch to sponsor or commission content.

🤍 SUPPORT | Share the newsletter or become a paid subscriber.

✔️ MANAGE | Your subscription includes two editions—

VIEW: insight and news for a rounded take on global affairs

MEDIA: opportunities and support to grow in communication

You can stop receiving one or both at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of an email.