Optimism through realism
š Paths forward + global opportunities to wrap the year.
FROM THE EDITORāS DESK
WorldWise readerā
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. Iāll be back with you again next month after our usual break.
Anita
INSIDER | views & experience
A reality-check is the first step.
Itās 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. Itās given me pause, many times.
But consider this: maybe the path to optimism just needs to pass through realism. This is what I hope weāre all doing hereānot 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, Iām 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 arenāt 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 Iāve 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.
Thereās overtly violent conflict, and thereās 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 youāll 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. Youāll 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 storiesāand 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 Africaāapply 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 audiencesāclosing 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 communitiesāclosing 9 January.
fellowships+scholarships
šŖšø 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 Airesāapply by 29 December.
GLOBAL | The Pulitzer Center is accepting applications for the Rainforest Investigations Networkās 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.ācloses 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 migrationāclosing 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 dataādeadline 6 January.
GLOBAL | The Erasmus Mundus Masterās programme in Journalism, Media and Globalisation is offering scholarship to graduate students interested in a journalism degreeāclosing 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 Malaysiaāclosing 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 programāclosing 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 Februaryāclosing 6 January.
šŖšø LAC | Causa Natura Media is offering a training programme for environment journalists in Mexicoāclosing 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 Februaryāclosing 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 writingāclosing 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 publicās understanding of cancer, cancer research or policyāclosing 23 December.
š„ GLOBAL | The Photography Foundation Awards 2024 are open for submissions. All entrants get one free image entryāsubmit your work by 31 December.
š„ 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 enterāclosing 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 Africaāclosing 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 Universityādeadline 10 January.
š„ GLOBAL | World Press Photo is inviting visual journalists can submit digital work to the annual competitionāclosing 10 January.
pitches+positions
MENA | ESG MENA is recruiting a lead journalist to shape their content on ESG, sustainability, and climate change in the regionāclosing 31 December.
GLOBAL | Grist is recruiting for three editorial positions: Climate News Fellow, a Climate Solutions Fellow and Indigenous Affairs Fellowāclosing 21 January.
š«š· AFRICA | Les Bonnes Ondes is looking for an editorial production assistant in Casablanca, Moroccoāclosing 31 January.
MENA | The New York Times is looking for an editor to join their Middle East team on the International deskāapply 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 internshipāapply now.
š 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 LĆ³pez 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
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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 āthat moved us, surprised us, challenged us, or made an impactā. 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 Londonās Serpentine Gallery until 28th September 2025.
Thank you.
WorldWise is read across 67 countriesāit remains independent thanks to the support of subscribers like you, and to the rest of my nomadic work-life. Sign upĀ |Ā Browse archiveĀ | Sponsor an issue
Created and edited by Anita Makriājournalist/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. LinkedInĀ | Instagram | Email
"Optimism through realism" sounds good.
I believe optimism is realism.