The time of upheaval is the time to get intentional
š Adaptation instincts + new global opportunities.
FROM THE EDITORāS DESK
WorldWise readersā
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 weāve 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 wellāand many professionals in both sectors.
According to a report by David Kenner and Sam Ellefson for the International Consortium of Investigative journalists, the Trump administrationās 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 āfor fear of risking long-term funding or coming under political attacks.ā
Within the United States, ājournalists need to come to terms with our new realityā 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 Americaāsomething 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 worldās richest men, has announced that the paper will no longer publish opinions which question āfree marketsā. Margaret Sullivan writes for The Guardian that although owners and publishers of news organisations often influence their opinion sections, Bezosā order āgoes far beyond the normā.
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.
Soāa 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. Itās one I would second and have urged others to do when coming across a career crossroads.
Thatās exactly what I did when making the shift from research scientist to editor (and then journalist). Iāve never looked backābut thatās more down to the choice of what to transfer the skills to, rather than making a move to anywhere. And thatās 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 hereās 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. Itās not easy, but it could make the difference between just making do, or taking a step towards a more rewarding life and meaningful work.
š If youāre directly affected by the budget cuts and thinking about next steps Iām 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 Africaāapply 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 girlsādeadline 7 March.
š„ 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 abundanceāclosing 10 March.
š§š· LAC | AmazĆ“nia Vox, with the support of the Serrapilheira Institute and the International Center for Journalists, is offering microgrants to map knowledge sources in the Amazonādeadline 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 professionalsāclosing 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 Africaāapply 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 Statesādeadline 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, Germanyāapply by 15 March.
GLOBAL | The USās National Press Club and the NPC Journalism Institute are offering five scholarships to promising future journalistsādeadline 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 projectāsend yours by 19 March.
AFRICA | Chatham House is also accepting applications for its Mo Ibrahim Foundation Academy Fellowshipāapply by 19 March.
training+events
šŖšø LAC | Spanish-speaking journalists and other professionals interested in communicating about environment and energy transition can register for this free online session āEnergy reporting in LatAm: Challenges and tools for journalists" hosted by Climate Tracker Latin Americaāregister for the 13 March session.
LAC | Brazilian journalism school CĆ”sper LĆbero is offering a course for media and communication professionals wishing to provide quality information on healthāregister and tune in on 15 March.
š§š· LAC | Brazilian journalism school CĆ”sper LĆbero has registrations open for an online course in Portuguese called "How to become a foreign correspondentāāregister for the course taking place on March 15 and 29.
awards+competitions
š„ 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 nationalityāsend 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 regionādeadline 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 publicācall for entries closes on 21 March.
GLOBAL | Nominations are open for the International Women's Media Foundationās Courage in Journalism Awards, a prize to honour women and nonbinary journalists who exhibit extraordinary bravery, persistence, and resilienceāsubmissions 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 Pakistanāapply 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 challengesāsubmit by 31 March.
GLOBAL | The agency Factual is on the lookout for quality fact-checkers who specialise in narrative, investigative, litigious, or scientific projectsārolling deadlines (next: March 31st).
GLOBAL | The New York Times is looking for a visual editorāapply 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 basisāapply now.
ASIA | The China-Global South Project is looking for an experienced and knowledgeable researcher to focus on the transition minerals supply chaināapply now.
š 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 Industryās Future ā 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
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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 Journalistās 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 āfluidā, 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 arenāt 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 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