Report for the World, a global journalism program that supports full-time, beat-focused reporting positions for public interest media, is inviting applications from independent news organizations across the globe to join its growing network of host newsroom partners, as it deepens its presence in different regions through editorial collaborations and professional development of its reporting corps.
The programme currently supports 45 local journalists in 32 newsrooms across 20 countries. Climate-focused journalism will continue to lead as a critical beat at Report for the World and will be informed by learnings from the recently-launched climateXchange hub in partnership with Syli.
The initiative also looks to expand its support for media operating in exile, with the long-term goal of convening a knowledge exchange hub that helps these organizations establish physical, digital, economic, and psycho-social protections regardless of the country from which they operate.
Applicants will be asked to make the case for the beat they want to cover and how they will provide support and mentorship to their prospective corps members. In turn, Report for the World will fund half the salary of the reporters for up to three years.
Ms. Preethi Nallu, Executive Director, Report for the World, noted that the call will look at a combination of need-based support for inaugural beats at media that are covering underrepresented communities and regions, and more consistent support for well-performing outlets that are setting new standards in public interest journalism.
She added that the organization expanded from eight to 20 countries last year, intending to create geographic and beat diversity among newsroom partners emphasizing that it will deepen its presence in these countries and add new roles among some of its existing newsroom partners in 2024.
The application process for Report for the World is highly competitive and comes with two rounds of interviews with shortlisted applicants to determine a mutually beneficial fit.
The selected newsrooms will hire corps members through a competitive process and welcome them as full-time employees of the newsrooms for up to three years. Corps members investigate clearly defined public interest beats including government accountability, health, gender, environment, criminal justice, and disinformation/fact-checking.
Mr. Wilson Liévano, Director of Training, Report for the World, said plans are underway to partner with the International Press Institute (IPI) to gauge story impact and map revenue opportunities to enable incoming newsrooms to benefit from these peer-to-peer networks, in tandem with tailored professional development for the reporters they support.
Report for the World is made possible by partners including the MacArthur Foundation, Google News Initiative, Microsoft, JournalismFund Europe, East-West Center, climateXchange, family foundations, and individual donors worldwide.
Interested applicants should visit the global call for detailed information, create an account, and thereafter apply. Submission of applications closes on February 20, 2024.
Report for the World is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
