Chief Executive Officer, Thomson Reuters Foundation
The Thomson Reuters Foundation is organizing a workshop on reporting Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery in Lagos, Nigeria, for journalists from the West African region to gain practical skills and knowledge to work on their story ideas. Participants will also be provided with guidance from experienced Thomson Reuters Foundation journalists and subject experts from reputed anti-trafficking charities.
frican region to gain practical skills and knowledge and work on their story ideas with guidance from experienced Thomson Reuters Foundation journalists and subject experts from reputed anti-trafficking charities.
The workshop offers a combination of specialist expertise and hands-on training, with an emphasis on producing high-impact stories for widespread dissemination.
In addition to coming away with a deep understanding of the scale, nature and causes of the problem, participants will learn about efforts to set global standards for combating modern slavery, including fundamental conventions, international instruments and a new, legally binding protocol that requires countries to take real action.
The workshop will discuss the role of media in raising awareness, reducing vulnerability and holding to account governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses. Participants will look at innovative approaches to fighting trafficking and forced labour and reporting on migration as well as scrutinise the quest for integrated policy responses across borders.
A major focus will be on the ethics of reporting slavery, from how to interact sensitively with traumatised survivors to getting past journalists’ own preconceived notions and stereotypes. The workshop will cover safety issues, particularly when it comes to dealing with sources and reporting on organised crime.
It provides opportunity to pick the brains of reporters who have done extraordinary investigative work or ground-breaking reportage that have changed policy, provoked public outcry or brought traffickers to justice. Participants will also spend time with experts and those at the coal face of the anti-slavery movement and migration crisis, including some who have been trafficked themselves and gone on to help others move from “victims” to “survivors”.
Interested applicants must be full-time journalists or regular contributors to media organisations in West Africa who must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country, must be a senior journalist with a minimum of three years’ professional experience and have a good level of spoken and written English. Those who have been on a Thomson Reuters Foundation training programme within the last two years are not be eligible to apply.
Organizer can fund travel expenses and accommodation for participants travelling from outside Lagos. This arrangement is subject to variation.
Applicants will be required to upload the following documents: two relevant work samples (maximum file size 5MB) – in English if possible. For stories not in English, applicants should include a 250-word English summary about the story; a letter from applicant’s editor consenting to his/her participation in the programme and committing to publish/broadcast resulting stories. Applicants will be asked to submit one or more story ideas within their application. Thomson Reuters Foundation will not share their ideas with anyone.
Applications close on October I, 2019. Those who have questions should please email: TRFMedia@thomsonreuters.com.
To apply, please log on to https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5155507/Reporting-on-Human-Trafficking-Modern-Day-Slavery-Nigeria.
