Call for the Autumn 2016 applications to the Perspektivy programme is now open

August 14 2016

We warmly invite mid-career journalists with over three years experience to apply for the series of workshops on “Reporting skills in the digital era” organised by the professional development programme ‘Perspektivy’. The workshops aim to develop skills on news repoting and how best to promote it in the challenging environment of the digital era.

Programme dates for the Autumn 2016 workshop sessions:

  • 2-4 September: “Reporting news, reports, long reads for the media of the digital era”
  • 29-30 September: “Theory and practice of interviews, working with sources of information for use in the digital media”

Application deadline is 14 August 2016.

We are looking for:

  • Journalists who are in the middle part of their career with at least three years of professional experience
  • Journalists with a proven motivation to stay in the profession in the future
  • both journalists and freelancers working in any medium (print, online, radio or television),
  • bloggers with journalistic experience or degree
  • those whose working language is Russian and who are professionally based anywhere in Russia, Eastern Europe or Central Asia and produce stories for Russian-language media.

Additional information:
  • Working language is Russian.
  • Participation is free of charge.
  • Travel costs, hotel-accommodation and meals, and small general expenses will be covered by workshops organisers.

Workshop description
The core activity concerns the actual writing and reporting of news, as practiced by Reuters and other global agencies. Practical exercises form the core of the programme, with an emphasis on improving basic reporting and writing skills including accuracy, impartiality, speed, clarity and structure, whilst understanding the principles of developing text for web-media. Participants will also study modern media tools and techniques on promoting stories in the digital media.

The course will help journalists recognise their good habits and provide them the time and space to work on their weak points, within a mentored framework.

The focus of the course is on news writing and news reporting: techniques for structuring a story, tips to write clear and simple copy, analysis and headlines, reinforcement of the basic journalist qualities of balance, accuracy and speed, tips on conducting better interviews, techniques to recognize the relative importance of different sources, and the correct treatment of sources and quotes.

Participants will study the basic requirements of text required for web-platforms and social media, approaches for fact checking, modern multimedia tools for long reads, and techniques for promoting stories on web and social media.

Application
You are welcome to apply for the programme by filling out the application form. Sections of the application form ask for your general information, professional background, and require your preposition on a story idea that could transcend your regional interest.

Journalists working for a news organisation will need the consent of their editor to take part. Freelancers should provide evidence of their collaboration with one or more media organisations which publish their work on a regular basis. You will be asked to provide examples of your work.

Results will be announced on 22nd August 2016. You will receive information on your e-mails provided in the application form.

Please note that the size of any uploaded files must not exceed 5 MB.

Click here to begin the application.

Perspektivy is a joint initiative by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Fritt Ord Foundation.

Read participant’s feedback about Perspektivy’s workshop in April 2016

Other opportunities open for journalists

News

Civitates' Tech & Democracy open call

March 6 2025

Civitates – The European Democracy Fund is a pooled philanthropic fund that was set up in 2018 for the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe. The case for confronting these threats is growing increasingly urgent. Fritt Ord Foundation is one of the initiators and partners of Civitates.

Civitates has launched its Tech and Democracy open call to support organisations working to ensure safer, more inclusive online spaces (social media platforms, search engines etc.) by improving the enforcement of EU tech regulations at the national level.

This open call offers a unique opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in holding the tech sector accountable, with a focus on key EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, GDPR, AI Act or the European Media Freedom Act to name a few.

Call for nominations: Free Media Awards 2025

March 3 2025

In collaboration with the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS of Hamburg, the Fritt Ord Foundation has allocated the Free Media Awards annually since 2004 to Eastern European journalists and media that defy every obstacle to tirelessly ensure independent press coverage. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the subsequent wave of disinformation clearly demonstrates the need for independent reporting in the region. Journalists and media in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary that promote freedom of the press through their investigative and independent reporting are eligible to be nominated for the Free Media Awards.

Art and Institutions: “I Demand a Museum to Feel its Own Floors Tremble When Other Museums are Destroyed in War”

February 12 2025

Saturday 22 February 2025 at Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, from 14.30 to 16.30 h.

Conversation with Adam Budak (Poland/Germany), Stefanie Carp (Germany), Matej Drlička (Slovakia), Andrea Geyer (USA) og Sarah Lookofsky (USA/Norway). Ingerid Salvesen is moderator.

Across the world, cultural institutions are under increasing pressure. Censorship, self-censorship, drastic funding cuts, and political and sponsorship interference are on the rise. Former and present institutional directors – with personal experiences of political pressure, cancellation and censorship from different geographic contexts – will discuss the limitations and capacities of art institutions in the present.

Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute to Sara Gaulin

February 5 2025

Sarah Gaulin (30) is being awarded the Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute for her courageous and principled defence of freedom of expression in the face of extremism, gang crime and negative social control.
As a prominent voice, Gaulin has drawn attention to some of the most demanding and controversial social challenges of our time.