The Committee to Protect Journalists is seeking a qualified individual for the Patti Birch Fellowship program to focus on research for its Africa program, with an emphasis on technology. This is a one-year fellowship that was created in honor of Patti Birch, with support from the Patti and Everett B. Birch Foundation.

The ideal candidate will be a recent college graduate, or early career journalist with an interest in projects related to sub-Saharan Africa and an understanding of the technologies used to monitor internet activity and block access to information. The Patti Birch Fellow will carry out an independent project on technical censorship and press freedom while working closely with the Africa Program team on reporting press violations across the region. The fellowship comes with annual stipend of $40,000 and benefits.

Responsibilities

The Patti Birch Fellow’s duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provide background research on press freedom abuses across the sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on cases involving technology.
• Draft alerts, blogs, or other content as needed for the Africa program.
• Use social media effectively to disseminate the Africa program’s work.
• Work with the Africa team to ensure that technical censorship issues are highlighted in CPJ’s reporting in the region.
• Identify potential partnerships or opportunities for CPJ advocacy and engagement on technical censorship issues.
• Participate in wider-ranging collaborative projects, or regionally focused efforts at CPJ as needed.

Qualifications

• A deep interest in and knowledge of press freedom, journalism, online censorship, and human rights.
• Fluency in French both verbal and written, is required.
• Demonstrated reporting experience and working knowledge of databases.
• Strong research, writing and editing skills, and attention to detail.
• Deadline oriented and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and in teams, including with remote management and staff.
• An undergraduate degree, Master’s degree preferred.

How to Apply

• Please e-mail a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and references to [email protected] by September 9, 2019. Please include “Patti Birch Fellow for Africa Research” in the subject line. Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted.
• Due to volume, we cannot reply to individual inquiries on the status of applications. No phone calls, please.
• CPJ is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the 2019 Patti Birch Fellowship for Africa Research