The Al Jazeera Arabic Fellowship 2025 for Media Professionals and Journalism Researchers from Arab Countries

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About The Al Jazeera Arabic Fellowship

The journalism profession is undergoing a major transformation due to rapid and continuous technological development. Journalism in the Arab world is not immune to this transformation, which changes the way content is produced and how it is consumed by the public every day. The fellowship program at the Al Jazeera Media Institute aims to encourage academic research and provide an opportunity for journalists and researchers to learn about practical experiences and study them in depth. This will contribute, along with the efforts of many Arab and international institutions, to improving the journalism profession and moving towards the future.

Program objectives

• Encouraging innovation and academic and field research, especially in the field of digital journalism.
• Producing knowledge and enriching Arabic content in the field of journalism.
• Enabling journalists and researchers to gain a closer look at the work environment and learn about modern practices.
• Improving the quality of the journalism profession and enhancing its ability to adapt to modern technologies.

Target audience

Journalists and researchers interested in journalism, media and other related fields.

Program duration

The Al Jazeera Fellowship Program extends over two months, divided into two phases:

• The first stage - remotely: The researcher prepares the research plan and completes the research introduction remotely.
• Phase Two - At Al Jazeera Media Network headquarters: Completing the remaining research phases.

Fellowship Areas

1. Journalism and the Global South

• Redefining journalistic practice in the Global South: Challenges to traditional journalistic approaches based on Western practices, and mechanisms for developing new approaches based on local contexts of the Global South.
• Colonialism and Globalization in Media and Journalism: The Impacts of Colonialism and Globalization on Journalistic Practices in the Global South.
• Data Flow and the Challenge of Narratives: The Impact of Single Data Flow on Narratives in the Global South, and the Role of Global Narratives in Influencing the Public Narrative on Palestine.
• The impact of Western funding programmes on media in the Global South: The role of Western media funding programmes in guiding journalistic practices in the Global South.

2. Digital journalism

• How has the style of journalistic storytelling changed from traditional journalism to digital journalism? Has the media become more preoccupied with new technologies and visual glamour than with content and journalistic storytelling?
• Fact-checking in journalism and verifying news.
• The intersection of journalism with modern technologies in smart newsrooms, mobile journalism, data journalism, investigative journalism in the digital age…etc.
• Mechanisms for employing artificial intelligence within newsrooms.

3. New schools in journalism

• New patterns of journalistic work.
• Photographic documentary.
• Anthropological journalism.
• Slow journalism.
• Intersections of journalism with the humanities and social sciences.
• Journalistic narrative techniques.

4. Journalism Ethics

• New ethical challenges for journalism in the digital age.
• Hate speech in the media and social networks.

5. Media institutions and challenges

• Challenges facing independent media platforms.
• Business models of media institutions and how to develop them.
• Building digital transformation strategies within media institutions.
• How do traditional media organizations integrate with digital platforms?
• Challenges of journalism colleges in the Arab world.

• Sponsor Organisation: Al Jazeera Media Network

Benefits of The Al Jazeera Arabic Fellowship

The Al Jazeera Fellowship Programme is designed to give journalists and researchers the opportunity to write a research paper of up to 7,000 words on a specific area of ​​journalism. Applicants will be able to: 

• Join one of the work teams within Al Jazeera Media Network, and get to know the work environment up close.
• Meeting with editors, journalists and people interested in the research topic.
• Work in a suitable environment that includes diverse experiences, and provides academic and professional support and guidance.
• Access to references and information sources owned by Al Jazeera Media Network, such as the archives, the library of the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, equipment and devices for media work, the museum, and others.

The Al Jazeera Arabic Fellowship Requirements

Applicants must meet the following conditions:

Eligibility

• Bachelor's degree.
• At least two years of work experience in the media field.
• Enjoy solid objective writing skills .
• Have basic skills in researching academic sources.
• Have very good language skills in Arabic and English (speaking and writing).

Requirements

In addition to completing the online application form, all requirements listed below must be submitted in PDF format, with the exception of video or photo materials. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification.

• biography.
• Fill out the application form.
• Imagine fellowship.
• At least two samples of the applicant’s work, either in Arabic or English.
• Letters of recommendation.

Fellowship Concept

The visualization text should be between 1000-1500 words maximum, and consist of the following elements:

1. The topic chosen to be the research paper for the Al Jazeera Fellowship.
2. Where does the importance of the fellowship topic come from and the reasons for choosing it?
3.  A brief definition of the main objectives of the research.
4. Research methodology and scientific theories to be used or approach angles.
5. The main challenges expected during the research preparation process.
6. The practical impact expected from the research and its areas of benefit.
7. How will you leverage your presence in the island environment to add qualitative value to the research?

The following points should be taken into account in the presented concept:

• The text must be original and prepared by the presenter of the concept.
• The concept must be specifically designed for participation in the Al Jazeera Fellowship 2024.
• Commitment to accurate reference to sources, which must be reliable and sound.
• Submissions that do not adhere to academic integrity requirements, or contain previously published texts without clearly citing them within the criteria for proper citation of sources, will be rejected.

Fellow Obligations

• Writing a research paper of approximately 7,000 words, according to the standards of the Al Jazeera Media Institute (the applicant will be informed of the standards upon acceptance into the program).
• The fellow must be responsible throughout the program period and submit a monthly report on the progress of the project.
• Interact with the Al Jazeera Media Network community by discussing the research topic with stakeholders and participating in open meetings.

Application Date and Process

• Click on the link to the application website to apply.

Application Deadline

30 November, 2024

Scholarship Application Portal

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