• Full Scholarship

Reporters Without Borders Germany offers journalists from war zones and crisis areas the opportunity to take a break in Berlin for four months and complete a training program in digital security.

The Berlin Senate Department funds the Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises program.

Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.

It aims to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills to protect themselves against digital threats such as surveillance or hacker attacks in their journalistic activities. In the second phase, with the support of the trainer team, the participants prepare their own training concept, through which they can pass on their newly acquired knowledge to colleagues in their home countries as trainers. In this way, journalists outside the scholarship program can also benefit from the digital security skills taught in the program.

For 2023, a total of ten scholarships will be awarded to journalists from war zones and crisis areas for a period of four months each.

Main topics of the digital security training-

  1. Holistic security basics for journalists, bloggers, media professionals and citizen journalists at risk
  2. Operational security including risk assessments and security planning
  3. Online identity management for investigative journalists, including technical background and practical use of anonymization tools
  4. Secure online communication concepts, technology and tools, including secure online conferencing for interviews
  5. Password and account security and data protection on social media and other online accounts for media work
  6. Device security for computers and mobile phones of journalists at risk
  7. Website security for media websites under attack
  8. Secure online and offline data storage including encryption for media files
  9. Online information verification and Open Source Intelligence

What they offer-
They cover the travel costs, take care of all visa-related matters, provide and pay for an apartment in Berlin for the duration of the scholarship, grant a monthly allowance of 900€/month, free use of public transportation in Berlin and an extensive training program with qualified experts in the field of digital security. Furthermore, during their stay in Berlin, scholarship holders will be given insights into the activities of Reporters Without Borders, a globally-active journalist and human rights organization.

 

 

Benefits

  • Covers the travel costs,
  • Takes care of all visa-related matters,
  • Provides and pays for an apartment in Berlin for the duration of the scholarship
  • Grants a monthly allowance of 900€/month
  • Free use of public transportation in Berlin
  • An extensive training program with qualified experts in the field of digital security
  • During their stay in Berlin, scholarship holders will be given insights into the activities of Reporters Without Borders, a globally-active journalist and human rights organization

 

 

Eligibilities

Professional journalists, bloggers, media professionals and citizen journalists who,

  • are exposed to digital threats due to their work in their home regions.
  • want to learn and work extensively with digital security in order to improve their personal safety.
  • are interested in passing on the knowledge acquired during the scholarship program to colleagues in their home regions and, ideally, already have some experience in teaching or other areas of knowledge transfer.
  • are able and willing to participate in the program fully. We expect the applicants to be available for all activities of our program including the comprehensive training for digital security. Please plan with about 20 to 25 hours per week from the second until the fourth month of your stay in Berlin
  • Applicants must have a very strong command of the English language, as the whole scholarship program will be conducted entirely in English.
  • Applicants must have adequate experience working as a journalist, be it as a professional journalist or a citizen journalist.
  • A high level of proficiency in regard to digital security is not required; anyone who is used to working with a computer and smartphone can apply.
  • Are able and willing to fully participate in all activities of the program (see above: Who can apply)
  • In addition, applicants must show that they are willing to return to their home region after the fellowship in Germany.
  • Previous teaching experience would be desirable.

 

 

Eligible Regions: Open to all.

Application Process

  • Please send a completed and signed application form, the completed questionnaire, your CV and a proof of identity (copy of your ID or your passport) as attachments in separate PDF documents (4 PDFs in total) via the Signal messenger service to +491636743853, or if you have a ProtonMail account to rsf.digitalfreedom[at]protonmail.com.
  • The application form and the questionnaire are fillable PDF files. Please fill in these files on a computer and send it to them in this form. Follow these instructions to ensure that we can read all your texts: 1. Save the two PDF files, 2. Fill in the two files on your computer, 3. Save the completed files again, 4. Send the completed files to them.
  • Please use the application form and questionnaire provided by them. They ask for your understanding that they can only contact applicants who are shortlisted for a spot in the program.

Looking for fully-funded opportunities, install the Youth Opportunities Android or iOS App here.

 

 

Application Deadline: December 5, 2022

Application ClosedOfficial link

For Further Queries

See their official website for more information and contact information.
Disclaimer: Youth Opportunities spreads opportunities for your convenience and ease based on available information, and thus, does not take any responsibility of unintended alternative or inaccurate information. As this is not the official page, we recommend you to visit the official website of opportunity provider for complete information. For organizations, this opportunity is shared with sole purpose of promoting “Access to Information” for all and should not be associated with any other purposes.

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