This is an opportunity provided by the Wealth of Nations - Illicit finance (NORAD) programme: Find out more

Deadline for applications: 23:59 BST on Monday, 27 September 2021

(UPDATED) Dates: Monday, 01 November – Friday, 19 November 2021 | Location: Remote

Thomson Reuters Foundation is looking for journalists based anywhere in Africa who are motivated to understand how their country could be losing money via illicit means. 

Wealth of Nations is a long-term engagement, and journalists who take part must commit to all elements of the scheme, signing an agreement to this effect. These elements include:

• Intensive training on reporting illicit finance taking place online between Monday, 01 – Friday, 19 November 2021
• The production of stories on illicit financial flows
• A mentoring support scheme that will help produce these stories, between 30 November – 20 December 2021

Journalists will not be considered to have completed the scheme until they have completed all the elements, including, for those taking part in the mentoring support scheme, the production of at least one story on illicit financial flows, and will not receive their certificates until this point.

Benefits of the scheme

• If selected, you will take part in an intensive online workshop covering illicit finance, reporting on companies, accounts and budgets, and investigative techniques.
• You will propose one or more story ideas that you wish to work on within the scheme - we will provide experienced journalists to help you pursue your stories right up to publication/broadcast.
• You will have exclusive access to expertise through our network of illicit finance experts.
• You will also have access to story ideas and editorial advice, and will be invited to share your own expertise with participants from other regions.

Format:

• During week 1, participants will be required to do some self-study, including reading and exercises and attend a live Meet and Greet video call with the rest of the cohort.
• During weeks 2 and 3, participants should be able to commit to 4 hours of live video sessions per day with trainers and/or expert speakers to ask questions, share ideas, learn new skills and apply them. In addition to the live sessions, participants should allow for a few hours per week of offline reading or assignments done on their own schedule.

Who Can Apply

What we are looking for

• Journalists with at least two years of professional experience and fluent English
• It is an advantage if you are familiar with investigative journalism, reporting on finances and/or dealing with numbers more generally, but if you have a strong motivation to learn about and understand these issues then we will consider your application. Early career journalists are invited to apply.
• You must be able to spend significant time working on illicit finance stories.
• Both freelancers and staff journalists may apply. Journalists working for a news organisation will need consent from their editor to take part. Freelancers should provide evidence that one or more media organisations will be willing to take their work.
• Journalists working in any medium or multiple media are welcome to apply (print, online, radio or television).
• Journalists should be based in Africa and working for one or more African media organisations.
• Journalists applying must have fluent English.

Applicants must have access to a minimum internet speed of 1 MB/second. (You can check the speed of your device by logging from it on www.speedtest.net).

Please note that if you have previously attended a Wealth of Nations programme at any point or a TRF training in the last 12 months you are not eligible for this course.

 

Course Logistics

We are offering small grants to cover internet/data costs. The data grant and a certificate of completion will be awarded at the conclusion of the programme to all participants who have attended at least 90% of the teaching sessions. 

If you should be selected for the mentoring scheme, the maximum story grant we can provide is USD 700. Please note that grants awarded vary depending on the anticipated resources required to complete the story. Any proposed costs without a detailed explanation will not be considered.

Meet Our Experts

• Two work samples. TV/Radio journalists can send in their scripts and a brief summary.
  • If relevant work samples are in local language, please provide an English translation (if work sample is online, please share link so that we the web page can be translated).
• A letter from your editor consenting to your participation and confirming that they will publish any story produced through the programme

 
Please have these ready before you begin the form. 

Please note that acceptance on the programme does not mean that your story proposal has been approved. If you are accepted, the story proposal will be reviewed by our editorial team before approval.

If you have any difficulties applying, please email TRFMedia@thomsonreuters.com with the subject title ‘Reporting on illicit finance in Africa 2021’ - we cannot guarantee a swift response if this subject line is not quoted.