Deadline: 16 November 2018
Open to: journalists from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands
Benefits: rants ranging from USD 500 to USD 3,000

Description

Asia-Pacific is home to 60 percent of the world’s population, and boasts rapidly growing economies and rich pockets of biodiversity. Policy decisions made in countries and intergovernmental forums in this region will influence how drastically global climate will change, and other environmental challenges. Our planet’s future depends to a large extent on the state of the environment in the region.

Communities living where livelihoods are being most affected by environmental degradation face a two-fold problem: 1) lack of opportunity to have their voices heard, and 2) barriers to receiving information on potential drivers of and adaptation to change.

Causes range from information that is unintelligible to the public and policy-makers, to a lack of media coverage and poor communications infrastructure that result from a history of marginalization, censorship, and poverty. Finally, for many local journalists in the Asia-Pacific region, access to critical information and data needed to support efforts to produce environmental stories are often made more difficult by a lack of funds, time and expertise, ill-equipped research institutions, and the risks of uncovering and exposing sensitive issues.

In the face of these challenges, Internews and SEAPA seek to improve the quantity and quality of environmental coverage in Asia-Pacific by supporting journalists and local media outlets in the region:

• to produce untold or little-explored in-depth stories on environmental and natural resource management issues;
• to disseminate news and information to vulnerable communities;
• improve reporting and raise public awareness and discourse around complex environmental issues;
• to give voice to vulnerable and marginalized communities, including women, who are most at risk from environmental challenges.

Eligibility:

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Environmental Journalists (online, print, television, radio) and other media practitioners, including freelancers, with a track record of reporting on climate change, natural resource management and other environmental issues are welcome to apply.

Journalists working outside the country capital and in alternative or community media, as well as women journalists are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.

The grants are open to journalists from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands.

Collaborative proposals from journalists, environmental advocates, researchers, bloggers and/or other members of communities are welcome, provided journalists take the lead in developing joint stories. Joint applications must involve a maximum of three individuals and will be subject to a single grant.

Grantees are free to publish or broadcast their stories in their target media outlets other media while Internews and SEAPA will reserve the right to publish, broadcast, and distribute them freely. All stories will be posted on at least one of Internews’ Earth Journalism Network’s Geojournalism platforms: Mekong Eye, Ekuatorial or Infopacific.  

Proposed stories must:

• Focus on climate and environmental change, or natural resource management issues in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, or Papua New Guinea.

Stories may include, but are not limited to, those:

• Focusing on women, youth and indigenous peoples and their ability to adapt to environmental or climate change;
• Reporting on solutions and the coping strategies of vulnerable communities while amplifying their voices on cultural heritage and environmental protection;
• Seeking to turn global issues into local stories or stories which take local issues to a global audience;
• Supporting silenced communities find a voice to protect their cultural heritage and environment;
• Unlikely to be published/broadcast in their local media owing to censorship, restrictions (legal or otherwise), or risks of retaliation;
• We also encourage proposals which rely on collaboration and network building amongst journalists, advocates, and the community.

Benefits

Internews and SEAPA offer grants ranging from USD 500 to USD 3,000 depending on the scope, method of coverage and reporting (e.g. multiple platforms such as print and broadcast), with some flexibility for in-depth stories using innovative, multimedia, and investigative approaches that may be more costly to produce.

How to apply?

In order to apply, you must create an account.

For more information, please visit the official web page.