BACKGROUND
In 2014 Internews set up the “Information Changes Lives” Project that currently produces and broadcasts “Ebola Chrono,” a daily 20-minute radio show dedicated to providing audiences with a wide range of information about Ebola and related issues. The success of the radio show will provide the basis for an expanded project that increases the quality and quantity of informative and engaging media content available to Guinean citizens on Ebola and other health issues; opens two-way information flows between citizens, media and health responders; promotes informed citizen dialogue on health related issues; and cultivates a core cadre of competent health reporters in support of overall health systems strengthening in the country.
In the coming year Internews will be rolling out an SMS-based rumour-tracking system, modeled after similar projects in Liberia and Nepal. It will also trial a “humanitarian dashboard” to track online-conversations as another rich source of information about information flows and gaps at community level. All work under this project aims to make the media and communication interventions during the Ebola response more community driven, and allow local media and humanitarians to fully play their role in increasing resilience among the affected population.
GENERAL FUNCTION
- Set up a mentoring program to train and coach a wide variety of local journalists working in their respective media houses (largely radio);
- Identify and document knowledge gaps amongst local journalists with regard to Ebola specifically and public health reporting more generally. Develop coaching plans to address these inside local newsrooms and in some workshop-based trainings;
- In collaboration with the CwC Coordinator ensure optimal information sharing between relevant local humanitarian responders (including those of government, CSOs, NGOs, private sector and UN agencies) and local media;
- Find creative ways for local journalists to incorporate the qualitative feedback from the rumour tracking component of the Internews project into their programming and reporting;
- Help local journalists to make community participation central to newsgathering, selection of stories and reporting formats, and to prioritize local voices in all their reporting;
- Strive to include the voices and stories of those members of the community who have less access to information and are less heard within the community;
- Work closely with the producers of the daily radio show to ensure the inclusion of hyper-local content from Internews-trained reporters into the program;
- Work as part of a team of several other trainers, share resources, information and ideas that contribute to the overall training component of the project;
- Contribute to the wider communications for the project as a whole with excellent writing and communications skills.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Fluent spoken and written French and English
- Minimum 5 years journalism experience preferably including radio.
- Health reporting experience preferred. New media, social media experience preferred
- Journalism training/mentoring experience is essential, preferably in a developing world context.
- Up to date knowledge of the Ebola crisis, medical protocols around Ebola, and an understanding of the medical and societal challenges facing Ebola-affected countries in the current context
- Understanding of the trends and debates in the health communications and humanitarian realm about the role of information, media and social media in crisis/pandemic situations.
- Willingness to travel extensively in Guinea and work in uncomfortable and low-tech environments.
- Excellent attention to detail
- Time-management and organizational skills
- Flexibility and the ability to act quickly in a dynamic and fast-moving organisation
- Creativity to communicate in different ways
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Ability to form and maintain relationships through teamwork and networking
HOW TO APPLY:
