Media Parity Capacity Building Programme

Are you a media outlet based in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho or Zambia? Are you interested in strengthening your positioning and resilience by enhancing gender perspectives in reporting; appealing to diverse audiences; while also ensuring a safe, professional work environment for everyone? If yes, you can apply to be part of the upcoming Media Parity Capacity Building Programme.

The Media Parity Capacity Building Programme is a partnership between CFI Media Development (CFI) and Gender Links, a Southern African women’s rights organisation.

The Media Parity programme will work with selected media outlets to build journalists capacity in gender inclusive reporting through workshops and mentorship, as well as professional development workshops and activities for safer, respectful and professional media workplaces. Small reporting grants will support journalists to produce stories in collaboration with the project team.

Key activities

• Regional inception workshop: Management representatives from the 22 selected media outlets, organising team and capacity building facilitators will come together for a 2-day regional inception workshop. This inception workshop is intended to familiarise selected media outlets with the Media Parity Capacity Building Programme, agree shared commitment and vision for success, and better understand media outlet priorities and needs to inform designing activities.
• National gender-sensitive journalism training & mentoring. Each media outlet will identify two journalists (one woman, one man) to participate in a country-based, 5-day training workshop & follow-up mentorship (Lesotho journalists will join the training in Botswana). The 5-day workshop, facilitated by Gender Links, will explore principles, knowledge and tools for gender-aware reporting, as well as proven journalistic approaches for unique gender perspectives and gender balance, including women’s representation as sources. Following the workshop, individual news/content production mentoring (online, over a period of up to 6 months) will support journalists to apply learning in published articles and broadcast reports. Journalists will produce at least 8 pieces of content, supported by the programme team.
• Gender-focused professional development & safer workplaces: Working in collaboration with selected media outlets, the project team will deliver activities to advance inclusive, gender aware and safer media workplaces (including addressing sexual harassment). We envisage this to include workshops with 4 journalists (2 women, 2 men) from each media outlet focusing on professional and personal development, leadership, and actions for safer, professional workplaces, as well as media outlet Awareness Days.
• Regional closing conference: The project will end with a closing conference bringing together stakeholders from the five partner countries to celebrate achievements, share experiences and contribute to cross-border networking.

Eligibility

To be eligible, media outlets must:

• be either a radio, television, print or online currently operating, in existence for at least 3 years.
• be located either in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho or Zambia.
• have staff of at least 5 journalists.
• have a politically independent editorial line.
• be willing and committed to appoint a media manager representative & identify journalists to actively take part in project activities, including releasing them from normal duties to be able to fully participate in workshops, content production & mentorship coaching, and leadership & professional workplaces activities.
• be willing and committed to incorporating gender equality and gender perspectives in newsroom operations and news production, across reporting and editorial functions.

Application guidelines

The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. For more information and to apply, please click here.