South Africa: Helpdesk peer mentor and editor - FAIR

FAIR Helpdesk Peer Mentor and Editor

For its Investigative Journalism Helpdesk in Johannesburg, South Africa, the (pan-African) Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR), seeks a:

Peer mentor/editor to assist investigative journalism projects carried out by African investigative journalists, either individually or as FAIR grantees and FAIR team projects.

Background:
Many African newsrooms suffer from a lack of peer mentoring. There is a scarcity of senior investigative journalists showing new and aspiring colleagues ‘the ropes'. Additionally, investigative story projects can meet with pressures on an individual journalist and/or newsroom, which in some cases lead to ‘spiking' or (self) censorship of worthy stories. Furthermore, constraints on time and resources, combined with a lack of transparency, often make it difficult to access information to increase the evidence base of an investigative story.

The FAIR Helpdesk plays a role in:
• Accessing information
• Training support
• Encouraging the publication of good quality investigative stories that are in the public interest

The FAIR Helpdesk needs to be staffed by a seasoned peer mentor/editor to help it increase and improve this function for the benefit of investigative journalists in all African countries.

Activities:
The FAIR peer mentor/editor will assist and supervise the investigative projects of FAIR grantees, the FAIR TI team as well as of individual African ‘IJ's', who call on the FAIR Helpdesk for such assistance.

He/she will ensure, through skilled peer mentoring, the quality and evidence base of FAIR grant, cross border and local and individual investigative story projects, and ensure the resulting publication/broadcast of such stories and programmes in African media through interaction with the relevant newsrooms.

It is nowadays a required skill and quality of any investigative editor to fight for press freedom, for access to information and against censorship. Such skills are expected from the new peer mentor/editor in addition to the ‘normal' editorial skills of encouraging and monitoring best practice and ethics in the conduct of the investigation.

The peer mentor/editor will specifically:
• respond to FAIR members' and other African colleagues' requests for peer mentoring and information-accessing assistance of their investigative story projects
• peer-mentor and ensure the journalistic quality and investigative evidence base of these investigative story projects,
• monitor the results with a view to defensibility, (qualitatively, ethically and legally), and therefore publication of the final products
• peer-mentor and oversee in this way also important regional and continental team investigations, conducted by FAIR members as well as others, for the purpose of wider publication/broadcast of these investigations
• assist in providing links between journalists battling to obtain public information and the many relevant Access to Information NGO's that could assist in these battles, for the purpose of obtaining public records that can increase evidence-base, and therefore quality, of stories and programmes
• interact, on FAIR's behalf, both with publishing houses and with existing Legal Defence Funds (such as the Media Institute of Southern Africa's Fund, but also others) when and if needed in the process of accessing information and publication;
• generally assist journalists and their newsrooms in fighting the pressures that stand in the way of publication through the use of quality oversight, legal expertise and FAIR input

Location of position:
The FAIR peer mentor/editor will be based at the FAIR Helpdesk in Johannesburg, South Africa and interact with the continent-wide FAIR network and African media through FAIR's website www.fairreporters.org

Remuneration:

Between USD 1800 and USD 2000 per month, based on experience and track record.

Appointment period:
A one year contract, starting 1 June 2009, with a possibility of extension yearly.

FAIR gratefully acknowledges the support of Freevoice and Unesco in making this Helpdesk function and staff position possible.

Contact:
Please apply in email, with a one page letter, a short CV, references and specific track record, to [email][email protected] before 1 May 2009.