September 15:
Deadline Day for submitting FJA entries
The countdown is on! The closing date for entries to this year’s FJA competition is getting closer.
Remember, entries must be in one of the four categories:
- Outstanding contribution to Peace;
- Contribution to Civil Rights;
- Outstanding Investigative Reporting; and
- Excellence in Environmental Journalism.
There is no entry fee, but the rewards are special. The competition is worldwide and open to any online or print journalist or news media and the three winners in each category will share a prize fund worth 520,000 CHF, that’s more than $640,000 USD.
Time is running out, so get your entries in now. For details on how to enter, see https://fjawards.com/how-to-enter
FJA Webinar programme: The Future is freelance
Our first webinar in our Winning Stories series of events will focus on how freelance reporters and newsmakers are journalists are building a formidable reputation for quality journalism.
This year, more than half of the winners in the Fetisov Journalism Awards were independent freelance journalists, and proud to be so. It’s estimated that around 40 per cent of all journalism is now coming from the freelance community.
Drawing upon the experience and talents of our winners, we provide a survival guide for those making the transition to freelance work or just starting out on their journalistic journey. Watch this space for information on the upcoming programme of webinars.
Other News:
Africa guide to covering the carbon story
Arinze Chijioke, a freelance journalist in Nigeria covering global health, climate change, has written a compelling guide for reporters investigating the murky business of carbon offsetting in Africa. He says that despite the billions of dollars in green investments pouring into Africa, the carbon market remains unclear, with verification loopholes and questionable impact on local communities. His guide is available through the International Centre for Journalism IJNet project and provides sources, story lines and tips on how to tell this complex story. https://ijnet.org/en/story/guidance-journalists-investigating-carbon-markets-africa
Journalists and media angry as Europe bows to big-tech over AI
At the end of July, European journalists reacted furiously to decisions by the European Union which weaken legal protection for journalists and media whose work is being scooped up for exploitation by AI companies. The European Federation of Journalists says a so-called “transparency template” which could expose AI companies that steal journalism without paying for it has been watered down. It now only requires AI providers to reveal the top 10 percent of scraped domains and lets tech companies invoke “trade secrets” to circumvent their obligations. See https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2025/07/30/ai-european-commission-caves-in-to-big-tech-to-the-detriment-of-authors/
Understanding science the Latin American way
Understanding the science is the starting point for any journalists trying to communicate the findings of academic research and its impact on the community. It’s a daunting process, but journalists in Latin America are being given a head start. Four science journalism experts from the region last month shared with LatAm Journalism Review valuable recommendations for any reporter seeking to credibly translate specialized knowledge into accessible and relevant content for the general public. It’s not rocket science, but it is the sort of confidence-building support that reporters will find useful in translating dense academic study into accessible stories. See https://latamjournalismreview.org/articles/10-tips-scientific-papers-source/
Reading materials:
How to Save the Amazon: a journalist’s deadly quest for answers. This is the book that journalist Dom Phillips was working on at the time when he and Bruno Pereira, his guide and indigenous expert, were brutally murdered in the Amazon three years ago. The book was completed by a group of journalists and expert writers committed to his mission of uncovering the truth about deforestation and searching for solutions. It reveals how to fight ecological destruction and stand in solidarity with those fighting to save the planet. Published by Ithaca in the UK.
The Future of News Report 2025: this is a go-to place for information on how journalism is emerging into the new world of AI – its impact on how media work, how journalists do their job and what the future has in store, drawing upon research and investigative work by leading journalism schools and research groups around the world. See https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/ai-journalism-future-news
Do we really need journalism? An investigation into the challenge of news avoiders. https://ijnet.org/en/story/what-if-news-avoiders-are-right-and-you-don%E2%80%99t-need-journalism
Insights on Journalism and Human Rights brings together 17 authors (including the FJA’s Aidan White) and offers an accessible and diverse introduction to the characteristics and complexities of reporting human rights issues in a changing media environment. https://www.routledge.com/Insights-on-Journalism-and-Human-Rights/Sahin/p/book/9781032662541
Frontline democracy: 23rd South Asia Media Report: This report contains an overview of the state of press freedom and journalism across the region, with some detailed country reports. https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/south-asia-ifj-launches-23rd-annual-south-asia-press-freedom-report