Rest of World Feature Reporting is looking for writers

Rest of World is looking for proposal writers.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Rest of World Feature Reporting Fellowship to help an early-career journalist or recent journalism school graduate embark on an ambitious, reported feature story about the effects of technology in the regions that Rest of World covers (Latin America, Africa, Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe).

Since launching two years ago, Rest of World has published stories from over 80 countries. Our stories explore the spaces where tech, business, culture, and human experience collide through compelling storytelling and fresh, innovative design. We are particularly interested in the following topics: e-commerce, labor, social media and online culture, and the impacts of U.S. and Chinese tech giants in countries around the world.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Our longform features, typically 3,000 words or longer, involve in-depth, on-the-ground reporting and are usually narrative in style. You can get a sense of our features across topics and regions from this most recent story about Google and Meta’s subsea cables in Africa, how a team of fact-checkers are fighting misinformation in India, and the biggest hurdles facing a libertarian startup city in Honduras.

The successful applicant will receive a stipend of US$7,500. This amount comprises the fee for reporting and writing the piece, as well as budget for travel and other approved reporting expenses. The fellow will be supported and mentored by the Rest of World features team throughout the program.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

We are looking for international journalists who have an interest in technology and/or business and some experience in reporting and writing longform features. You should have an idea for a longform story or project, focused on technology, that you would like to report in one of the regions that Rest of World covers. Ideas should have the tech/business angle at the forefront; we are less interested in, for example, culture or politics-led stories that have a small amount of tech involvement.

We are looking for ambitious proposals that go beyond a typical assignment, requiring extended reporting (possibly across multiple locations), in-depth sourcing, and a significant time commitment. Our aim is for this fellowship to support work the applicant would otherwise not be able to complete due to time and budgetary constraints. You should also be able to make the case as to why you are the right person to report the story – whether that’s subject matter expertise or knowledge of the location or community in question.

ELIGIBILITY

This fellowship is open to early-career journalists based anywhere in the world. While the applicants themselves can be from any country, we prefer that their story proposal is grounded in the country or community they hail from or are deeply familiar with.

DEADLINE

The deadline for applications is June 30, 2022, and the successful applicant will be informed by July 31, 2022.

Applicants should be prepared to conduct their reporting and submit a first draft by October 31, 2022, with an aim to publish the reporting on Rest of World by December 15, 2022

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN SUBMISSION

• One-page resume/CV
• A 500-word story pitch, including how you intend to report the story and what you hope to produce as a result. Please give us a sense of the key characters in the story, and how the narrative will unfold.
• A reporting budget, including estimated travel costs
• Three recent examples of your work
• Contact information for two references

COMPENSATION

Reports indicate that this opportunity will pay: $7,500 for reported feature

CONTACT

For more information, visit their website.

Email all questions and submissions to Victoria Turk, Rest of World’s Features Director, at:  victoria@restofworld.org