The Earth Journalism Network has established a stipend programme that invites European journalists to apply for financial support to cover the cost of investigating, producing and disseminating a journalistic story on European fisheries to be published by mid-September, 2012. 

Applications are currently being accepted from journalists working in Europe in any media format – print, radio, TV or electronic. Journalists may choose the topic, issues and angles they wish to focus on, as long as they are related to fisheries in the EU or member countries and there is a commitment from a media outlet to publish or broadcast the resulting story within the specified time frame.

With reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) currently under consideration, fisheries are a timely subject in Europe, and yet there seems to be a general lack of coverage of the subject. This is somewhat understandable given the sovereign debt crisis and other issues facing the continent, but the CFP and the sustainability of Europe’s fisheries also have huge implications for the region’s economy, environment and society.

The Earth Journalism Network (EJN), a non-profit project that seeks to improve the quantity and quality of environmental coverage but does not take advocacy positions on specific issues, is therefore looking to boost coverage of European fisheries during this important time period.

The stories can be produced in any European language, but we do ask that the application form below be filled out in English to the best of your ability. Criteria for selection will include the relevance of a potential story to current European debates on fisheries, to what extent it brings in new information and coverage, and the size and influence of a story’s potential audience. Stories that reach new audiences not necessarily familiar with fisheries will be viewed with favor. In addition to working with the mainstream media, EJN encourages pitches that include innovative ideas on how to communicate and disseminate stories on fisheries to a wide-ranging audience across Europe and the rest of the world, for instance ideas that utilise social media and multi- media, will be given particular attention.

Applicants are invited to fill out the form below to help EJN assess whether their idea is appropriate for this Fellowship. We are planning to award 10 stipends averaging 1,000EUR to support reporting that will be completed by September.

• Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.  Successful applicants will ideally be notified within 2 weeks of submitting their proposal.
• A letter of support from an editor or producer confirming a commitment to publish or broadcast the story will also be requested. Freelancers are welcome to apply so long as they can also provide such a support letter.
• Those who receive a stipend are expected to give their full cooperation to EJN. Once their stories have been published or broadcast by a journalist’s media outlet, we request the right to share it on the EJN website and other sites, with full credit and links given to the author and original media outlet.  
• The reports should ideally be published or broadcast as soon as possible, with the final deadline being before 15^th September, 2012.

These stipends are being funded with the support of the Oak and Adessium foundations. However, journalists will have complete independence on what they report within the field of European fisheries. Please submit applications in English to Morgan Williams at mwilliams@internews.eu.