AfricTivistes launches “AfricTivistes Health Lab”, an initiative supported by Seek Initiative, to build the capacity of health journalists and bloggers in French-speaking Africa. The programme aims to equip participants with the necessary skills to conduct in-depth journalistic investigations using digital sources, verify the traceability of a video or photo, and create secure interactive graphics and maps.

Senegal will host the pilot of the programme. AfricTivistes will train during five days, sixteen journalists, bloggers specialised in health or wishing to work on health issues from Senegal and four from Benin, Togo, Mauritania and Guinea on online investigative journalism. The programme includes an in-person training, one-month post-training mentorship and the production of value-added content by the participants.

The programme also aims to create or strengthen local and pan-African networks of health journalists to encourage the monitoring and evaluation of health systems by various health actors, and to foster a collaborative dynamic among health journalists in different African countries.

The “AfricTivistes Health Lab” programme, launched by AfricTivistes and supported by Seek Initiative, is structured around ten investigative pathways, which cover the following themes

1- Advanced online research: trains journalists to use advanced search techniques to find specific information on specific topics.

2- Social media research: teaches how to effectively use social media to research and verify information.

3- Maps and geolocation: Shows how to use geolocation tools and maps to find and verify information.

4- Online public archives/databases: Teaches journalists how to access and use online public records and databases to search for information.

5- News / Academic Research: Teaches how to use news sources and academic research to find accurate and up-to-date information.

6- Interviews: Provides tips and techniques for conducting effective survey interviews.

7- Requesting government records: Explains how to request and use government records in journalistic research.

8- Data development: Teaches how to collect, analyse and use data in journalism.

9- Crowdsourcing/Community Surveys: Shows how to use crowdsourcing and community surveys to gather information.

10- Audio and video testimonies/Field research: Provides guidance on how to collect and verify audio and video testimonies, and how to conduct effective field research.

These courses are designed to help journalists and bloggers conduct in-depth investigations, verify information, and create visual representations of data. The programme aims to train nearly 200 journalists and bloggers in a dozen African countries, with the objective of turning them not only into competent investigative health journalists, but also into trainers for their colleagues in their respective countries. A follow-up and mentoring programme is also planned to accompany the trained participants.

Please apply until 31 May 2023 at 23:59 UTC by filling in this form