Incubator

Innovate to Investigate

Innovate to Investigate is an independent investigative journalism incubator for cross-sector and cross-border innovative thinking, brought to you by Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom - Middle East and North Africa (FNF MENA). It is a new perspective of joining forces of eight professions to “create content” together. Instead of professionals in each sector working individually as if they live in a separate island, the time has come to think together, work together and produce together.

Would you like to be part of producing a digital interactive investigation in an innovative way? Would you like to be the first to “innovate to investigate” in the Arab World?

If you are an Arab journalist, investigative journalist, human rights defender, lawyer, developer, graphic designer, researcher or a fact-checker, interested in participating in a collaborative experience, then this is for you.

You will be part of an incubator, with methodology and hands-on training in addition to contributing the production of an investigation. You need to commit to two 4 days workshops in Autumn 2021 and one 4 days workshop in 2022, in addition to working weekly on the investigation.

For two years, the project will convene 21 creative participants from different fields to explore new innovative ways of storytelling to produce a couple of investigations with a new perspective in the Arab world. Several topics will be covered during the training to develop and improve their skills and help them in innovating and producing content with greater impact.

The first year will focus on the capacity-building phase through a series of training sessions in creativity and innovation, basics of  investigations, organizational communication and development, which will equip the top 16 participants for the second phase of collaborative production of two investigations in Arabic, and to be published on social media and with regional platforms. In the second year, and building on their first experience, the two groups will then collaborate with German, European and international professionals to produce  two investigations to be published internationally.

Participants will be invited to attend ARIJ’s 14th and 15th Annual Forum in 2021 and 2022 to network with the world’s best experts, acquire new skills and knowledge, and showcase their work through a dedicated session.

All Arab nationalities are welcome.

If you live inside or outside the Arab World you can apply.

Arab females are highly encouraged to apply.

If you are interested, hurry up and register here.

Registration will close on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.