DEADLINE: EJN Story Grant and Training Program for Indigenous Environmental Journalists

Indigenous peoples persist and thrive with vibrant cultures, deep connections to lands and territories, and more than 4,000 unique languages spoken globally.

Indigenous lawyers and land defenders have also overseen some of the most powerful legal environmental battles and victories, from Waorani people defending swathes of Amazon rainforest and ancestral territory from oil development in Ecuador, to Masaai leaders inventing new legal mechanisms to protect Masaai lands in Tanzania, to Saami mobilization working to divest Norway from fossil fuels.

The stewardship of ecosystems, however, comes at a deep cost to Indigenous peoples and nations, who have faced historical and ongoing forms of colonization and dispossession. These battles continue today, with an estimated 34% of all lethal attacks on land defenders in 2022 carried out against Indigenous people. Indigenous sovereignty, land rights and safety are under threat by governments and corporations seeking to exploit natural resources, even as Indigenous communities bear the brunt of climate impacts and environmental degradation.

Despite the importance of Indigenous voices in environmental issues and reporting, there remains an indefensible lack of Indigenous representation and Indigenous-led platforms in the media. In Latin America, for instance, only 3% of people portrayed in the news are from Indigenous or tribal groups, despite making up at least 8% of the population. In the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to an estimated 70% of the world’s Indigenous populations, the UN reports that outlets “have so far failed to fully support the inclusive participation of Indigenous peoples.” And in the U.S., less than 1% of workers in newsrooms are Native.

To increase Indigenous representation in environmental reporting, EJN is launching a training program for 8 to 9 Indigenous journalists, with support from Nia Tero, looking to investigate and produce stories about these varied issues.

As part of the program, we’ll pair each journalist with an Indigenous journalist mentor, facilitate networking opportunities between experts and the selected journalists and offer a story grant up to $1,400 each. Selected journalists will also participate in two additional training opportunities: A synchronous, discussion-based online course on Indigenous journalism with access to the instructor and a one-day virtual workshop to deepen their storytelling skills and engage with subject-matter experts from around the world.

Applicants can be from any country in the world. Deadline: January 22, 2024

Details and application.