Location: Remote
Classification: Fixed fee (5000 EUR)
Department: Environment
Reports to: EJN Senior Program Officer
Timeline: February 2025 – May 2025
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Established in 2004, the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is Internews’ flagship environmental program, which aims to improve the quality and quantity of environmental reporting. In January 2025 EJN launched the project “Boosting Environmental Coverage in the Western Balkans”, an initiative to build the capacity of local journalists and media outlets in the region to cover pressing climate and environmental issues more effectively, and share news and information about the value of ecosystem services and conservation solutions to local communities. This project, which will run until 2027, will focus on Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia. Activities will include grantmaking to journalists and organizations, training workshops, development of reporter resources and the creation of a new regional network of environmental journalists.
To provide a greater understanding of the needs of local and national media to cover environmental issues in the region and to inform project strategy, EJN is seeking to hire a Media Researcher (an individual or a team) to lead the development of a media landscape assessment for the Western Balkans. The Media Researcher will be responsible for designing research to analyze the media landscape in regards to environmental coverage in the Western Balkans region (Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia) in line with Internews methodology, conducting and overseeing the research itself, carrying out data analysis, and writing a media landscape assessment report. The final report, expected to be an estimated 15,000 words excluding annexes, will identify potential partners, resource experts, trainers, issues, gaps in coverage and environment and climate misinformation and misconceptions, needs and reporting trends for an environmental media project in the region. Recommendations produced from the report will be used to guide project activities, from identifying underreported topics for story grantmaking, to key resource people for training workshops and the development of learning materials, amongst other things.
LOGISTICS
This is a remote based role, and candidates based anywhere will be considered. However, preference will be given to candidates either based in or with experience working in the Western Balkans region.
This is a limited-duration position that is expected to last around 3 months. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply soon.
OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING
We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.
TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
· Desk Research – The Media Researcher will design a stakeholder mapping exercise plan to identify vital stakeholders, and to collate a wide range of factors that constitute the media and information landscape with relation to environmental topics in the Western Balkans. A further step will be to analyze existing research on environmental information consumption in the region to identify patterns, preferences, and gaps. The goal of this desk review will be to understand the consumption habits and needs of environmental information and to extrapolate any findings that would be helpful to understanding the environmental information environment.
· Development of interview questions and selection of key informants – The desk research will provide preliminary findings that will inform the following:
o Identification of key institutions and information providers
o Criteria for the selection of Key Informant Interviews
o Design of interview questions
o Identification of areas for additional exploration
· Analysis of data and writing report including recommendations – The Media Researcher will analyze the data described above and consolidate this into a final report. They will also provide key recommendations regarding environmental communications in the region – including potential partners, key institutions, and needs and gaps in the region regarding environmental media — to inform the project’s activities going forward.
The Media Researcher will also be expected to:
· Join monthly meetings with the Western Balkans project team to provide updates on the progress of the report.
· Coordinate with the project team, in particular the Senior Program Officer, Program Associate and Special Projects Editor, providing updates and information as needed through the development of the report.
· In all services, uphold Internews’ Core Values and demonstrate commitment to fostering a culture of Belonging, Dignity, and Justice.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS:
Required
· Undergraduate or graduate degree in media studies, development studies, social sciences, environmental or climate sciences, or any other relevant field; or at least eight years of relevant working experience in qualitative research, social science, data analysis, environment, or similar;
· Strong experience with communication, journalism, media development, social media monitoring, or similar in the Western Balkans region;
· Strong research skills, including qualitative some basic quantitative methods, like Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews, observations, data visualization, etc.;
· Strong understanding of environmental issues;
· Excellent information management skills; knowing how to work with Excel, nVivio or similar data analysis software;
· Strong interpersonal communication, organizational, teamwork, facilitation, and presentation skills;
· Strong writing skills and proven ability to produce high quality reports and to work under tight deadlines;
· Strong written and spoken English.
· Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.
Preferred
Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but who are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.
· Language skills relevant to the Western Balkans region – Croatian, Albanian, Bosnian, Macedonian, etc., a plus.
TO APPLY
Please submit the following materials as part of your application for this role:
· Cover letter that explains your motivation and why you are the right fit for this assignment.
· CV.
· Timeline outlining how you intend to complete the study within the time frame of three months (or justification for longer, up to five months).
· Budget that justifies the costs and should not exceed 5,000 EUR.
· 1-2 writing examples relevant to the topic (such as reports, policy briefs, etc.).
How to apply
To apply for this role, please visit: Position Description