IGF 2025 Support for Global South Journalists; Call For Applications

It aims to attract journalists from the Global South who have experience with digital issues to cover the 20th Annual IGF, scheduled for 23-27 June 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway.

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF)’s support to journalists from the Global South is an initiative to promote insightful, balanced, and impactful journalism on digital governance and its dynamics, as they are discussed at the IGF. It aims to attract journalists from the Global South who have experience with digital issues to cover the 20th Annual IGF, scheduled for 23-27 June 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway.

Recognizing the critical role of journalism in shaping the global digital discourse, this initiative seeks to amplify Global South voices. Selected journalists will have the opportunity to highlight key issues such as digital trust and accountability, digital inclusion, human rights online, and the ethical implications of emerging technologies. The initiative is supported by the IGF Secretariat and subject to availability of funding.

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Narratives on digital governance often lack localized insights and the perspectives of those most affected. Enhanced journalistic focus through a local, national or regional lens can elevate coverage of urgent issues, foster more inclusive policy discussions, and ensure that global digital policies are informed by diverse voices and community contexts.

Journalists from the Global South are now invited to apply!

Aims and Objectives
The overarching goal of the initiative is to enhance the quality and diversity of reporting on digital governance and policy.

Specific objectives include:

• To select a group of journalists passionate about highlighting digital issues from a Global South perspective. The selected journalists will be limited in number and fulfil balanced regional, gender and other diversity distributions.
• To promote in-depth, knowledgeable, and nuanced coverage of the 20th IGF and related digital governance topics.
• To have the coverage appear on diverse platforms with different audiences.
• To facilitate the building of an informal network of journalists from the Global South who can continue to share insights and coverage on digital governance issues beyond the IGF annual meeting.

Expected Outcomes
The initiative aims to generate high-quality reporting that captures the complexity and urgency of digital governance challenges and opportunities facing the Global South and/or from a Global South perspective, during and after the 20th IGF meeting.

A longer-term desired outcome is the establishment of a robust network of journalists from the Global South engaged in the digital policy discourse and contributing to sustained awareness of critical digital matters discussed at the IGF.

Why Participate?

Network – Participate in all IGF has to offer and connect with fellow journalists, policymakers, and experts on the digital issues of the day.

Learn - Gain insights into priority and emerging issues, including the development of digital cooperation frameworks like the Global Digital Compact (GDC).

Impact - Your reporting can drive positive change within the global digital discourse.

How to Apply
Any journalist who meets the eligibility criteria can apply for this opportunity by 7 March 2025, 23:59 UTC, using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/vZ08ZEyQ87       

Documentation

• Please find the Terms and Conditions, including Eligibility Criteria, here.