Reporting on the social and environmental impacts of Chinese investment in Colombia

Diálogo Chino is inviting applications from one China- and one Colombia-based journalist for a paired-journalism fellowship, which will bring them together to report on the social and environmental impacts of the China-Colombia relationship in the context of the historic signing of the peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the challenges in delivering peaceful, sustainable development that remain.

For the China-based journalist the fellowship will cover transport and accommodation to and within Colombia. The Colombia-based journalist will have the same costs covered within Colombia. Each successful applicant will be expected to file one long-form article (1500-2500 words) subsequent to their trip, which will be published in English, Spanish and Portuguese on dialogochino.net and in Chinese and English on chinadialogue.net. Fellows will each receive a commissioning fee on filing the collaborative report. Reports can be written in any of the above four languages.

The programme offers a unique opportunity for journalists to explore collaborative, in-depth and on-the-ground reporting to which each will bring his/her own language, cultural background and research skills. Diálogo Chino editors will provide mentoring and support to the fellows in their research and writing, enabling them to access and interpret sources of information unavailable to the majority of their peers.

The fellowship:

• For the Chinese journalist, the fellowship will cover transport costs (including return flights from China to Colombia), a commissioning fee, accommodation and other reasonable expenses.
• For the Colombian journalist, the fellowship will cover transport within Colombia necessary for the approved story proposal, commissioning fee, accommodation and other reasonable expenses.

Eligibility:

• Currently based in either China or Colombia.
• Fluent or with a high level of professional working proficiency in at least 2 of the following 3 languages: Spanish, Chinese, English
• At least 3 years experience working in journalism with preference given to applicants with a track record of writing about environmental issues, rural conflict and/ or sustainable development
• Available between October 1st and 30th 2017 to travel for one week in Colombia.

How to apply:

Those Colombia-based journalists eligible and interested in applying for the fellowship should send the following materials in English or Spanish to informacion@dialogochino.net: a CV, 2x story ideas on the subject of the social and environmental impacts of Chinese investment in Colombia, and a cover letter explaining why they should be awarded the fellowship. Interested and eligible China-based applicants should provide a CV, cover letter, and 3 relevant clippings (in English, Spanish, or Chinese) to the same email address. The deadline for applications is September 18^th 2017. Successful applicants will be informed in writing by September 29^nd 2017.

About Diálogo Chino:

As Latin America’s biggest lender, a major investor and trading partner, understanding the wider effects of China’s rapidly evolving relationship with the region is of critical importance. Yet the social and environmental dimensions of this bourgeoning partnership remain largely ignored by national and international media. Diálogo Chino works to make this vital topic visible by informing, reporting and analysing the impacts and implications of these dynamic economic and political relations, and how they affect a range of actors, environments and institutions. All content on Diálogo Chino is published in English, Spanish and Portuguese and selected content is shared with partner site www.chinadialogue.net. We create a two-way exchange bridging linguistic and information gaps for Chinese and Latin American audiences, enabling China to understand the sustainable development challenges faced by the rest of the world, and vice versa.