As part of the Knight International Media Innovators blog, the ICFJ Knight team will round up stories focused on how their fellows are making an impact in the field. Find out more about the fellows' projects by clicking here.
A final reminder for 2016 Knight Awards nominations, Code for South Africa's new data school and more from the Knight Fellows in this week’s roundup.
There’s still time! Nominate a journalist or innovator for the 2016 Knight Awards
Each November, ICFJ honors outstanding journalists with the Knight International Journalism Award. Nominees should be people who, despite difficult circumstances, produce pioneering news reports or innovations that have great impact. Candidates can be reporters, editors, technologists, media managers, citizen journalists or bloggers. Send in your nominations by Wednesday, Feb. 17. See this page for more information on the award.
Code for South Africa launches new data journalism academy
ICFJ Knight Fellow Raymond Joseph worked with Code for South Africa to launch Africa’s first data journalism academy on Feb. 1. A cohort of seven journalists will attend two weeks of intensive training and then spend 10 weeks producing content using their new data skills. Read the data school's Storify to learn more about the launch.
Code for Nigeria partners with Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to tackle Nigerian land and property issues
Property rights issues pose problems for Nigeria’s growth and development, and ICFJ Knight Fellow Temi Adeoye is working with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to do something about it. Adeoye’s Code for Nigeria has partnered with the Pulitzer Center to use data-driven reporting to address issues such as land grabs, property disputes, hidden land deals and other threats to Nigeria’s development. The center is offering Nigerian journalists an opportunity to work on a collaborative reporting project on property rights. Applications can be submitted here. Read this blog for more information.
Unlocking the black boxes of government in Mexico
Mexico’s largest newspaper, El Universal, recently launched Las Cajas Negras del Gobierno (“The Black Boxes of Government”) to follow the trail of obscure governmental appropriations to private organizations. Mexican government offices have the power to decide how much money they will appropriate to which organizations, without public scrutiny and at great risk of corruption or money laundering. In some cases, this type of funding occurs through “fideicomisos,” or trusts where a private bank manages the public money to benefit a third party. The project, after a year in the making, was one of the winning projects of ICFJ Knight Fellow Mariano Blejman’s 2014 HacksLabs Transparency and Accountability Challenge.
There ain’t no party like a Cryptoparty
Wondering how women can strengthen their digital security in one of the most dangerous countries for journalists? Head over to Chicas Poderosas Mexico’s first Cryptoparty on Feb. 17, where experts like ICFJ Knight Fellow Jorge Luis Sierra will showcase the latest tools for journalists, designers and technologists to stay safe. If you won’t be in Mexico City, you can still follow along @ChicaPoderosaMX.
Africa Check to fact-check global health and development claims
The Poynter Institute is launching a new initiative to fact-check global health and development facts and figures. Poynter will partner with PolitiFact and Africa Check to shed light on often-misunderstood or distorted claims about health in developing countries. Africa Check was a winner of the 2012 African News Innovation Challenge created by ICFJ Knight Fellow Justin Arenstein. PolitiFact and Africa Check will research hundreds of facts on health and development and offer their analyses free of charge to the public. Read the press release here.
Pictured [left to right]: CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, 2015 Knight Award winner Yoani Sánchez and Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen at the ICFJ Awards Dinner.