RNW Media

🚨 HIRING ALERT 🚨 We are looking for a seasoned (and cool 🙂 ) web designer to support the revamping of our website design and broader RNW Media brand. A meaningful role to unleash your creativity and help us land a fresh visual and branding identity. If you have what it takes or know someone fit for purpose, please tag or share the offer with them. For more information, check the TOR below: https://lnkd.in/eZKjf4UN

📣 Our very own Digital Media Impact Summit 2024 is making the news 📣 RNW Media’s Innovation Fun-d has recognised PadiChat by the Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR) as one of its 2024 winners! This AI-powered chatbot is revolutionizing access to sexual and reproductive health information for Nigerian youth, providing real-time, confidential support where it’s needed most. At RNW Media, we believe in the transformative power of innovation, and PadiChat is a perfect example of AI driving positive social impact. We look forward to its continued success in reshaping inclusive, informed and safe digital sexuality education. A big thank you to LightRay Media and Foundation for highlighting this achievement! Read more about it below 🚀 https://lnkd.in/eZqeWAbE #DMIS24 #InnovationFunD #DigitalMedia #AI #SRHR

Meet our second winner of the 2024 Innovation Fun-d 🎉 All the way from Cuba: elTOQUE is tackling misinformation with cutting-edge AI! In a world where digital misinformation spreads rapidly, this project is bringing the fight to Cuba’s youth, arming them with the tools to verify the truth and protect themselves from false narratives. Meet YouthCheck—a revolutionary AI-powered app that allows young users to detect and defeat misinformation on YouTube in real time. By harnessing advanced machine learning, community input, and expert verification, YouthCheck empowers Cuban youth to be critical consumers and responsible sharers of online content. In a landscape where misinformation can mislead and manipulate, this tool ensures the next generation is equipped to question, verify, and spread accurate information. Starting in Cuba and set to expand its reach, YouthCheck is poised to reshape how young audiences navigate the digital world, fostering a culture of truth and accountability. Join us in celebrating this innovative solution that’s turning the tide on misinformation and paving the way for a more informed digital media future! 🚀 #DMIS24 #innovation #digitalmedia #AI #misinformation

From Nigeria: PadiChat by the Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR) is our first Innovation Fun-d winner, transforming youth health conversations with AI! 🎉 We are proud to announce the first winner of the 2024 Innovation Fun-d—PadiChat, an innovative AI-powered chatbot created by the Media, Health & Rights Initiative (MHR). This groundbreaking solution is breaking down barriers by providing Nigerian youth with instant, confidential access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information. PadiChat engages young people in real-time, offering personalized, non-judgmental advice in both English and Pidgin. By providing vital SRHR guidance with privacy and immediacy, PadiChat empowers Nigerian youth to make informed decisions about their health and relationships in a safe, inclusive and reliable digital media space. With plans to expand its reach to include even more local languages, PadiChat is set to revolutionize how youth access SRHR education in Nigeria and beyond. Join us in celebrating this bold, AI-driven initiative that’s empowering young people and transforming the future of youth health education! 🚀 #DMIS24 #innovation #digitalmedia #AI #SRHR

🚨 Few hours left to apply for the MENA Scholarship! Are you the next joining us at the RNTC Media Training Centre for a one-in-a-lifetime learning experience? Learn how to inspire change and amplify advocacy efforts, and how to counter hate speech and polarisation online. Be part of a diverse and talented cohort of media professionals who are driving social change and telling stories that matter! 📆 Submit your application before tomorrow October 15th at16:00 (CET) The courses are funded by the Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken and managed by Nuffic. Register ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eN46J8s #RNTCexperience #MENA #MSPscholarship #Nuffic #MinBuZa #Community #Learning #ApplyNow #JoinUs

Day 2 of the Digital Media Impact Summit (#DMIS24) took us deeper into the AI landscape, focusing on both its power and the ethical imperatives shaping a safe, inclusive, and reliable digital media space. 🌍✨ Central to Day 2's discussions was this question: How do we use AI responsibly while minimizing its risks? As AI transforms digital media, we must guide its evolution with care, ensuring it serves global challenges like climate action and civic engagement. A key highlight was the ethics convening, where we debated how to actively shape AI’s integration into digital media in alignment with our vision. It’s not just about using AI—it’s about setting ethical frameworks that foster a trustworthy digital media space. The hands-on workshops were particularly engaging, as participants worked through simulated scenarios involving real-world ethical dilemmas. These exercises highlighted the complexity of navigating value conflicts and making trade-offs, demonstrating how critical decisions around AI will shape the future of digital media. Framed by a collective statement, the Haarlem Declaration: Championing AI for Advancing Inclusive, Safe, and Reliable Digital Media Spaces, which will be published soon, our key values include: 1. Transparency and Explainability – AI decisions must be clear. 2. Ethical Data Practices – Data must be used responsibly. 3. Safeguarding Information Integrity – Protecting content authenticity. 4. Minimizing Bias – Reducing discrimination and harm. 5. Centering People in Technology – Prioritizing human dignity in AI design. 6. Balancing Environmental Impact – Ensuring AI development is sustainable. Another key highlight was the discussion on media viability, where we explored strategies to develop sustainable models for independent media in the face of digital and AI disruption. The conversation revealed three major challenges: censorship, the absence of a clear sustainability strategy, and limited resources. A particularly pressing issue was the challenge of managing human resources—finding and retaining talent, balancing areas of expertise between in-house and outsourced professionals, and addressing high staff turnover. We tackled the ‘wicked problems’ of AI and reaffirmed our commitment to shaping a more ethical, inclusive digital media landscape. A practical workshop was also conducted focused on critical prompting with large language model (LLM). The workshop displayed different prompt patterns and explored how they could discover biases and limitations of LLM via prompting. Special thanks to Yan Cong from the Green Screen Coalition, 'Everywhere, All the Time' exhibition from Tactical Tech, and Raghda ElHalawany from MasterPeace for their invaluable contributions in facilitating the sessions and exhibition! Stay tuned for Monday’s announcement of the ‘Innovation Fun-d’ winners, who will transform the future of digital media and ethical AI! #AI #MEDIAVIABILITY #AIETHICS #CRITICALPROMPTING #CLIMATECHANGE

🚨 Last Chance to apply 🚨MENA Scholarship Application closing next week! MENA media pros, don’t miss out on the fully-funded MENA Scholarship Programme in the Netherlands. 🌍 Dive into digital content, media campaigns, and journalism—your chance to drive social change is here! 🎓 Join us at the RNTC Media Training Centre for a one-in-a-lifetime learning experience! Be part of a diverse and talented cohort of changemakers who are driving social change and telling stories that matter! 📆 Deadline to apply: 15 October 2024 before 16:00 The courses are funded by the Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken and managed by Nuffic. Register ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eN46J8s #RNTCexperience #MENA #MSPscholarship #Nuffic #MinBuZa #Community #Learning #ApplyNow #JoinUs

SHARING THE EXPERIENCES OF AN ALUMNI OF THE #ORANGEKNOWLEDGE PROGRAM   Meet with Eve Gabrielle S., Communication Consultant and Web Content Editor.   "Thanks to the training on Public Interest #Journalism with RNTC Media Training Centre RNW Media, I gained a better understanding of the ethical standards of journalism, techniques for presenting stories with social significance. These practical skills have strengthened my abilities in journalistic research, fact-checking and content production. Overall, the training has significantly contributed to my editorial expertise, allowing me to produce more in-depth, more precise and more relevant content." Sandra Zei Michelena Rogier Hekking

The 2024 Digital Media Impact Summit (#DMIS24) is officially underway in Haarlem, the Netherlands! 🎉 This year's summit focuses on the intersection of AI and digital media, bringing together 100 independent media, journalists and media makers, civil society organizations, activists, governmental officials, and academics from 62 countries. Day 1 of the #DMIS24 was a profound exploration into how AI can reshape our global media partnerships at RNW Media. It wasn’t just about sharing knowledge—it was about learning, being inspired, and finding new ways to co-create social impact through technology. We explored how AI can enhance everything from operational strategies to grassroots activism. Our global partners presented their experience and lessons learned on the utilization of AI in content creation, image contextualization, moderation, web development, and engaging with youth about sensitive topics in restricted settings. Our interactive workshops, from reimagining collective AI narratives, unleashing the power of camp(AI)gning to navigating AI in developing media and information literacy and critical thinking gave participants the chance to engage with innovative AI tools, offering practical insights that can empower both organizations and communities to be more effective in their work. A key moment of the day was the ‘Innovation Fun-d’ pitch. ‘Innovation Fun-d’ is an RNW Media initiative that supports independent media, start-ups, journalists, and media makers in co-creating and incubating innovative, locally-driven digital media interventions that have a tangible social impact. The 'Innovation Fun-d' marks its third year, having supported six groundbreaking projects with a total funding of over €100,000. Out of 58 applications from 32 countries this year, six finalists had been shortlisted, and they pitched their ideas today to a distinguished jury panel, including Daniela Maffeo from Porticus Foundation, Miguel Morachimo from Mozilla Foundation’s Data Futures Lab, and Andy Sanchez from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Those projects showcased the potential of AI utilization in digital media to drive lasting, cross-border change. We’re grateful to RHRN2, Masarouna, and the Nationale Postcode Loterij for supporting these vital discussions. As we head into Day 2, we’re eager to keep learning and collaborating, diving deeper into AI’s role in creating inclusive, sustainable digital media solutions. Let’s connect and explore how AI can be a catalyst for the work we all care about.

✨ October 10th is World Mental Health Day! ✨ We mark this important day to highlight an often overlooked topic – mental health challenges faced by digital media-makers, with independent journalists and digital content creators in particular. ⁉️ DID YOU KNOW? 🛑 According to a study conducted in 2022 by AWIN, a digital marketing platform, nearly 4 out 5 digital content creators and influencers, based in the U.S. and the UK, reported experiencing a burn out, driven primarily by factors such as constant changes made on social media platforms (think about the jump from text to images to reels and so on!), being constantly on social media, and losing followers (owing to online censorship, lack of viral and engaging content, trolling, etc.). ⚡ In our own research, conducted in 2022, with digital content creators at Love Matters, a digital sexuality education platform geared towards young people, spanning several countries in the Global South, many reported negative impacts on their mental health, especially due to online censorship of sexuality education content on social media platforms, compounded by lack of response from platforms about the rationale for a rejected ad or a censored post. 💡 In today's attention economy, getting a piece of reporting or content noticed online can come at a steep cost for digital media-makers' mental health and wellbeing. This World Mental Health Day, we are, therefore, calling for action to recognise, acknowledge, and increase awareness on this important topic. 🙌 And here are three ways how you can help! 📢 Digital media-makers: Let’s talk about it (and then some more!) Talking and sharing about mental health challenges is a taboo even for digital media-makers, who may experience guilt or shame in sharing about their mental health struggles, particularly in the independent media and development sector. But talking about it with other digital media-makers, and people you can trust and confide in, can be an important first step in addressing the stigma around mental health! 📢 Media development organisations: Make mental wellbeing essential to media development Support mental wellbeing of (digital) media-makers and content creators by enabling safe spaces, with and for them, to talk about mental health struggles, and offering support through education, resources, and referrals – which are fact-based, accessible and inclusive! 📢 Donors: Prioritise mental wellbeing of (digital) media-makers on the funding agenda! Provide core and programmatic funding, to and for digital media-makers, across sectors (media, civil society, etc.) to prioritise mental health education, development, and distribution of inclusive and fact-based information tools and resources, and access to affordable and reliable mental health care services.