Freelance Journalist (USAID Funded) at Pierce Mill Media

Pierce Mill Media (PM) is an award winning, end-to-end media production house that creates social and behavior change media for some of the biggest NGOs, universities, and governments in the world, addressing some of the biggest challenges in the world.

Working with an experienced team of program designers, media producers, and local creatives, we aim to make culturally relevant and globally significant media for targeted audiences and broader populations.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Freelance Journalist (USAID Funded)

Location: Birnin, Kebbi
Nature of Job: Journalist / Story Scout (Field Work)
Reporting to: Pierce Mill Entertainment & Education, Washington, DC (PM)
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: Contract work, to be executed up to 20 days and completed by January 31, 2021.

Introduction

The Feed the Future EatSafe (Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food) program aims to generate evidence and knowledge of the potential of consumer demand for safe food in low and middle income countries (LMICs) to improve food safety. The program is funded by USAID and will be undertaken by a consortium led by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and containing Pierce Mill Entertainment & Education (Pierce Mill, PM) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

PM is tasked with producing media-based social and behavior change communications (SBCC) programs for market traders. PM is leading Story Sourcing to collect stories directly from traders which will be used as the basis for the fictional stories in a variety of media productions.

Stories are the core of any PM production. For media to have impact on an audience, it must resonate with them and be based on ideas and themes that are culturally meaningful. An audience must identify with the characters not necessarily by way of characteristics, but by way of identifiable actions. Using media for behavior change requires that the stories open up the audience's imagination to the possible.

The discovery of these kinds of stories is at the heart of this project. We are after anecdotes and even 'gossip' from trader's daily life at home, at work, and within the community to inform the writing and design of compelling and memorable media programs. We seek to work with journalists who have the skills to find these stories.

Story sourcing is conducted by Story Scouts. This position is appropriate primarily for journalists and writers, as their skill sets for uncovering stories are of high value to the process.

We're seeking Nigerian journalists familiar with the permanent food markets in Birnin Kebbi and with the local community. The Scout must be fluent in Hausa and English, comfortable talking with people, and skilled in drawing out stories through in-person interviews and casual conversation. The successful Scout will likely have extensive prior journalistic experience.
The Scout will need to have existing access to an audio recorder, computer, phone, photo camera, and internet and be willing to undertake travel as needed to accomplish the scope of work.
In addition, the Scout should be able to perform some audio editing of recorded interviews and be able to provide Hausa to English translations of best segments selected from interviews.

About Pierce Mill Entertainment & Education

• PM is an award winning, end-to-end media production house that creates social and behavior change media for some of the biggest NGOs, universities, and governments in the world, addressing some of the biggest challenges in the world.
• Working with an experienced team of program designers, media producers, and local creatives, we aim to make culturally relevant and globally significant media for targeted audiences and broader populations.

Purpose

• Identify compelling & memorable stories that can be used for educational and entertaining media programs for market traders.

Scope of Work

• The Scout's job is to uncover scenes and situations that are typical of life in the community, but that also may include some kind of conflict, theme, or emotion within them
• These stories are stand-alone in and of themselves - the kind of anecdote one might tell a friend
• As this is not a research study, the stories do not need to be gathered together into a broader narrative, at least at this stage of the process
• We're looking for vivid descriptions of various situations that traders and the trader community have been in that could be used as a kernel of a new idea or scenario.

The Story Scout's core work includes:

•  Work with PM to finalize the local Story Sourcing goals, process, interview questions;
• Conduct Story Sourcing
• Network with local traders and community leaders to identify interviewees;
• Gain trust with interviewees over some period of time;
• Focus on gathering detail-rich, personal or shared stories from traders;
• Record interviews with audio recording device;
• Draft a final write up.Share it with PM for feedback and finalize write-up incorporating notes from PM.

In addition, the Scout will be expected to:

• Participate in PM onboarding process;
• Conduct independent background research on Birnin Kebbi, as needed;
• Work with PM to plan for Scouting travel logistics;
• Travel to Birnin Kebbi;
• Edit the audio of the interviews to select segments with most useful stories;
• Conduct post-interview documenting tasks;
• Transcribe and translate selected segments.

Deliverables
The Scout will be expected to:

• Execute Story Sourcing in BirninKebbi, following the standards and goals defined by PM and the process defined jointly with PM.
• Deliver Final Write Up in format and with details specified by PM.

Timeline

• This is not a full-time position. This project is estimated to take up to 20 days of work spread between now and January 31, 2021.

Application Closing Date
30th November, 2020.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: [email protected] using "EatSafe Story Sourcing Applicant Name" as the subject of the mail.

Click Here for more information

Instructions For Responding
Story Scouts must be fluent in Hausa, highly familiar with northwest Nigeria, and able to work in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.

Interested contractors and freelancers should prepare:
A brief expression of interest that includes:

• Qualifications and prior experience with field journalism and conducting field interviews;
• Connection to or professional experience in northwest Nigeria;
• Estimated daily fee for executing Story Sourcing (PM can not consider applications that do not include an estimated daily fee); Note: PM will cover travel costs links to at least 3 published articles that you authored;
• Your current location and language proficiency (Hausa and English);
• 2 professional references (Name, title, organization, email, telephone number, description of your connection to the person/organization);

Brief CV highlighting recent and relevant experience OR LinkedIn page.

Note

• Please use the subject line "EatSafe Story Sourcing Applicant Name" when responding.
• PM will review and respond to applications as they arrive.
• This position requires fluency in Hausa
• Please direct all inquiries and other communications to: [email protected]