Terms of Reference
African Media Integrity & Resilience Program (AMIRP) Media Fellowship – Ethiopia
Thematic Trainer / Consultant – Public Interest Journalism: OSINT in Journalism for Investigation and Verification
I. Background
The African Media Integrity & Resilience Program (AMIRP) is a multi-year initiative implemented from 2026 to 2028 to strengthen the capacity, independence, integrity, and sustainability of media organizations in Ethiopia. The program contributes to improving access to reliable information, promoting public accountability, and supporting inclusive civic engagement.
Funded by the European Union (EU), coordinated by International Media Support (IMS), and implemented by OMNI Ethiopia in partnership with DW Akademie and other partners, AMIRP supports public interest media through a structured Media Fellowship. Selected media houses across television, radio, print, and digital platforms will benefit from training, practical application, tools, tailored consultancy support, mentorship, and follow-up guidance.
To strengthen the editorial role of participating media houses, the Fellowship will include a dedicated component on Public Interest Journalism: OSINT in Journalism for Investigation and Verification This component is intended to support media houses to produce credible, evidence-based, audience-relevant, and public interest-oriented journalism, while strengthening practical skills in story development, verification, investigation, and editorial decision-making.
This Terms of Reference therefore seeks to engage a lead thematic trainer/consultant to design and deliver the Public Interest Journalism: Investigation, Verification, and Audience Relevance component of the Fellowship.
II. Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to engage a qualified thematic trainer/consultant to develop and facilitate a practical learning package on Public Interest Journalism: Investigation, Verification, and Audience Relevance for selected media houses under the AMIRP Media Fellowship.
The assignment aims to help participating media organizations strengthen their ability to identify public interest story angles, conduct practical investigation and verification, improve editorial quality, and produce journalism that responds to audience needs and community concerns.
The consultant will design and deliver context-relevant training sessions, practical tools, assignments, and follow-up guidance that enable participating media houses to apply the learning directly within their newsrooms and editorial processes. The assignment should be grounded in the Ethiopian media context and adapted to the realities of different media types and newsroom capacities.
III. Scope of Work
Selected media organizations will receive a structured package of support, including training, practical assignments, coaching, peer learning, and tailored follow-up. The lead thematic trainer/consultant will be expected to:
Review relevant program documents, including needs assessment findings and application responses, and analyze editorial capacity needs related to public interest journalism, investigation, verification, and audience relevance.
Design a practical Public Interest Journalism module for two Fellowship cohorts, covering investigation, verification, story development and editorial decision-making.
Develop practical exercises, assignments, templates, checklists, and guidance notes that support evidence-based reporting, source verification, ethical investigation, and audience-focused story production.
Design practical assignments and thematic outputs that participating media houses can apply in their newsrooms, including story concepts, investigation plans, verification checklists, and editorial improvement actions.
Conduct a ToT for assistant trainers and co-facilitate sessions with them to strengthen facilitation, follow-up, and participant engagement.
Provide limited follow-up support to selected media houses, including online clinics, assignment feedback, technical guidance, and input into outlet-level editorial support processes.
Document key learning, participant engagement, lessons learned, and recommendations for future Fellowship cycles.
IV. Expected Deliverables
The consultant is expected to submit the following deliverables:
A brief inception note outlining the proposed approach, methodology, work plan, timeline, and adaptation of the module to participating media houses.
Practical modules, slides, handouts, exercises, assignments, case examples, investigation planning tools, verification checklists, audience relevance tools, and other relevant resources.
A brief ToT plan with facilitation notes and guidance materials for local assistant trainers.
Delivery of agreed training sessions, workshops, masterclasses, or clinics for the relevant Fellowship cohorts.
Limited technical support to participating media houses, including assignment review, feedback on thematic outputs, and outlet-level editorial planning support.
A short report after each cohort summarizing delivery, participant engagement, key observations, lessons learned, challenges, and recommendations.
V. Duration, Delivery Format and Level of Effort
The assignment will take place during the AMIRP Fellowship implementation period, from August 2026 to June 2028, with exact dates to be agreed with OMNI Ethiopia and relevant program partners.
Delivery may include in-person workshops, online sessions, hybrid masterclasses, ToT sessions, follow-up clinics, coaching sessions, and coordination meetings.
The module should be designed for two Fellowship cohorts and delivered flexibly to minimize disruption to newsroom operations.
The estimated level of effort is 20 – 30 working days, with the final number of days to be agreed during contracting based on the Fellowship schedule, delivery format, and follow-up support required.
