Vacancy Notice – Electoral News Coverage Expert

Background

Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting political participation and democratic governance worldwide. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, DRI operates across Western Asia and North Africa (WANA), Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe. It maintains country offices in Tunisia, Lebanon, Libya (operating remotely from Tunisia), the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ukraine, collaborating with various international and local partners across several countries. In addition to its physical presence, DRI is actively engaged in promoting Digital Democracy in many other areas.     

Since 2016, DRI Lebanese country office has been raising awareness and advocating for evidence-based policies and public debates that foster democratic and accountable governance, the rule of law, and political participation in Lebanon, in cooperation with civil society organisations and public officials. Particularly, DRI is working to expand the democratic space for a civil society-led debate on systemic change in Lebanon, encouraging citizens to actively participate in the governing of their own country in an inclusive and participatory manner.   

In the framework of its project titled: “Voices from the Field: Supporting Independent Reporting in Lebanon”, DRI is acting as an enabler of collaboration between young journalists and independent media outlets. The project aims at strengthening journalistic integrity and impartial reporting, combating the spread of fake news on mainstream and digital platforms and fostering a community of independent journalists dedicated to high-quality reporting on topics related to liberties, democratic rights, internal displacement, and political concerns during and post-crisis.    

In this context, DRI is seeking an expert in Election News Coverage to deliver a full-day training session to 17 young journalists between April and May 2025. The training objective is to enhance the knowledge and skills of young journalists in electoral news coverage for municipal/parliamentary elections with highlights on the Lebanese electoral systems and processes, the ethics of electoral coverage, reporting on elections campaigns etc.

Your duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision of DRI’s Programme Unit, the Expert will:  

• Develop interactive and comprehensive training modules, session plans, and supporting materials focused on electoral news reading, campaign coverage, and election reporting best practices (0.5 expert day);
• Deliver a full-day training session for 17 young journalists, employing an interactive and practical approach that includes discussions, case studies, and hands-on exercises to enhance their ability to cover the upcoming municipal and parliamentary elections (one expert day);
• Design pre-and post-training assessments to evaluate participants' knowledge and skills before and after the training, in coordination with DRI;
• Submit a detailed training report summarising key learning outcomes, participant engagement, and pre-post assessment results, following DRI’s reporting template (0.5 expert day).

 Your skills and experience

• A university degree in media studies, journalism, communications, political science, or a related field;
• At least seven years of experience in journalism, with a focus on field reporting and/or political coverage;
• Proven experience in training journalists on electoral journalism and campaign reporting;
• Strong understanding of electoral processes, media ethics, and misinformation challenges in election coverage;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage and mentor young journalists;
• Gender and cultural sensitivity in media representation and reporting;
• Working proficiency in Arabic.