The International Academy of Journalism (Intajour) announces the start of the application process for the third year of its fellowship program “Journalism in the Digital World”. Journalists from countries where press freedom is restricted can now apply online for the ten-month training program initiated and funded by the international media company Bertelsmann.

“Our previous years were composed of very talented journalists who are determined to make a difference in their home countries. We look forward to many applications from journalists who share the same passion and professionalism,” Intajour Director Werner Eggert says.

“After two successful fellowship years, I can safely claim that Intajour has established a unique training program for coaching journalists in the digital media. We offer a course which is tailor-made for the needs of working journalists. A customized e-learning program complements the attendance phases in Germany and allows participants to apply their skills in their work environment.”

Intajour’s aim is to professionalize journalism and advance freedom of the press worldwide through quality training. “Digitization offers many opportunities for professional journalists,” says Eggert. The “Journalism in the Digital World” training program is aimed at journalists from countries where press freedom is restricted or where similar training programs are not available. The Fellows of previous years came from countries like Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Honduras, Liberia, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Zimbabwe. However, participation in the program is neither restricted to these countries nor do successful previous applications diminish the chances of applicants from the same countries in the future.

During the 10-month blended-learning program the twelve Fellows explore the opportunities of digitization under the guidance of Intajour’s experienced team of lecturers. The Fellows learn more about “investigative research,” “shooting and editing videos for the web,” “writing for the web,” “media ethics” and many other topics. The new course starts on August 31, 2013. The program consists of attendance phases in Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin, as well as two intensive e-learning phases.