TruthBuzz Fellowship: Fact-Checking That Makes the Truth Go Viral

We are no longer accepting applications for this fellowship. 

With the support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is expanding its TruthBuzz initiative, designed to find new ways to help verified facts reach the widest possible audience.

TruthBuzz is currently looking for full-time Fellows to work in newsrooms in some of the most populous nations: Indonesia and the United States. Modeled on ICFJ’s Knight Fellowship program, TruthBuzz will embed experts in these outlets to help reporters adopt compelling storytelling methods that improve the reach and impact of fact-checking and help “inoculate” audiences against false or misleading information.

Currently, ICFJ has a strong preference for applicants living and working in the target countries. However, we’ll also consider applicants from Southeast Asia for the fellowship in Indonesia.

The goal of TruthBuzz: increase audience trust in news media by communicating fact-checked information in a compelling, sharable way. TruthBuzz Fellows will be change-makers who can drive the adoption of new ways of making facts go as viral. ICFJ will collaborate with First Draft, a project of the Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

TruthBuzz was originally launched as a global contest to find new ways to help verified facts reach the widest possible audience. The winning entries from 2017, which included caricatures of politicians, time-lapse videos and an app modeled on a classic video game, identified novel methods to combat misinformation and share solid and instantly understandable fact-checking.

Want to be the TruthBuzz Fellow in the United States? 

Are you a media expert with a track record of success leading innovative projects in newsrooms? Do you have sharp audience-engagement skills? Interested in deploying your multimedia savvy to combat misinformation in the United States? 

Fellows will be embedded with two to three partner media organizations in each of the countries to: spur the production of compelling stories that fact-check and debunk misinformation. All Fellows will receive a monthly honorarium as well as a professional allowance to supplement their work with partner newsrooms.

To be considered, potential Fellows must submit an application including a project proposal with a timeline and an essay outlining their skills. 

ICFJ will gather the selected TruthBuzz Fellows at ICFJ’s office in Washington, D.C., for an orientation. First Draft News and ICFJ will provide additional training to the fellows and the partner newsrooms in-country. The training will cover both the principles and techniques of fact-checking and verification as well as training on visual storytelling.

The Fellows in this program will be expected to share and communicate their innovations through ICFJ’s social media channel and our online platform, IJNet, which offers resources, tips and expert advice for journalists in seven languages. Over the course of the Fellowship, there may be opportunities for TruthBuzz Fellows to travel to conferences to share their work with wider professional audiences.

Please note, we are no longer accepting applications for this TruthBuzz Fellowship.