Media Newsletter – March 2026
Dear reader The African media landscape is shifting beneath our feet, and it's thrilling to see how we're reclaiming the narrative. From bypassing big tech to securing global funding, this is your toolkit to stay bold, stay funded, and keep telling the stories that matter. 
1. Journalism trends: For decades, the global "Dark Continent" trope about Africa was fuelled by a specific type of data: mortality rates, inflation spikes, and conflict maps. But in 2026, a shift is occurring within African newsrooms as journalists reclaim the narrative through stories of progress and opportunity. This isn't "feel-good" fluff; it is rigorous, evidence-based Solutions Journalism. By using data and Solutions Journalism, newsrooms are proving that Africa is defined by its progress, not outdated stereotypes. This matters. By focusing on what works, African journalists are not just reporting on the future; they are helping to build it. Speaking of telling stories of opportunity; meet the Opportunity Africa Creative Council, bringing together Africa's leading communications, media and marketing leaders to advance a better, more authentic narrative for Africa. Opportunity Africa is a pan-African platform and movement designed to shift how the world sees Africa and how Africa sees itself, by amplifying the people, stories and institutions already shifting perceptions. It is a shared platform that brands, institutions and storytellers can align around to communicate a stronger, more unified story of Africa. To find out how journalists can be part of the Opportunity Africa movement, visit www.opportunityafrica.africa. 
2. Who's funding: The Pulitzer Center Impact Seed Fund (ISF) Africa provides grants of up to $4,000 specifically to expand the educational impact of journalism. Deadline: 19 April. For early-career professionals under 35, the International News Media Association's Africa Elevate scholarship offers global masterclasses and virtual mentorship to connect journalism with business acumen. Deadline: 17 April. The Environmental Investigative Journalism Grant supports investigations into global environmental issues. Collaborative projects between African and European newsrooms are strongly encouraged. Deadline: 23 April. 
3. Training opportunities:
UNCCD COP17 Media Fellowship is a fully funded opportunity to cover global land pressure and drought resilience at COP17. Deadline: 15 April. IWMF Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship is a seven-month program for women and non-binary journalists, featuring research at MIT and internships at The New York Times. Deadline: 19 April. InteRussia Fellowship is a four-week practical training in Moscow for journalists aged 25–40, including full travel and stipend. Deadline: 19 May. Africa Photography Awards: Showcase your visual storytelling across categories like urban development and culture. Open to all skill levels. Deadline: 30 April. 
4. In the spotlight: Our spotlight is on Yousra Elbagir, Sky News' Africa Correspondent and a formidable force in global journalism. Recently crowned both Television Journalist of the Year and Network TV Journalist of the Year at the 2026 Royal Television Society Awards, Yousra's work is reclaiming the African narrative by centering the human experience within complex crises. Her deeply personal reporting on the war in Sudan, which saw her return to her own ransacked childhood home in Khartoum, exposed the staggering scale of dispossession with a raw intimacy rarely seen in international news. Whether she is documenting the fall of Goma to M23 rebels in the DRC or exposing the devastating trade of the synthetic drug Kush in Sierra Leone, Yousra's reporting is defined by its depth and refusal to look away. Her commitment to truth-telling under fire earned her the Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF). By blending fearless investigative rigor with empathetic storytelling, she is also setting a new standard for how African stories are told on the global stage. 
5. Stories that moved us: Your round up stories that showcase Africa's progress, opportunity, and innovation. They're produced by bird story agency. On a mission to revive Congo's coffee industry: Coffee was once one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's main agricultural exports but decades of instability disrupted the sector. Tisya Mukuna is among the growing number of entrepreneurs reviving the industry. Repositioning poultry for food security: Africa's poultry industry is undergoing a major transformation, moving away from reliance on imports toward coordinated, policy-led domestic production as countries across the continent align finance, skills, and regional partnerships to boost output. East Africa's hotel boom: The region's emerging as the continent's most dynamic hotel construction zone in a shift that reflects growing investor confidence in its tourism economies, aviation connectivity and expanding conference markets. One-dose cure brings sleeping sickness elimination within reach: Africa's long battle with sleeping sickness, the parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies, may be approaching its final chapter as a new single-dose therapy gains international regulatory backing. Driving frontier space discoveries: After years of investments, African telescopes are emerging as global leaders in frontier astronomy. From South Africa's MeerKAT capturing the universe's most distant gigamaser to Ghana's radio observatory joining precision networks, the continent is proving it can drive discoveries once dominated by traditional northern-hemisphere facilities.
Want to tell better stories about Africa? Take the African Stories course — a free, three-hour guide designed to help journalists rethink how Africa is covered. Complete it and you'll be eligible to pitch stories to Bird. Media outlets can access Bird content for free — contact tom@africainsight.co.ke Follow @BirdStoryAgency on social media for more stories that represent Africa better. Media outlets that want to use bird content, for free, can contact tom@africainsight.co.ke |