Media Newsletter – September 2025
Dear reader Find out why Twitter is still relevant for sharing news, apply for career-boosting opportunities, and why Runako Celina investigated #DeathInDubai. 
1. Journalism trends: Over the past decade, smartphones have evolved into what GeoPoll calls "powerful gateways to the digital world, fundamentally altering how people access information." This transformation is reshaping how young Africans consume and share news. A July 2025 GeoPoll survey of 3,945 respondents across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda found high social media usage, with WhatsApp the most common platform for news sharing (used by 90% of respondents). But when it comes to following news sources and journalists, Twitter (X) stands out: 83% of users rely on it as their top platform for staying informed. For journalists, this makes Twitter more than a social network. It's a professional amplifier. To get the most from it, journalists should curate a strong profile with a clear bio and links to their work, pin key stories, use threads to explain complex issues, engage audiences through conversations and hashtags, and share multimedia to boost visibility. 
2. Who's funding: Writers, photographers, radio producers, and filmmakers can apply for the Pulitzer Center's Our Work/Environment reporting grants to work on stories that highlight climate change and its effects on workers and work. They're looking for stories that help inform the public about the interconnected nature of business, climate, and consumer choices. We welcome stories that explain policy in real terms and plumb legal suits, when useful. Grants cover the hard costs of the project. Deadline: Rolling. More info.
3. Training opportunity: The Open Notebook offers a paid, part-time fellowship program for early-career science journalists. Fellows will work with a mentor to plan, report, and write articles for publication at The Open Notebook and become part of the TON editorial team. Applicants must have less than three years of professional science writing experience. Deadline: 31 Oct. More info. 
4. In the spotlight: In May 2022, a shocking video from Dubai captured global attention. A young woman had fallen from a high-rise, and within hours the name "Mona Kizz" trended online. The internet tied her death to the #DubaiPortaPotty rumour, turning tragedy into viral scandal. Behind the noise was a real person: Monic Karungi, a 23-year-old Ugandan whose humanity was lost in the frenzy. Investigative journalist Runako Celina, a multi award-winning reporter and 2023 Grierson nominee known for Racism for Sale, set out to uncover the truth. Her two-and-a-half-year investigation took her from Uganda's hills to Dubai's superclubs, exposing hidden networks of coercion, debt and exploitation. The result, World of Secrets: Death in Dubai, is a six-part BBC series that restores dignity to Monic's story and reveals the human cost of online myths and global inequalities. Watch the report here. 
5. Stories that moved us: On December 4, 2024, South Africa's Pretoria High Court struck down plans for 1,500MW of new coal, declaring them unconstitutional. The landmark "Cancel Coal" case set a global precedent for youth-led accountability. At its core was the African Climate Alliance, where Mitchelle Mhaka drives regional expansion and champions an Afrocentric vision of climate justice. In west Africa, ECOWAS is rolling out gender-smart border reforms, legal clinics, mobile tools, and simpler rules, to curb harassment and open new opportunities for the women powering cross-border trade. In Zimbabwe, Faith crossed into Zimbabwe from Mozambique with nothing but her youngest child, a small backpack, and the hope of a better life. Today, she is part of a growing network of migrant women shaping the country's mining economy. These stories, produced by Bird story agency, highlight Africa's progress, innovation, and opportunity. Complete the African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africa course for skills that empower you to reimagine how you tell stories about the continent. It's free and only takes three hours to complete. 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 |