Lyra McKee Bursary Scheme 2021
We are pleased to announce that the CIJ Lyra McKee Investigative Journalism Training Bursary Scheme is back and we are expanding it to include mentoring!
Fully online, it is open to applicants over 18 from the UK and the Republic of Ireland only.
The CIJ Lyra McKee Investigative Journalism Training Bursary Scheme was established in memory of a young and courageous Irish investigative journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot dead by dissident republicans in Derry in April 2019.
The aim of this six months bursary scheme is to train and mentor people from underprivileged backgrounds, who aspire to become journalists or who are at the very early stages of their journalism career.
The Lyra McKee Journalism Training Bursary was inspired by Lyra’s determination to become an investigative journalist: despite personal disability, the need to care for her disabled mother as well as fighting the in-built bias against working-class entrants to journalism.
It was launched in 2019 with 11 people attending #CIJSummer Investigative Journalism Training Conference 2019. Postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is returning in an online form this year and includes a mentoring programme!
We are delighted to announce that Emma Youle (HuffPost UK) and Jenna Corderoy (openDemocracy) have joined us as this year’s mentors.
The bursary scheme is funded by The Lorana Sullivan UK Foundation and the Lyra McKee Foundation.
While we have a funder for this year’s bursary scheme, if you want to make a donation and support it, all the money raised will go towards bursaries and will enable us to offer more places to candidates. Please donate here.
What to expect in 2021:
Bursary recipients will be offered training in investigative journalism skills, including data, storytelling, FOIA, information security and open source intelligence (OSINT), they will attend #CIJCummer 2021 Online (5 – 7 July 2021) and will have regular meetings with mentors, guest speakers and CIJ alumni.
This is a fully online-based bursary and mentoring scheme.
We especially welcome applications from people from poorer backgrounds, people of colour, people with disabilities, carers, members of the LGBTQ+ community, travellers and anyone who cannot afford to pay for the #CIJSummer training. It is open to UK and the Republic of Ireland residents only. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Application deadline: Sun 4 April 2021, 23:59 BST. Applications are now closed. Only successful candidates will be contacted.
Links:
Details of the CIJ Lyra McKee Investigative Journalism Training and Mentorship Bursary Scheme
Testimonials:
“I had previously I’d thought that being an investigative journalism was a far off dream career that I didn’t really understand or know how to pursue. […] I felt encouraged by the feeling of belonging to a collective of people who all had the shared belief and desire to hold power to account.”
“The experience blew my mind!”
#CIJLyra McKee in the media:
- BBC Radio Humberside (Hull). David Burns Show. (from 2hrs 24mins in). 25 February 2020.
- BBC Radio Humberside (Hull). No-Filter with Kofi Smiles. (From 1hr 2mins in). 17 February 2020.
- CIJ Director James Harkin speaks to NVTV, local TV for Belfast, The Round-Up Programme. 11 February 2020.
- Bursary for Young Journalists will Keep Lyra McKee’s Memory Alive, Says Sister. By David Young for Belfast Telegraph. 6 February 2020. (Paywall).
- Centre for Investigative Journalism sets up training bursary in honour of Lyra McKee by Press Gazette. 20 May 2019.
- New training bursary to support young investigative journalists launched in memory of Lyra McKee by journalism.co.uk. 21 May 2019.
- Here is how to make the media fit for modern Britain. By Roy Greenslade for the Guardian. 7 July 2019.
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