Dates: 28 September – 20 October 2015

Country: Mauritania

Mauritania is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Its 754 kilometre long Atlantic seaboard is the subject of fishing agreements between Mauritania and different countries, including the EU.  The Financial Times reported that Brussels has “one of the most important fisheries agreement, both in terms of volume and product diversity” with Mauritania. However, there are not many media reports about “les pecheurs du Mauritanie (Mauritanian fishermen).  They are ordinary people who struggle to survive, not only at the ocean when they go fishing, but also in their everyday lives since most of them don’t have any social security, insurance for their boats or state pensions.  Article on Mauritanian fishermen is just one of several stories produced for the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) multimedia platform Dune Voices, during the second round of journalism training for Dune Voices reporters.

Published: 19 October 2015

Region: Worldwide

The term “women’s magazines” in many cases prompts us to think of fashion and beauty tips, as well as the women’s objectification that has been often observed on publications dedicated to female readership.

Still, as the Columbia Journalism Review reported, there have been interesting developments within the women-oriented websites. Fashion tips are not the only trending topics, as more serious issues have started dominating in these women’s dedicated websites. Platforms such as Refinery 29 or Cosmopolitan have published articles on acts of resistance to ethnic oppression, women’s stigmatization, and politics, and the media outlet Vice News has recently launched Broadly, a website and digital video channel devoted to representing the multiplicity of women's experiences.

Date: 9 October 2015

Country: Italy

With politicians wearing t-shirts with bulldozers representing the razing to the ground of Roma camps, editors vocalising on Twitter their hopes for more Mecca stampedes, and journalists labelling immigration as an “emergency” for a decade, xenophobic discourse in Italy is a problem that needs to be urgently confronted.

Still, while hate speech and hate crimes are still unknown to the majority, workers in this sector (lawyers, judges, CSOs, journalists, teachers, researchers, and engaged citizens) have to face many challenges and questions when it comes to concretely respond to incidents through the existing procedures.

Deadline: 3 November 2015

Region: Worldwide

Students interested in taking the innovative postgraduate MA Diversity and the Media course at the Westminster University, can apply for Chevening Scholarships until 3 November 2015. Initial application should be submitted here by 3 November, while the complete documentation for obtaining a Chevening scholarship can be uploaded by 14 July 2016.

The Chevening programme is one of the prestigious international schemes, awarding scholarships to help the world’s emerging leaders study in the UK. MA Diversity and the Media have been designed by the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) and the Westminster University. This course is on the list of Chevening looking for “ambitious and academically strong, young professionals who have displayed leadership potential”.

Published: 9 October 2015

Region: Worldwide

As millions of Syrians refugees began to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe or died along the way, their stories have been dominating Arab newspapers, popular TV shows and social media platforms. Media coverage varied across outlets and great volume included condemnation of alleged Arab indifference, calls for internal reforms and criticism of the West.

Some media in the Arab countries expressed an outrage towards Gulf leaders, accusing them of being the ‘elephants in the room’ when it comes to their lack of support and responsibility for fleeing Syrian refugees. The Gulf Times, an English daily in Qatar, compared welcoming signs greeting refugees in Austria and Germany with the silence of the Gulf. Muhammad Hussein, a columnist for the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, wrote that the viral photo of Aylan Kurdi encapsulates all the disasters that afflict the Arab world.