A journalist with The Multimedia Group is partaking in the Constructive Journalism Fellowship that started in late September.

JoyNews’ Seyram Abla De-Souza was among the 15 outstanding media practitioners from Africa and the Middle East who were selected to be trained in Constructive Journalism.

In the past, Abla De-Souza said she has found herself telling stories that underlined the adage 'if it bleeds, it leads.'

The Fellowship, she said, will be a turning point.

"I no longer want to tell such stories that depress people. Instead, I want my audience to find hope in them," she said.

DW’s Akademie’s first Constructive Journalism Fellowship is designed for video journalists, photographers and documentary filmmakers from the MENA region and Africa.

Fellows participate in an extensive, several-month online training program and will be supported in producing a constructive TV report, documentary or photo series that deals with the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The group of fellows is diverse.

The 15 women and men come from ten different countries, have different faiths, and work in various journalistic fields. But they all share one big passion: telling stories constructively.

Some have experienced first-hand how media can exacerbate social tensions or conflicts, while others are tired of the mantra 'if it bleeds, it leads'.

Particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, they've seen the need for more nuanced, contextualised, and solutions-oriented reporting.

During the Fellowship, they'll support each other's work and start creating a network of constructive thinkers in Africa and the Middle East.