In 2013, the Knight-Mozilla fellowship will place eight developers in leading newsrooms around the world. The deadline to apply is coming up very soon: August 11. We need your help getting the word out. To that end, I've drafted some pitches for different groups who may be interested in the incredible experience this fellowship offers:
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Hackers who love to build stuff and would like to spend 10 months doing just that
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Grad students and other folks looking for adventures as they figure out their next step
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Developers who want to get engaged in the international tech-journalism scene
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Hacker activists who are interested in open journalism that empowers communities
Hackers
What if going to hackathons were actually part of your job? Apply to be a Knight-Mozilla OpenNews fellow and you could spend 10 months traveling the world attending hack days while being anchored with a major newsroom. You'll get the best of both worlds: a variety of problem types and teammates at the hack days and journalists to work with on longer-term projects at your home newsroom. After 10 months, you're sure to leave with an expanded skillset, a bursting github account, and some captivating travel stories.
Sample tweet: Travel. Hack. Help remake journalism. Apply to be an @opennews fellow: http://bit.ly/MbaDry
Adventurers
No one knows what "the future of journalism" will look like, which leaves a lot of room for developers with diverse backgrounds to experiment in shaping that future. Knight-Mozilla OpenNews has partnered with eight leading news organizations to offer fellowships for developers and technologists who want to make a difference in journalism. Do you have a drive to tackle problems that will help journalism support a richer and more open civic dialogue, and the tech know-how to do it (or to figure out how)? Apply to be a Knight-Mozilla OpenNews fellow.
Sample tweet: Journalism's changing. Use your tech skills to help remake it. Apply to be an @opennews fellow: http://bit.ly/MbaDry
International developers
The Knight-Mozilla OpenNews project is about growing the community around open development in journalism, and since Mozilla is an international company, that work has worldwide reach. During 2013, eight OpenNews fellows will be based in newsrooms in New York and Boston, London, Hamburg and Berlin, and Buenos Aires. Fellows will also travel around the world for hack days, conferences, and other events throughout 2013. Be a part of the growing international community working to reshape journalism. Apply to be a Knight-Mozilla OpenNews fellow today.
Sample tweet: Want to work with awesome developers from around the world? Come hack the news as an @opennews fellow: http://bit.ly/MbaDry
Techie activists
As media organizations consolidate operations and journalists get arrested for doing their jobs, it is increasingly important to ensure that we have an open, transparent fourth estate. Web developers, designers, and data geeks are playing a major role in opening up data and information in newsrooms and in making stories more accessible and understandable to readers. The Knight-Mozilla OpenNews fellowship places developers and technologists in newsrooms to work on projects that help citizens become better informed and engaged with their communities. Apply by August 11 to spend 10 months hacking on journalism projects that hold institutions accountable.
Sample tweet: Spend 10 months hacking in the public interest as an @opennews developer journalist fellow: http://bit.ly/MbaDry
Overall tips
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First, thank you! Your help is indispensable in making sure we can find fellows who are going to make the most kickass projects during 2013.
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Please reference @opennews in tweets (makes it easier to track and RT your awesome comments).
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Feel free to use/amend/amplify the above language, or just write your own blurbs from scratch. Whatever is easiest for you and you think best speaks to your community.
Have any additional suggestions of groups we should be reaching out to? Let me know. Also, check out our FAQ page for additional details and contact me with any other questions or suggestions. Thanks for your help and look forward to seeing the applications!