Background
Words That Protect supports gender-responsive journalism and more responsible media coverage of violence against women in Iraq.

Under Component 2, the project will select and train 30 Iraqi journalists, with equal representation of women and men. Participants will form 15 mixed-gender teams, each consisting of one female and one male journalist, to produce and publish 15 stories addressing violence against women.

The training and production process will be informed by the findings of the project’s baseline media study and by the SEED and Silence and Omissions frameworks. Following the first in-person workshop, participants will enter a structured production and mentorship period covering story development, research, risk assessment, editorial review and publication. Each Trainer and Editorial Mentor will be responsible for supporting seven or eight journalist teams.

2. Purpose of the Assignment
The Trainer and Editorial Mentor will contribute to participant selection, prepare and deliver the project training, and provide structured editorial mentorship to the assigned journalist teams throughout story development, research, production, revision and publication.

The Trainer and Editorial Mentor will support the teams in applying gender-responsive and survivor-centred reporting principles in practice. This includes reviewing story proposals and production plans, supporting the preparation of production budgets, managing the risk-assessment process, monitoring research and production, reviewing stories against the approved standards, and supervising the preparation and implementation of publication plans.

The participating journalists retain responsibility for conducting the research, producing the stories and completing the required revisions. The Trainer and Editorial Mentor leads the detailed editorial mentorship process, provides regular feedback and approves the teams’ submissions before they are delivered to the MiCT project team. MiCT maintains overall oversight of the project and reviews the key editorial and production deliverables.

Key Responsibilities
Participate in the participant-selection process by evaluating applications and conducting interviews, with the support and under the management of the MiCT project team.
Prepare the required training materials covering the following main topics:
Gender-responsive journalism principles.
Survivor-centred approaches to reporting.
Ethical and legal frameworks for reporting on violence against women in Iraq.
Appropriate terminology in reporting on violence against women.
Ethical interviewing practices.
Ethical use of images and informed consent.
Violence-against-women support services and safe referral pathways.
Trauma-informed reporting methods.
The practical application of the SEED and Silence and Omissions frameworks through reporting scenarios and editorial exercises based on the Iraqi context.
Adapt the training materials and mentorship methods in line with the SEED and Silence and Omissions frameworks and the preliminary findings of the study conducted by the MiCT team as part of the project.
Deliver the first in-person training workshop and facilitate its practical exercises and editorial activities.
Contribute to forming mixed-gender journalist teams, with each team consisting of one female and one male journalist.
Provide editorial mentorship to seven or eight journalist teams.
Review and approve the story topics and production plans developed by the assigned teams. Review and adjust the proposed production budgets and submit final copies of the story proposals and budgets approved by both the mentor and the participating journalists to the MiCT project team.
Manage the risk-assessment process for the assigned teams. Review and approve each team’s risk-assessment file and submit an approved copy to the MiCT project team before the team begins any fieldwork.
Closely supervise the research and story-production process and provide regular editorial mentorship. Ensure that each team maintains a complete and properly organised shared research file and task-tracking file.
Review each story against the approved standards, oversee the required revisions and grant final editorial approval. Submit the approved version to the MiCT project team by the agreed deadline. The review must ensure linguistic accuracy, factual accuracy, source verification, journalistic quality and integrity, and compliance with the methodological standards for sensitive reporting on gender-based violence.
Contribute to selecting publishing outlets and supervise the preparation and implementation of publication plans by the journalist teams. Submit the final publication plans approved by the mentor to the MiCT project team.
Update the team-performance tracking sheet monthly.
Attend periodic MiCT team meetings, maintain active communication and work in coordination with the project team.
Attend the closing workshop in Iraq, to be held in Baghdad or Erbil between the end of March and the beginning of April 2027.
Be available for interviews and complete the required evaluation forms.
Deliverables
Training materials covering the agreed topics and adapted to the SEED and Silence and Omissions frameworks and the preliminary findings of the project study.
Final story proposals and production budgets approved by the mentor and participating journalists.
A risk-assessment file for each assigned team, approved by the mentor and submitted to the MiCT project team before the team begins fieldwork.
Final publication plans approved by the mentor.
Final versions of the journalistic stories approved by the mentor and submitted to the MiCT project team by the agreed deadline.
Monthly updates to the team-performance tracking sheet.
A progress report covering the period from the beginning of the mentorship phase until the completion of the publication process.
Required Qualifications
Extensive professional journalism and editorial experience.
Previous experience in similar training, editorial mentorship or supported journalistic production assignments.
Demonstrated experience in gender-responsive journalism and survivor-centred journalism.
Broad and active professional networks within the media and journalism sector.
Experience training and mentoring journalists throughout the research, production, editorial review and publication process.
Strong editorial review, fact-checking, source-verification and risk-assessment skills.
Ability to manage and follow up with multiple journalist teams while maintaining organised documentation and meeting agreed deadlines.
Strong communication and teamwork skills.
Fluency in Arabic and sufficient professional English to work with the project frameworks and materials.
Previous experience in the Iraqi context, or in projects targeting Iraqi journalists and media institutions, is preferred.

Application Process

To apply for the Trainer and Editorial Mentor - (Freelance Consultant) position, please submit the following documents with the subject line “Application: Trainer and Editorial Mentor - Iraq