DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2026 — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Germany has opened applications for the 2026 RSF Berlin Fellowship Programme, a fully funded initiative designed to protect, empower and upskill journalists working under restrictive press and information environments.
The fellowship offers journalists a safe and supportive space in Berlin to step away from difficult working conditions, recover and strengthen their professional and personal resilience. Through an intensive programme focused on digital security, safety and wellbeing, fellows will gain practical skills to better protect themselves and their work in increasingly hostile media environments.
The 2026 RSF Fellowship will run from June to November 2026 and combines hands-on training with peer learning and professional networking. Participants will take part in comprehensive digital security training, including individual risk assessments, alongside workshops on safety, resilience and reporting on sensitive issues. The programme also facilitates peer-to-peer exchange with journalists from different regions and backgrounds, while offering insights into the work of RSF as a global human rights organisation.
Fellows will engage with German media professionals, newsrooms, civil society actors and policy stakeholders and will receive holistic psychosocial support tailored to individual needs. Participants are expected to commit approximately 20–25 hours per week to fellowship activities and, upon completion, to conduct at least one digital safety training or workshop in their country of residence, helping to build wider networks of digital self-defence among journalists.
The fellowship is open to working journalists with a minimum of three years’ professional experience, including staff reporters, freelancers and citizen journalists across all media formats. RSF strongly encourages applications from journalists of diverse backgrounds.
The programme is fully funded, covering visa and travel costs, a furnished studio apartment in Berlin, a monthly living stipend, travel and health insurance, local transportation, access to a co-working space in a Berlin media hub and participation in networking events, journalism conferences, and cultural activities.
APPLY HERE
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