Call for applications - Journalism Trust Initiative Certification Bodies
Call for applications - Journalism Trust Initiative Certification Bodies
Background
Reporters Without Borders - known as Reporters sans frontières (RSF) - is an independent NGO working globally to promote the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism. Fighting against censorship and providing support to journalists and media outlets persecuted because of their activities, RSF defends an essential pillar of democracy.
With consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), RSF is an independent organisation based in Paris. Strong with 6 sections abroad, bureaux in 7 cities, 4 representatives and network of correspondents in 130 countries, RSF has a strong potential to mobilise, alert on issues related to the freedom of the press and the protection of journalists and media professionals.
Context of the call for applications
The rise of Big Tech, opaque algorithms, disinformation and countless external factors erode news consumption rates, revenue streams, audience shares, due prominence online, overall trust and more fundamentals of professional news organizations. Taking the issue from an economic perspective, we put news organizations in the context of a free market in which they severely lack competitive advantages and in which there is a structural lack of incentives.
This is why RSF organized the creation of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), an industry benchmark with 18 criteria that helps professional publishers distinguish themselves and provide official assurance of their professionalism and commitment to ethical standards – by showing who they are, how they work and their commitment to high ethical standards – through ISO certification. The JTI puts forth a way to remedy not just these symptoms but the root causes of disinformation and the declining state of the news publishing industry. RSF initiated its development in 2018 with 130 media experts from around the world, under the aegis of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) which published the standard as CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 17493 in December 2019.
From a public policy perspective, ISO-type standards are used as self-regulatory references wherever there is a regulatory void. They are also used to better existing regulations and to shape upcoming legislation. RSF advocated and successfully inserted a specific reference to the JTI in the European Union’s Media Freedom Act (EMFA).
From a business perspective, ISO-type standards are a sort of common denominator between all actors of one same market. In this case, tech platforms (like Microsoft), brands and marketers, news aggregators, distributors, funders, philanthropies, media development organizations and so many others have a growing interest in making sure that the news organizations they work with can demonstrate their best effort to implement the 18 criteria of the JTI.
Purpose of the call for applications
RSF is the scheme owner of the JTI Certification Programme, and the organization responsible for developing and maintaining this programme, in which accredited certification bodies participate.
The purpose of this tender is to establish a pool of certification bodies to conduct JTI Certification audits under the JTI audit framework when the audit costs are supported by RSF through a media grant. RSF offers grants to media outlets that have completed the self-assessment and published their transparency report, but cannot support the financial cost of the audit. These grants cover the totality of the audit costs and are detailed in a grant agreement with the media outlet. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis by RSF.
More information are available here : https://www.jti-campus.org/content/detail/view/116
Scope of work
The detailed scope of work can be found in the “JTI Certification Programme | May 2022 | V.2.2 which is available in English and French in the Annex 1.
General
Selected certifiers and RSF will sign a framework agreement outlining the guidelines for audits funded by RSF through the JTI audit grant. The Candidate is invited to submit a list of countries in which they plan to operate, with the option to extend this list to a global scope, without restrictions on the number of countries. The framework agreement will include a list of the countries where the certification body operates, along with the daily rate per man-day. Additionally, a separate grant agreement will be signed for each audit, involving RSF, the media outlet, and the certification body.
For information purposes only, in 2023 and 2024, RSF has allocated 52 grants across 25 countries, to support media outlets in the certification process.
Requirements for certification bodies
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To have signed the Memorandum of Understanding or willing to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with RSF by providing the letter of engagement (Annex. 2). RSF, as the programme owner, guarantee to operate the JTI Certification Programme as it is, without any limitations or additions;
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The candidate must have the necessary resources for its operation, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to assess whether these resources are adequate and sufficient. The candidate should also confirm that it is not involved in any legal proceedings or potential situations that could lead to financial instability;
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Geographical area: each candidate shall specify which countries it can operate in;
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Timeframe: each certification body shall be offered an initial term of 1 year.
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The selected candidate shall agree to maintain strict confidentiality regarding any documents and information related to RSF and its interactions with third parties, which may be obtained during the course of the audit, and to not disclose such information to any third party.
Time Frame
Kindly find below the timeline of the selection process, please note that all the dates indicated in this timetable refer to Central European Time (CET), the deadline will be at 23:59.
Application
Candidates are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) letter, which should include a brief introduction to the organization (maximum one page). The EOI should be sent to [email protected] in either English or French by December 12, 2024.
All candidates who submit an EOI will be invited to attend a Workshop on December 16, 2024, which will last one hour. This session will provide an overview of the JTI certification scheme, followed by a Q&A segment.
Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected] in English or French by January 17, 2025, and should include the following information:
Technical Proposal, including:
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Presentation of the organization
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Detailed geographical area that the certification body can cover
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Organizational chart and certificate of Good Understanding
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Proven experiences on processes certifications and the media industry
Financial Proposal, including:
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List of countries in which the certification body intents to operate
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Daily rate per man-day for each country when applicable (please precise the rate in on site and remote if different)
Other documents :
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Signed letter of engagement (Annex 2) or
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Signed MoU between the certification body and RSF if already available
Interviews may be proposed to the candidate(s) during the selection process.
Selection
The objective of this call for applications is to establish a pool of certification bodies eligible per country to conduct JTI certification audits for media outlets receiving a JTI audit grant from RSF. Selection for each audit supported by a RSF grant will be based on the daily rate submitted by each candidate and the number of days needed for each audit, as well as availability of each certifier.
The certification bodies will be selected by country covered, not necessarily for the whole geographical area submitted in the proposal.