Consultancy Service to Deliver Training on Strengthening Collective Action for Freedom of Expression through Evidence-Based Advocacy, Policy Engagement, Coalition Building, and Rights-Based Reporting

1. Background

The Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) is a board-led, not-for-profit civil society organization registered in Ethiopia under the Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019, with registration number 4307. CARD envisions an Ethiopia where democratic culture flourishes on the basis of human rights values. Its mission is to empower citizens and civic groups to promote and defend human rights and contribute to the development of a democratic society.

Journalists and media professionals play a critical role in promoting freedom of expression, informing the public, strengthening accountability, and facilitating democratic participation. Through independent, accurate, and evidence-based reporting, journalists contribute to public awareness, transparency, and the protection of fundamental rights. However, challenges affecting freedom of expression require journalists to strengthen their professional capacity to document and report violations, engage relevant policy stakeholders, and collaborate in addressing common challenges affecting press freedom and media independence.

Collective action among journalists and media professionals can strengthen advocacy efforts, amplify evidence-based reporting, promote constructive policy dialogue, and contribute to an enabling environment for freedom of expression. This requires practical skills in evidence-based journalism, rights-based reporting, strategic advocacy, policy engagement, coalition building, and the ethical and safe documentation of freedom of expression violations.

Under the Strengthening Collaboration for Rights, Empowerment, and Democracy (SCORED)    Project, implemented by CARD with the support of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), CARD intends to organize a training titled “Strengthening Collective Action for Freedom of Expression through Evidence-Based Advocacy, Policy Engagement, Coalition Building, and Rights-Based Reporting” in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Bahir Dar.

The training aims to strengthen journalists’ capacity to produce evidence-based reports, engage in policy advocacy, build professional coalitions, and collectively promote and protect freedom of expression. Through this initiative, CARD seeks to enhance collaboration among journalists and strengthen their role in advancing freedom of expression, media accountability, and democratic participation. CARD therefore seeks to engage a qualified consultant with demonstrated expertise in journalism, media freedom, human rights, and advocacy to design and deliver the training across the three cities.

2. Objective of the Consultancy

The overall objective of the consultancy is to strengthen the capacity of journalists and media professionals to work collectively to promote and protect freedom of expression through evidence-based journalism, strategic advocacy, policy engagement, coalition building, and rights-based reporting.

3. Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the consultancy are to:

• Strengthen journalists’ understanding of freedom of expression, press freedom, and relevant national and international human rights standards.
• Enhance participants’ skills in evidence gathering, verification, documentation, and the production of accurate, credible, and evidence-based reports on freedom of expression.
• Build journalists’ capacity to develop advocacy messages, campaigns, and strategies addressing challenges to freedom of expression and media independence.
• Strengthen participants’ ability to engage policymakers, relevant institutions, and other stakeholders through evidence-informed policy dialogue and recommendations.
• Promote collaboration and coalition building among journalists, media organizations, and relevant professional networks to advance shared press freedom priorities.
• Enhance journalists’ understanding of ethical reporting, protection of sources, digital and physical safety, and the do-no-harm principle when covering sensitive issues.
• Support participants to develop practical collective action plans for promoting freedom of expression in their respective locations.

4. Scope of Work

The selected consultant will be responsible for designing and delivering a practical, participatory, and context-sensitive training for journalists and media professionals in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Bahir Dar.

4.1. Training Design and Preparation

The consultant shall:

• Conduct an initial consultation with CARD to clarify the training objectives, participant profile, expected outcomes, and logistical arrangements.
• Develop a detailed training methodology, agenda, session plans, and practical learning activities.
• Prepare training materials, presentations, case studies, exercises, and examples relevant to journalism and the Ethiopian media context.
• Incorporate participatory approaches, including group discussions, case analysis, reporting exercises, and peer learning.
• Ensure that the training content is adapted to the professional needs and experiences of the participating journalists.

4.2. Training Delivery

The consultant shall deliver the training in all three cities, covering the following thematic areas:

•  Freedom of Expression and Press Freedom
•  Evidence-Based Journalism and Reporting
•  Evidence-Based Advocacy and Policy Engagement
•  Coalition Building and Collective Action among Journalists
•  Rights-Based Reporting, Ethics, and Source Protection
• Journalist Safety and Digital Security
•  Practical Exercises and Collective Action Planning

4.3. Training Evaluation and Reporting

The consultant shall:

• Conduct pre-training and post-training assessments to measure changes in participants’ knowledge and skills.
• Collect participant feedback and assess the relevance and effectiveness of the training.
• Document key discussions, practical exercises, lessons learned, and recommendations.
• Prepare a consolidated training report covering the three cities.
• Submit all training materials, assessment results, and other agreed supporting documents to CARD.

5. Expected Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

• Inception report and training plan: A document outlining the proposed methodology, detailed agenda, session plans, and work plan for the three cities.
• Training materials: Presentations, facilitator notes, case studies, practical exercises, and relevant reference materials.
• Training delivery: Successful delivery of the agreed training sessions for journalists in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Bahir Dar.
• Assessment results: Pre-training and post-training assessment tools, summarized findings, and participant feedback.
• Collective action plans: Practical action plans developed by participants to strengthen collaboration and advocacy for freedom of expression, including opportunities for cross-city collaboration.
• Consolidated training report: A report detailing the training process, participation, key outcomes, assessment findings, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.

Required Qualifications and Experience

The consultant should possess the following minimum qualifications and experience:

• A postgraduate degree in Journalism, Mass Communication, Media Studies, Human Rights, Law, or a related field. A relevant bachelor’s degree combined with substantial professional experience may also be considered.
• Demonstrated experience in journalism, media development, press freedom, freedom of expression, or human rights reporting.
• Proven experience designing and delivering practical training for journalists and media professionals.
• Strong knowledge of national and international freedom of expression standards and relevant Ethiopian media laws and policies.
• Demonstrated expertise in evidence-based reporting, fact-checking, source protection, and ethical journalism.
• Experience in media advocacy, policy engagement, coalition building, or facilitating collaborative initiatives among journalists and media organizations.
• Knowledge of journalist safety, digital security, and responsible reporting on sensitive human rights issues.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, analytical, and report-writing skills.