Terms of Reference
For researchers connected with conflict reporting, in relation to writing a conflict-
sensitive terminology handbook

Position title: Researcher

Contract type: Service/Consultant

Location: Georgia, Ukraine or Moldova

Reference to the project: Giving Voice, Driving Change - from the Borderland to the Steppes

Job delivery date: 31 July, 2020

Reports to: Project Manager

Background

Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova all suffer from the consequences of unresolved conflicts. The existing challenges are a daily part of public discourse in these countries and across Eastern Europe in general. The roles of the media, civil society and government are crucial in keeping lines of communication open across these divisions.

Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova are also signatories to the European Union Association Agreement. In recent years, the relationship between the government, nonprofit, and media sectors of these countries has grown. As a result, there is a need to better understand how media outlets craft their narratives around ethnic and political groups in the region.

Journalists, nonprofits and government actors working on conflict sensitive subjects need the knowledge and skills to support relationships through building better communication channels. There is a lack of resources, such as manuals, which impedes the production of independent and high quality media content both domestically and regionally.

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), within the project Giving Voice, Driving Change - from the Borderland to the Steppes, intends to produce a handbook - Words of War and Peace. The handbook will combine an analysis of conflict sensitive issue from Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, and will assist journalists, media outlets, human rights defenders, government actors and all those who work on related subjects.

IWPR is seeking the consultancy services of a researcher to produce this handbook. Objective

The objective of the inquired consultancy service is to prepare the content of the handbook - Words of War and Peace. The consultant will be responsible for researching and collecting the relevant material, analysis and writing.

About the Handbook

The purpose of this handbook is to better communicate the needs of conflict affected populations and increase the quality of the content and the level of trust in the mediums of communication.

The handbook will be comprised of ten chapters, with approximately 1,500 words per chapter and should include case studies or questions for discussion. The handbook will be released in Romanian, Georgian, Ukrainian and English.

The handbook should be no more than 75 pages. The handbook should consist of the following chapters/topics:

● Introduction;

● Outlook on the different conflicts/understanding the causes of conflict;

● Use of toponyms;

● Reporting on sensitive historical events;

● Use of sensitive terminology in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine;

● Ethics of conflict reporting;

● Physical and digital security;

● Information crisis: disinformation and propaganda;

● Recommendations for media, NGOs and governments.

The scope of work

The researcher should work in close cooperation with IWPR and undertake the following tasks:

1. Review and analyse the draft material collected by IWPR for use in the handbook;
2. Review and analyse guidelines and handbooks produced by IWPR for use in the handbook;
3. Conduct desk research of current practices of media outlets in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine;
4. Conduct desk research on best international practices of conflict reporting;
5. Schedule and conduct interviews with relevant journalists, editors, historians and conflict specialists, among them those from Ukraine and Moldova, to collect useful material for the handbook;
6. Analyse material collected through interviews and desk research;
7. Provide draft handbook for review to IWPR and the team of invited editors and receive feedback;
8. Incorporate the feedback and provide the final version of the handbook for publication.

Necessary Qualifications

● Masters’ degree in journalism, conflict studies, social sciences or other relevant fields;

● A minimum of five years’ experience of working on conflict-related issues in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine;

● Experience as a journalist or editor would be an asset;

● Solid experience in writing articles, analytical reports, academic papers or teaching material;

● Excellent research skills;

● Excellent interviewing skills;

● Excellent analytical and writing skills;

● Excellent communication skills;

● Native speaker of Georgian, Romanian or Ukrainian;

● Fluent in English; Russian language fluency is an asset.