How A U.K. Imam Countered Vaccine Hesitancy And Helped Thousands Get The 'Jab'

Frank Langfitt

April 26, 2021 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United Kingdom, Birmingham

Sheikh Nuru Mohammed uses weekly sermons as imam at Al-Abbas mosque to dispel false information about the COVID-19 vaccine, inspiring hundreds of skeptical congregants to get vaccinated. He also turned the mosque into a vaccination center and 50 mosques have since done the same. Mohammed’s public vaccination and his sermons, which emphasize getting information from experts not social media posts, make an impact because it is coming from a trusted source rather than government officials. The mosque also delivered over 15,000 doses to people in the area, making an important connection with the local community.

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For this Nonprofit, Ending Female Genital Mutilation is a Mission

Ekpali Saint

April 20, 2021 |

Prime Progress |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

The Society for the Improvement of Rural People educates communities about the physical and mental health dangers of female genital mutilation. Focusing on the five rural communities where FGM is most practiced, SIRP begins by gaining the support of religious and community leaders and then works with them to organize bigger community events where they advocate ending the practice. A particularly effective strategy has been showing a graphic and emotional video of girls undergoing the practice and women dealing with after-effects as adults. Anecdotal evidence shows that the group has changed some minds.

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Digital Startup Fills News Niche in Wheeling, West Virginia

John Miller

April 19, 2021 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wheeling, West Virginia

Ledenews.com is one of the more than 80 online-only news sites started in 2019 to fill the void in news deserts. The site covers sports, politics, traffic, and local stories about local people in the Wheeling, WV area. The site cost $5,000 to start and now brings in about $60,000 a year in advertising, with 1,500 to 2,000 readers a day, a rate of growth that suggests profitability within a few years. The site publishes around 10 stories a week, including three major features, and all of the news is geared towards local issues not covered by other publications, including holding local officials accountable.

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Inside New York City's Biggest Financial Relief Effort for Undocumented Immigrants

Kevin Duggan

April 15, 2021 |

Documented |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City’s Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs relied on help from 34 community groups to distribute a $20 million relief fund from the Open Society Foundation. The groups verified who needed the funds, and no personal information was required of the more than 24,000 people receiving aid. Membership in the organizations was not required, but limited resources made members more likely to receive aid. The limited transparency and private nature of the OSF fund served as a work around for a Trump-era executive order making it harder for immigrants receiving public assistance to get visas or green cards.

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Enterprising Solutions: Local Paper Builds, Benefits from Facebook Boom

Ian Allen

April 13, 2021 |

Grady Newsource |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oconee, Georgia

The strategic use of social media has helped The Oconee Enterprise increase subscribers, and therefore revenue. When a new issue of the paper is ready, a low-resolution preview of the front page is posted, with essentially only headlines visible, to incentivize people to purchase a paper or subscribe online. Editors also post breaking news directly on Facebook rather than the paper’s website. Its total page likes went up from 3,500 to its current audience of over 7,300, and the number of subscribers is up as well.

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'One generation away'

Joseph Perez

April 11, 2021 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Navajo Nation, United States, Tsaile, Arizona

Diné College, the first tribally-controlled accredited college, provides over 1,300 students with opportunities to learn cultural traditions and the Navajo language, alongside traditional academic subjects. The school helps preserve the Navajo language, arts, skills, and customs by teaching it to younger generations. Learning Navajo traditions and language helps students make stronger connections with elders and they find the Indigenous philosophies that the school was founded on useful for overcoming obstacles, like finding ways to continue their education during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Indiana publisher irrigates the news desert

Brier Dudley

April 09, 2021 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Indiana

A wealthy investor bought 21 local publications in Indiana to prevent them from closing, an increasingly common trend in the U.S. The 21 Indiana publications employ about 60 people and have relied on a model to be profitable that includes hyper-local reporting. The newspapers don’t shy away from journalism that breaks news and holds officials accountable, but their focus is on “refrigerator journalism,” reporting on local events, such as Little League games, that people want to clip and hang on their refrigerators. Some have also transitioned from daily to twice-weekly publications for profitability.

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This Oakland Restaurant Was Developed in the Spirit of Mutual Aid

Emily Nonko

April 08, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

The 8th Street Collective, a loose organization of Oakland food industry workers, and Oakland Bloom, a group that supports refugee and immigrant chefs, opened a new restaurant, bar, and community hub space. A team of four worker-leaders rotates operational roles of Understory, the restaurant, and are working with lawyers to become cooperatively owned. The restaurant serves a pop-up-style rotating menu four days a week, including dishes by Oakland Bloom chefs and the other days are dedicated to the nonprofit’s incubator and training program called Open Test Kitchen, as well as other programming.

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‘Race against the clock': the school fighting to save the Ojibwe language before its elders pass away

Mario Koran

April 07, 2021 |

The Guardian |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lac Courte Oreilles, Wisconsin

Waadookodaading is an Ojibwe immersion school that meets state and federal academic standards but does so entirely in the indigenous language by connecting children to their cultural heritage. The school goes through 8th grade and uses the forest as its classrooms where traditional ceremonies and practices are used to teach lessons. For example, students learn math while harvesting maple sap and wild rice and biology through practicing sustainable fishing and hunting. Community elders play an important role in passing on their knowledge to students and the 100 graduates provide hope for the language’s future

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Citizen-Led Initiative Battles Dangerous ‘Infodemic'

Aline Suárez del Real

April 06, 2021 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico

Verificovid was started by a group of friends to combat pandemic-related misinformation in Mexico. They work with a group of government doctors to identify, track, investigate, and disprove misinformation. The group posts infographics with updated COVID-19 statistics on social media – mainly Whatsapp and Telegram – and offers medical tips via short audio messages and texts. They prioritize fast-moving misinformation that could cause the most harm and, along with sharing the truth, they investigate the origin of the misinformation and teach the public how to identify and stop fake news.

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