Organization: Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Job Opening: Media Monitors
Starting Date: Immediately

CIHRS looking to hire media monitors, to track coverage of the upcoming parliamentary elections through various newspaper and television outlets. This project is supported by major international donors, includes fully supported training on how to be a media monitor, and requires flexibility and immediate availability on the part of the monitor.

About CIHRS

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is an independent regional non-governmental organization founded in 1993. It aims to promote respect for the principles of human rights and democracy, analyze the difficulties facing the application of international human rights law and disseminate human rights culture in the Arab region as well as engaging in dialogue between cultures. A key part of CIHRS’ mandate is to help shape the understanding of the most pressing human rights issues within the region and then to coordinate and mobilize the key players and NGOs from across the Arab region to work together towards solutions. CIHRS enjoys consultative status in the United Nations ECOSOC and observer status in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. CIHRS is also a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and is an Observer Member of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). CIHRS is registered in Egypt, France and Geneva, has its main offices in Cairo, an office in Geneva for its work at UN human rights mechanisms and an institutional presence in Paris. CIHRS was awarded the French Republic Award for Human Rights in December 2007.

Objectives:
The main objective behind monitoring media coverage of the elections is to contribute to answering the following questions:
1. Did political parties and the candidates exercise their right to fair access to the media?
2. Were the activities of the parties and the candidates covered objectively and equitably?
3. Did the authorities and the press respect national and international laws and conventions during electoral campaigns?
4. Could citizens acquire additional information via mass media that enabled them to make their informed decision on the voting day?

Requirements:
  Attend 3 full day training sessions on media monitoring August 3- 5

o These sessions will be led by a certified trainer from the world’s most acclaimed media monitoring support NGO. Accepted candidates will be attending this training for free, and thus will have a unique opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills for observing and objectively monitoring elections.

• Monitor the media coverage of the parliamentary elections; 2 months.                                               
o This will require all trained media monitors to work one month prior to the elections, during the elections, and one month after the elections. Monitors will be tracking all media coverage, including 16 newspapers and 10 TV stations. Monitors will analyze the total time or space allocated by certain media outlets for coverage of the campaign, for coverage of each candidate, and the tone and nature of this media coverage.                                                         

Qualifications:
• Fluency in Ammeya and native literacy in Fos’ha.
• Not affiliated with any specific political party.
• Ability to maintain an objective perspective throughout the monitoring process.
• Have interest in free and fair elections and in the relationship between media and the political sphere.
• Ability to commit to all job requirements, including the 3-day training next week, and 2 months of media monitoring .

o Flexibility in hours of work. Students and those with full-time jobs are encouraged to apply.
• Flexibility in the fall schedule, due to uncertainty of the exact dates of the parliamentary elections.

Remuneration
• Free training and experience in media monitoring.
 
If you are interested in this part-time job opportunity, and feel that you can monitor the upcoming parliamentary elections objectively and professionally, and can attend the trainings next week, please contact Jennifer L. Contact (jen@cirhs.org), or Alexandra S. Dunn (alexandra@cihrs.org) immediately.