Grants / Department of State / U.S. Mission to Thailand

BKK-2024-NOFO-03: Bolstering Accurate, Impactful Reporting in Thailand

Closed Closed September 2, 2024 Opportunity BKK-2024-NOFO-03 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Austrian-American Partnership Fund (AAPF) (OFOP0002825). Status: Closes January 1, 2099 (26353 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. Mission to Thailand notices from 2024.

• Award ceiling$100,000
• Award floor$25,000
• Total funding$125,000
• Expected awards5
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement, Grant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

1.) Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations or professional organizations; 2.) Public and private educational institutions; 3.) Individual journalists or not-for-profit media collectives.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Public Diplomacy Programs awards averaged $26,570; this notice allows up to $100,000 per award.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, of the U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to enhance journalists’ reporting skills and ethical standards, support accurate reporting fieldwork, and strengthen media institutions’ ability to promote accurate reporting and to counter misinformation. Please follow all instructions below. Program Objectives: Thailand’s diverse media landscape is influenced by political, regulatory, and economic pressures, including the profit-driven nature of contemporary media. Pressured to prioritize sensationalism over comprehensive or accurate reporting, news organizations may unwittingly expose their journalists to legal and other consequences in pursuit of sensational stories and gripping visuals, or blur the boundaries between editorial content and advertorials, eroding journalistic integrity. Moreover, online media has ushered in an era of information sourced from social media and unreliable sources. While this is cheap and facilitates rapid news dissemination, it also facilitates the spread of misinformation and undermines the importance of on-the-ground reporting for factual accuracy and verification. Furthermore, journalists once reliant on editorial and support teams must be self-sufficient due to staff shortages. To improve ethical standards and media skills among reporters (including local journalists covering underserved communities), support their ability to do original reporting and research instead of relying on third-party sources, and strengthen networks between those reporters and Bangkok-based professional media organizations, mid-career journalists will participate in workshops or reporting tours to enhance reporting skills, media literacy, verification tools, and research capacity, thereby reducing their reliance on third-party sources (such as unverified social media) for content. The desired outcome is to strengthen Thai reporters’ capacity to investigate issues of public interest, distinguish facts from mis- or disinformation, and accurately assess the potential impact of geopolitical changes on Thailand. Through this, Thai decision-makers at both national and local levels will gain access to accurate reporting that reflects the views of people directly impacted by these changes, including marginalized voices.

Category: Other.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, OFOP0002825, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.