The network seeks to harness investigative reporting and cross-border collaboration to tackle stories at the intersection of climate change, corruption, and governance in the world’s three main tropical rainforest regions: Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.

Frequently Asked Questions
Meet the RIN Fellows

Applications for the fifth cohort of the Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) are now closed. Thank you for your interest.

Few global issues are as urgent as the destruction of the world’s tropical rainforests. The RIN Fellowship fosters collaboration among journalists to investigate the financial incentives, illegal activities, and global supply chains driving industrial-scale deforestation. 

RIN Fellows will pursue both individual and joint investigative projects, examining the root causes and structural drivers of deforestation across the three main tropical rainforest regions: the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.

The RIN is led by journalist Gustavo Faleiros, with a team that includes Research Editor Jelter Meers, Data Editor Kuek Ser Kuang Keng, Data Specialist Federico Acosta Rainis, investigative journalist Madeleine Ngeunga, Research Assistants Alexandra Waddell and Fernanda Buffa, and Doménica Montaño giving logistics support. The team will provide comprehensive training and support on investigative techniques and tools, data analysis, reporting methods, and platforms. 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking seasoned investigative journalists—whether they are on staff or working with a host outlet as a freelancer—who are from the tropical rainforest regions or focus on these regions in their reporting. We also accept collaborations with local and global media outlets.

This is a full-time, yearlong fellowship that provides financial support, covering the reporter’s salary (or part of it, depending on variables such as location and experience). Additional support will be provided to the journalist’s reporting expenses, such as travel and hiring of consultants.

We are particularly interested in investigative projects that take a cross-border approach, connecting local drivers of forest destruction with global supply chains. We will work closely with selected Fellows to connect them with potential partners within the network. Please note that applications must be submitted individually and not by groups or media outlets.

Cross-border investigations are journalistic projects where reporters from different newsrooms in different countries work together to uncover a story. For example, one journalist is based in Indonesia looking at palm oil deforestation while the other is investigating the company filings of the U.S. client buying the palm oil.

We also have three places in the cohort reserved for investigations focused on transparency and governance. These projects should prioritize themes and issues that shed light on financial mechanisms and legal loopholes behind unsustainable supply chains.

For instance, show us how banks are facilitating development projects that devastate ecosystems or how government corruption is undermining climate commitments.

Transparency and Governance Focus Areas:

  • Investigations into financial enablers and the accountability of financiers in environmental destruction.
  • Corruption in public procurement related to deforestation or unsustainable development.

Here are some examples of past stories that have tackled transparency and governance issues:

FELLOWS COMMITMENT

Fellows are expected to devote a full year to their rainforest investigations and to publish their series during the year of the fellowship. They will receive training in data analysis, communication, and research and coordination support from the Pulitzer Center. They will work closely with their co-Fellows around the world, benefiting from one another’s skills and diverse perspectives.

The initiative will also collaborate with the Pulitzer Center Engagement team. Fellows will have the support of local education and outreach coordinators who will identify outreach opportunities to share investigation findings with diverse audiences.

The Rainforest Investigations Network is funded by the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI). The NICFI grant includes an explicit guarantee of full editorial independence for the Pulitzer Center as well as for the Fellows and news organizations taking part.

The journalists selected in this round will make up the fifth cohort of RIN investigative Fellows since the initiative’s launch at the end of 2020. To meet the Fellows and read their stories, click here.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

  • Experienced investigative journalists with a proven track record covering the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia regions.
  • Reporters based in countries outside the three main tropical rainforest regions—Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia—may also apply but will need to focus their reporting during the fellowship on stories related to these regions.
  • Staff or freelance journalists working on a wide range of platforms, including print, radio, video, and multimedia. Freelance reporters will need to have the support of a local or international newsroom that agrees to host them and publish the work they produce during the fellowship.  
  • Team players with the experience and/or ability to work collaboratively across newsrooms and borders. 
  • Reporters with a deep understanding of the scientific, environmental, social, legal, political, and commercial forces at play in deforestation and forest degradation around the world—and why this issue matters to our global well-being.
  • Reporters willing to participate in outreach activities related to their investigations, such as meetings in communities and visits to schools and universities.

BENEFITS FOR RIN FELLOWS

  • The opportunity to work on impactful investigations that are time-consuming and costly. 
  • A global network of investigative reporters who will aid your investigations and complement your skills.
  • Access to data and documents as well as the opportunity to sharpen your data skills with support from the Pulitzer Center’s Data and Research team. 
  • Specialized training opportunities such as the use of satellite imagery and other digital tools in investigations, corporate and follow-the-money research, and more. 
  • The opportunity to work and collaborate with other journalists on stories that transcend your country and region and can achieve true global impact. 
  • A community of like-minded colleagues that will continue beyond your fellowship. 
  • Salaries commensurate with experience.

Please note that selected candidates will work remotely.

TO APPLY, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:

  • A statement of purpose: How does this fellowship fit in your career path and why are you best positioned to be a Rainforest Investigations Network Fellow? You may also include how collaboration with journalists from other regions can benefit your investigations or how you might be able to assist them. (500 words)
  • An investigative project proposal describing the most ambitious rainforest reporting you seek to pursue during your fellowship. Please do not propose general themes, but offer concrete investigative projects that aim to uncover systemic wrongdoing/abuse that is unknown or hidden. It is expected that by the time you apply you have already done pre-reporting to determine the scope, feasibility, and novelty of the project. A compelling, well-researched project proposal with a reporting plan will help you stand out among hundreds of applicants. If the investigation includes a cross-border approach, explain your collaboration plan and identify partners outside and within the network. (1,000 words)
  • Three examples (links) of your most impactful investigations published in the past three years. 
  • A letter of support from your media employer or a newsroom that has agreed to host you as a Rainforest Investigations Network Fellow and publish your work. 
  • Three professional references: These can be either contact information or letters of recommendation. 
  • A copy of your résumé or curriculum vitae.

ASK ME ANYTHING

We have prepared a FAQ to answer the main questions we’ve received over the last four years. But, if you’d like a chance to talk to our editors, please join our Ask Me Anything sessions. The sessions are held in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and bahasa Indonesia.

DEADLINE

Applications for the fifth cohort of the Rainforest Investigations Network are now closed. Thank you for your interest.

We accept applications in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Bahasa Indonesia. 

If you have questions, please contact Gustavo Faleiros at [email protected] or Doménica Montaño at [email protected]. 

We encourage proposals from journalists and newsrooms that represent a broad array of social, racial, ethnic, economic backgrounds, and underrepresented groups.