Job Description:
Focus on Western Islamism, a project of the Middle East Forum, is looking for freelance reporters in the U.S, Canada, and Europe to investigate and report on Islamist activities across the Western world, as well as moderate Muslim efforts to push back against the Islamist threat.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Publish news pieces about Islamist events, writings, and activities.
- Pursue investigations into unexplored areas of radical activity, such as Islamist financing and complicity with hostile foreign regimes.
- Contribute to a proprietary database on Islamist activities.
- Track big data, such as governmental funding databases.
Candidate Qualifications:
Required
- Experience as a reporter or editor.
- Agreement with FWI’s outlook that “radical Islam is the problem; moderate Islam is the solution.”
- Knowledge of open-source research tools and techniques.
Optional, but helpful
- Proficiency in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, or Urdu.
- Experience parsing and analyzing large datasets.
- Legal work experience, including familiarity with drafting FOIA requests.
Location:
- Anywhere in North America or Europe.
Compensation:
- Negotiated fee per article, dependent on complexity of each piece.
To Apply:
Prepare an application that includes:
- Cover letter.
- Curriculum vitae.
- Two writing samples.
To submit the application:
- Bundle the entire application as a single document, preferably in Adobe Acrobat (Word is also acceptable).
- Title it with your name in reverse order, without spacing, as in “ChurchillWinston.”
- Send the application to Dexter Van Zile, at dexter@islamism.news.
About Focus on Western Islamism
Focus on Western Islamism (FWI) - established by the Middle East Forum in February 2022 - educates its readers about the threat posed by Islamism (and the efforts to counter it) in Western democracies. It covers stories that other outlets will not, provides a template for coverage for other journalists to follow, serves as a hub for counter-Islamist research and analysis, and seeks to give voice to anti-Islamist Muslims.
About the Middle East Forum:
The Middle East Forum, an activist think tank founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western values from Middle Eastern threats. It does so in three ways:
- Intellectual, by providing information, context, and policy advice through publications, media appearances, lectures, and private consultations.
- Operational, by getting things done in Washington, on campus, in courts of law, and beyond.
- Philanthropic, by distributing about $2 million annually in separately earmarked funds to about 75 groups and individuals working to promote our goals.
