Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Spain and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche hereby announce a stay for a Latin American journalist in a situation of risk. The duration for this stay is to be three months, and it will take place in Elche (Alicante, Spain) during fall semester of the 2024-2025 school year.

The individual chosen for this joint project, RSF-UMH Elche Safe Space for Freedom of the Press, by both institutions, will be invited for a three-month-long stay during fall semester of the upcoming 2024-2025 school year as an honorary collaborating professor in the UMH Department of Social and Human Sciences. This recipient will then share knowledge and experiences with students of this public university in addition to local inhabitants from the Province of Alicante (Valencian Autonomous Community of Spain) and the city of Elche.

Following the positive response from this event’s first edition and due to the fact that practicing journalists in Latin America continue to receive growing pressure and threats, Reporters Without Borders Spain and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche formalized an agreement to offer a temporary safe space for Latin American Journalists within the Bachelor’s in Journalism and the Dual Bachelor’s in Audiovisual Communication & Journalist programs, and also in conjunction with the Department of Social and Human Sciences. The UMH Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation is coordinating and supporting this endeavor. As such, the period for submitting applications hereby opens today, June 10, 2024, and will remain so through June 24, 2024. The name of the chosen recipient will be announced June 28, 2024.

The purpose of this stay seeks to combine advancing the teaching skills of the journalist with personal and professional growth of the students, while contributing to the internationalization of this university, a pioneer in this joint project with the #EspacioSeguroRSF (#RSFSafeSpace) seal that itself has three objectives:

1. Protect individuals who defend the freedom of information by offering them a temporary space beyond the reach of the pressure and threats they suffer.
2. Facilitate the continuation of their journalistic work within a safe space to work on the central campus of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche.
3. Encourage the transfer of knowledge and best professional practices to students who themselves will in the future defend the freedom of the press through the participation by a Latin American journalist as an honorary collaborating professor at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche.

The Miguel Hernández University of Elche, with the RSF-UMH Elche Safe Space for Freedom of the Press program, states:

The person benefitting from this stay shall be named honorary collaborating professor from the Department of Social and Human Sciences at the UMH, under the coordination of the Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation, and he or she shall enjoy a stay three months in length on the Elche Campus during fall semester of the 2024-2025 school year, between September 15 – December 15, 2024.

The UMH shall provide housing within a shared apartment on the Elche Campus of the University (Scientific Village) along with one meal per work day (lunch, Monday thru Friday) within the university dining hall.

Reporters Without Borders Spain shall be responsible for travel expenses, medical insurance, along with an economic stipend of 750 euros per month for three months.

If the beneficiary requires a visa to stay Spain, the UMH, through its Service of International Relations, Development Cooperation and Volunteerism, and in conjunction with the Vice Rectorate for Internationalization and Cooperation, will provide advice on how to obtain one.

The beneficiary may combine his or her regular work by working remotely from the Miguel Hernández University of Elche.

The university will coordinate a program of workshops, seminars, chats, and other acts in which the beneficiary journalist will participate.

Program participation does not constitute an occupational relationship, but rather a voluntary stay program at the university with the goal of defending freedom of the press.

Instructions for applying for the Miguel Hernández University of Elche program, RSF-UMH Elche Safe Space for Freedom of the Press program:

Individuals interested in participating must submit their application between June 10 – 25, 2024, via email to .

The winning candidate will be announced June 28, 2024, over various channels of communication by both the RSF and UMH.

The program application consists of an explanation of the professional background as a journalist by the applicant. This includes both their university and non-university training, a personal text that details the reasons why he or she believes they are a good fit for the project and could benefit from the stay at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche in the RSF-UMH Elche Safe Space for Freedom of the Press program, and a proposal for 4 seminars or workshops 60 minutes in length each related to research, themes, or journalistic coverage developed for and intended for students.

The evaluation committee is made up of journalists from the board of RSF Spain and professors of journalism at the UMH. These evaluators will consider the personal background of the applicant and the situation within the country where the applicant performs his or her tasks. Another determining element is their potential contribution to the viability of media in exile and the success of the program.

The RSF-UMH Elche Safe Space for Freedom of the Press program was recently recognized by the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) with the Óscar Romero Ibero-American Prize of Education on Human Rights. On hand to receive this award at OEI facilities in Madrid, Spain, were Deputy Vice Rector for International Projection and Communication, José Luis González-Esteban, along with the President of Reporters Without Borders for Spain, Alfonso Bauluz. They accepted this prize from OEI Secretary General, Mariano Jabonero, and Ambassador-at-Large for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Alberto Cerezo.