Are you a recent graduate in communications or journalism looking for meaningful work in a Brussels-based traineeship?

Here’s a chance to join our award-winning team and tackle disinformation in Europe. International media literacy organisation Lie Detectors employs trainees who will help us promote media literacy and critical thinking through our work with journalists, schools, researchers and policymakers.

You must have drive, an eye for detail, experience of using editing software (text, image, video) and be fluent in English and another European language, preferably French or German.

This is a full-time, four month traineeship with an option to renew for two additional months. Our traineeships have, on occasion, led to entry-level permanent employment.

The start date is as soon as possible and no later than 20 September 2023. The application deadline is Sunday 6 August at 23:59 CET.

Lie Detectors is committed to building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and everyone is encouraged to apply. Lie Detectors is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law. We strive to maintain a healthy work/life balance across the team.

Watch this video to hear what our journalists say about our work.

Responsibilities

Raise the profile of Lie Detectors on digital communications channels, including LinkedIn, Twitter, our own website and via the newsletters we send out to our community;
Support coordination of media relations across Europe, identifying the most fruitful opportunities to pitch for media coverage and ensuring timely, professional responses to media inquiries;
Manage the continual refresh of branded materials to ensure our team across Europe can access the most up to date versions of key collateral;
Achieve agreed personal targets and contribute to those of the team as a whole;
The post-holder will be asked to act on other reasonable requests from the Communications Director and, in their absence, other members of the Senior Management Team;
Maintain an orderly database and enforce order in our filing system;
Following meetings on a ad hoc basis and writing minutes.

Ideal Qualifications and Skills

Studies towards or completed a Bachelor’s or similar degree/work experience in Communications or Journalism;
Proficiency with design and video editing software;
Demonstrated interest in journalism, education, and media literacy;
Professional fluency in English and French or German;
Excellent communication skills both verbal and written;
A detail-oriented and structured thinker able to maintain orderly systems;
Dynamic and pro-active;
Familiarity with MS Office;
Available from April 2023;
Commitment to work for Lie Detectors for at least 4 months;
Familiarity with education and/or media in Austria, Belgium or Germany is a plus.

We offer….

Meaningful and impactful work on a globally significant topic;
An exciting international workplace with a dynamic motivated team;
Opportunities to learn new skills. You will never be bored at Lie Detectors. We will onboard you so you can make meaningful contributions shortly after joining;
Opportunities to learn about the fields of journalism, education policy and digital rights;
A paid traineeship with Bruxelles Formation.

If you’re the right person for this role, email us your motivation letter and CV at jobs@lie-detectors.org with the subject “COMMUNICATIONS TRAINEE” today! Or, if you know someone who fits this description, please share it. We review applications daily and may expedite contact with strong candidates.

Final submission deadline is 6 August.

Start date is no later than 20 September 2023.

About Lie Detectors

Our award-winning organisation aims to turn schoolchildren in Europe aged 10-15 into powerful critical thinkers in a world increasingly populated by propaganda and distorted facts online, empowering them to understand news media, make informed choices and resist peer pressure as they assemble their worldview;
To turn working journalists and selected media experts into active participants in the drive for news literacy, creating positive contact between journalists and children as well as their teachers;
To attune teachers to digital media risks, to the tools available to counter it, and to the benefits and relevance of further classroom discussion of a topic often relegated to IT lessons and after-school clubs;
To create memorable classroom experiences and lasting awareness of children’s own participation in social networks; to propel pupils into an ongoing conversation of news consumption and verifying news;
To provide a link between schools and the very best existing media-literacy and media verification initiatives;
To influence educational policy-making through continued public speaking in varied fora, advocating for the systematic uptake and inclusion of media literacy in the curricula of teacher-training colleges and classrooms across Europe, as urged by Unesco and OECD. As part of this remit, Lie Detectors has served as a member of the EU’s High Level Group on Fake News and the EU Expert Group on Digital Literacy, advising the European Commission on how to tackle the spread and socio-economic impact of disinformation.