Social Media Monitors, Afghanistan – Rooted in Trust At Internews Network

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Rooted in Trust project works to combat COVID-19 rumors and misinformation in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Brazil, Mali, DRC, Sudan and South Sudan. We work to create impact at the local level and inform approaches to rumor management at the global level. The project is supported by a Global Technical Advisory team made up of media, humanitarian, data science and information management experts.

In Phase 1 of the project, we collected more than 19 thousand rumors in 14 languages and supported more than 30 local trusted information providers. In this critical phase of the pandemic, we will build on these efforts to listen and respond to the information challenges faced by vulnerable groups in humanitarian contexts, encouraging open dialogue between citizens and scientists and stronger and more collaborative partnerships between information providers (such as local media) and humanitarian and health sources.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Internews seeks to hire four Social Media Monitors. Social Media Monitors will be tasked with collecting rumors and misinformation posted on social media platforms in Afghanistan. The SMMs will collect online discussions to understand community perspectives in relation to the pandemic, vaccines, health issues, as well as access to humanitarian services and information.The SMMs must be active users of social media, with a thorough understanding of preferred platforms and dynamics of social media used in Afghanistan and by the diaspora community. SMMs will work closely with the project team to understand the drivers behind misinformation in Afghanistan.

LOGISTICS

This is a remote-first position based outside of Afghanistan. All remote candidates will be considered. However, you must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews. Additionally, there are locations in which Internews is not able to support fully remote work.

OUR COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive changes in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are an EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS will include:

• Monitor social media discourse across multiple social media platforms;
• Collect and accurately log rumors and misinformation related to the pandemic, vaccines, and feedback on humanitarian services;
• Remain up to date with the latest trends in social media practices both within Afghanistan and the diaspora community including analysis of the pages, groups, and platforms preferred by the community and dynamics of use on each platform;
• Contribute to the production of regular reports for humanitarian and health partners to improve their understanding of the concerns and questions among the affected population;
• Provide input into research activities by sharing recurrent or emerging topics and trends from social media data and practices;
• Support monitoring and evaluation activities to assess impact, reach, and quality of the project;
• Perform any other duties as assigned by supervisors; and
• In all duties, an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• Fluency in English AND Dari and/or Pashto
• Confident social media user with a wide network in Afghanistan
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong understanding of, and commitment towards the editorial values of the project
• Self-motivated and able to work in a fast-paced environment

Preferred

Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.

• Experience as a media mentor or social media mentor (or related role) a plus
• A good understanding of social media trends in Afghanistan, including preferred platforms
• Fact checking skills, including experience using basic image verification tools, an advantage
• Experience working in humanitarian and/or health emergencies a plus
• Social science, communications or media research and/or experience working to understand misinformation data an advantage
• Awareness of, and familiarity with, the issues and dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan a strong asset