Consultancy for Developing Comprehensive Ethical Guidelines for Reporting/Photography of Children in Media

This TOR is developed for an individual consultancy for compilation and production of a comprehensive guideline (covering both ethics and national laws and regulation regarding reporting on children) for journalists and photojournalists working in traditional as well as digital media.

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consultancy for Developing Comprehensive Ethical Guidelines for Reporting/Photography of Children in Media

Type of Assignment: Individual

1. Background

Successful completion of this assignment will contribute to the objectives of activity 3.1, of the workplan of 2020-2022 between UNICEF and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (MoCIG).

MoCIG as the key government partner, supervising the mission of traditional and digital media, plays a key role in promoting ethical representation of children in the media. The Communication unit in UNICEF Iran is responsible for building the capacity of partners to promote healthy behaviours that benefit children’s welfare as well as raise public awareness on the joint work of Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran with UNICEF.

UNICEF and the MoCIG’s Department of Press Affairs and Information Sharing, conducted two training workshops on ethical guidelines of reporting and photographing children for Iranian journalists and photojournalists and based on the positive feedback received from the implementing partner and the beneficiaries, a new activity was added to the joint workplan of 2020-2022 to compile and produce a comprehensive guideline on ethics of representing children in the media to be shared with the community of the journalists and photojournalists in Iran.

2. Objective

This TOR is developed for an individual consultancy for compilation and production of a comprehensive guideline (covering both ethics and national laws and regulation regarding reporting on children) for journalists and photojournalist working in traditional as well as digital media.

The consultancy will lead to the following objective:

• Through production and distribution of a comprehensive guideline booklet, Iranian media professionals including journalists/photojournalists and chiefs of social desks of media will improve their knowledge and awareness on ethical/legal standards of reporting on children with a focus on following topic: How to place children, including vulnerable children such as working children, children with disability, etc, in report-writing and news writing, photo series, interviews, and human interest stories in print and online media to maintain the dignity of the child.

3. Methodology  

• The contractor shall develop the ethical guidelines based on existing and available UNICEF principles and publications which will be made available to him/her by UNICEF communication team.
• The contractor can also use relevant guidelines from the recognized and creditable national or international sources with proper referencing.
• The contractor shall develop the comprehensive legal guidelines based on the national laws and regulations.
•  The contractor shall hire his/her team members and assume the responsibility for their remuneration.
• The contractor shall use relevant case studies both for written reports and photojournalism form international media in coordination with the Communication Unit and the MoCIG. 

4. Activities, Deliverables, Timeframe and Schedule of Payment

Activity and Deliverables:    

1. Development of the first draft of the comprehensive ethical/legal guidelines of the ethical representation of children in the media
2. Development of the final version (text cleared by UNICEF and MoCIG) of ethical/legal guidelines of ethical representation of children in the media

Timeframe:

Deliverable 1: By mid-July 2021

Deliverable 2: By mid-September 2021

Payment:

Deliverable 1: 50%

Deliverable 2: 50%

5. Management and Organization

5.1. Management:

The contractor will work under the direct supervision of UNICEF Communication Officer in close coordination with MoCIG.  

5.2. Travel:   

N/A

5.3. Organization and coordination:

UNICEF will provide support to the contractor in obtaining UNICEF guidelines on ethical reporting.

6. Conditions of Work

UNICEF is not responsible for providing any facility or equipment. The contractor shall work remotely using his/her own facilities and equipment to manage the work with the highest quality.  

7. Qualifications

• Experience of working in media with a focus on children’s issues.
• Extended knowledge of the UNICEF and national child’s rights standards, laws and regulations.
• Experience of training journalists on report writing on children’s issues, child rights, and related areas; and,
• Higher university degrees (MA or PHD) in journalism, communications, social sciences, media studies, child’s rights, and other related disciplines with background knowledge in legal affairs.

8. Evaluation:

The minimum threshold for the technical evaluation is 70 scores. The assessment will be done against the ratio of 70 percent technical qualification and 30 percent financial proposal

8.1 Evaluation table for individual consultant.

Qualification #1

Experience in conducting International trainings on ethical guidelines of reporting on children :20 (2 scores per year)

Qualification #2

Experience and technical knowledge of the facilitator(s) in the subject area: 30

Qualification #3

Experience of working with UN agencies: 20

Technical qualification

70

Financial proposal

30

Total Score

100

Cumulative Analysis:

• The maximum score of the financial proposal = the lowest price.
• All other price proposals receive scores in inverse proportion:                                                                                                                            

 The score for price proposal A = (Maximum score for price proposal * Price of the lowest-priced proposal)/Price of proposal A

• The total score for the final evaluation should be 100.

VENDOR TECHNICAL SCORE - Max. 70 points (minimum passing score of 50 points)

FINANCIAL SCORE - Max. 30 points

note: all above documents specially the financial proposal should be attached with the application.

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UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.