Mobile Phones Turned Newsrooms: How South Sudan's Youth Are Reclaiming the Local Narrative.

In environments where unverified information spreads faster than facts can be established. How responsibly information is passed and stories are told is central to the health of a country's democratic space. This is the premise behind Digitalise Youth, a regional initiative under the Digital Democracy Initiative, implemented in South Sudan by Digital Rights Frontlines (DRF) to empower  young civic actors to participate safely, credibly, and meaningfully online. One of its distinct expressions is the Digitalise Youth Mobile Journalism (MoJo) Fellowship, a programme that concluded the first cycle after equipping 27 young journalists, content creators, and human rights defenders with the tools to turn a smartphone into a functioning newsroom.

The Place for Mobile Journalism

Across South Sudan, access to professional broadcast equipment, editing suites, and formal journalism training remains limited, particularly outside Juba. Meanwhile, misinformation and unverified information continue to shape public perception faster than credible reporting can catch up. Mobile journalism closes that gap by putting the tools of verification, ethical storytelling, and audience reach directly into the hands of the young people already embedded in their communities who are closest to the story. Launched in 2025 with 29 selected fellows onboarded,  the programme was anchored by a self-paced, Mobile Journalism course delivered in partnership with the Al Jazeera Media Institute. For many fellows, this was their first structured introduction to reporting fundamentals: storytelling technique, journalism ethics, mobile production tools, and hands-on field exercises.

From there, Digital Rights Frontlines layered in training, mentorship, story labs, and production grants that pushed fellows well beyond the basics. The curriculum covered mobile filming and interviewing technique, audio recording, mobile video editing on CapCut and VN, social storytelling built for TikTok and Instagram Reels, digital safety, media ethics, and critical practical strategies for countering misinformation. A dedicated visual design track, delivered through three progressive sessions on Canva, took fellows from the foundations of visual storytelling through brand elements and into advanced native-graphic production, giving them a second language for translating human rights issues into content built for social platforms.

27 fellows, 5 women and 24 men, completed a structured multi-week curriculum and each produced an original mobile-based video reporting on an issue in their own community. Gravitated toward stories on social challenges and underreported community concerns , the kind of reporting that rarely gets airtime through conventional media channels, and reflecting an interest among South Sudan's youth to use media as a tool for civic change rather than just self-expression.

Suggesting that when young people are given ethical storytelling skills and a platform, they don't default to entertainment content but turn the camera toward the issues affecting their neighbours. That is exactly the kind of "youth activists and community custodians" outcome the wider Digitalise Youth programme is designed to cultivate.

But a programme like this doesn't succeed without friction points. Connectivity and data costs kept some prospective fellows from enrolling or participating consistently, a reminder that "Developing-Digital-Centred Skills" cannot be separated from the basic economics of getting online in South Sudan. Equipment gaps and uneven starting points across the cohort meant mentors had to work harder to bring everyone to a comparable level, and poor network coverage in some locations disrupted virtual sessions and submission deadlines outright.

None of this diminishes what the fellowship achieved. If anything, it sharpens the case for continued investment. Training young people to report ethically and factually is only half the equation in a low-connectivity environment. The other half is building the infrastructure equipment, data access, ongoing mentorship that lets that training translate into sustained practice.

Looking Ahead

The first cohort of the Digitalise Youth MoJo Fellowship has done more than produce a set of videos. It has demonstrated that South Sudanese youth are ready and able to take on the responsibility of credible, community-rooted storytelling when given the right training and support. The next test is continuity: sustained mentorship, deeper networking opportunities, advanced-level training for fellows ready to go further, resource allocation specifically to encourage female participants, and closing the resource gaps this first cycle exposes.

If South Sudan's information environment is going to become more resilient to disinformation, that resilience will be built by individuals who understand both the craft and the stakes. The fellows of this first cohort have shown what that looks like in practice.

Digitalise Youth Mobile Journalism Fellows 2026

Testimonial

“I thank DRF for giving me this opportunity to participate in the three-month fellowship. I learned a lot of skills on mobile and visual storytelling, especially Canva. I wish this training was extended so that we can deepen our digital storytelling skills,” Chotbiel Joseph.