Announcing а call for proposals for research on conflict and crisis coverage in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, focusing on recent cross-border conflicts.

To ensure neutrality and impartiality, companies with media research experience that are not based in either subject country are invited to participate.

In October 2022, Internews launched a regional project that aims to strengthen the capacity of the media and civil society to jointly improve coverage of conflicts and crises, and bridge ethnic and other divides in communities along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.

Research objectives

• Identify and assess the situation and trends in coverage of conflicts and crises in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan;
• Develop practical recommendations from the media, civil society, the IT sector, and the Internet freedom community to improve the information atmosphere around conflicts and crises in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Contract term: January – March 2023

Methodology and technical approach

The contractor should develop a detailed evidence-based methodology, including desk research, focus groups, survey, and/or stakeholder interviews (qualitative and quantitative data analysis) for approval by Internews in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.  

The contractor is expected to provide the criteria, mechanisms and tools which will help to perform an objective and neutral evaluation of the investigated information materials and interviews in the target countries.

Internews will have the right to make suggestions and/or changes to the proposed methodology.

The study should focus mainly on coverage of conflicts and crises that occurred in 2021-2022 in the target countries. The Contractor should include information materials in English, Russian, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek languages, which were published during the active phase of conflicts and crises.  

The study should include a review of relevant information provided by journalists and non-traditional content producers (bloggers, activists, and opinion leaders) in the media and social media.

Scope of work

• Develop a specific research methodology and obtain the client’s approval.
• Conduct research on conflict and crisis coverage in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, focusing on recent border conflicts in 2021-2022.
• Provide a preliminary report and a final report in text format as a multi-media presentation broken down by country in Kyrgyz, Tajik, Russian and English, including tables, visualizations/graphics, and recommendations.
• Develop and participate in the presentation of the research to the audience/partners/donors.

Expected results

• A study will be conducted according to a specific methodology developed by the contractor.
• A summary and recommendations of the study must be submitted on time.

Contractor requirements

• A portfolio with a minimum of three years of practical experience in media/information field research;
• Experience in conducting media research during conflicts and crises is preferred; 
• Provide a methodology for the research, including the tools and name of software to be used to process and analyze the information collected, and provide a timeline for the work;
• Provide a list of expert/researchers selected on the basis of knowledge of the languages of the material under study/region;
• Provide letters of reference and contact information for previous partners or clients;
• Send a realistic budget/cost calculation for the stated research;
• Expected scope of work – 2 months.

Note: Internews has also announced a simultaneous call for proposals to conduct research on coverage (local and international) of the recent border conflicts in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to identify hate speech and intolerance. Companies are welcome to apply for both tenders.

Applications will be accepted until 6 p.m. EST on January 5, 2023.

If you have additional questions, please contact Altynai Kolbaeva ([email protected]) or Rachel Caywood ([email protected]).