Deadline: September 25, 2020
Applications are open for the Nieman Visiting Fellowships 2021. The coronavirus pandemic and the movement for racial justice present American society—and American newsrooms—with urgent challenges and opportunities for change. In response, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University is dedicating its next round of Visiting Fellowships to journalism projects that address these dual challenges.
For one year beginning this fall, Nieman will offer remote Visiting Fellowships in support of projects that advance racial justice and public health journalism in the U.S. This special initiative will provide targeted research opportunities and specialized training to individuals with concrete and innovative ideas supporting one or more of the following goals:
- Advance the representation of journalists of color throughout the news industry.
- Improve coverage of underreported stories and communities.
- Explain the impact of coronavirus on an area or group.
- Enhance reporting expertise and coverage of public health in a community.
Financial Support
- Nieman will support the fellows with a weekly stipend of $2,000, which will be paid monthly.
- If an employer chooses to keep the fellow on salary during the fellowship, Nieman will offer all the same research and potential training support, but a stipend will not be provided.
- Potential newsroom training and project-related funding will be determined on a case-by-case basis. To be considered for these opportunities, applicants should prepare a brief overview of the requested training and/or a budget outlining project-related funding needs. (Training could include a spectrum of journalistic skills, from data mining to narrative writing.)
Eligibility
- Open to the broadest range of journalists, from those with legacy affiliations to those who work independently.
- They ahould be based in the U.S.
- They are especially interested in applicants from community media (including but not limited to Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous news outlets) and anyone who works to serve communities that are underrepresented in media.
- Applicants will not be expected to take a leave of absence from their organizations if awarded a Visiting Fellowship. Those who intend to continue their work within a news organization must request a letter of support from their supervisor, which should state the intent of the news organization to permit the applicant to work on the project for the duration of the fellowship period.
- Freelance applicants and academics are not required to have a letter of support but should indicate potential partner organizations for any publishing or other actionable component of their project.
Application
A rolling application process is open now through the application deadline of September 25. Nieman may begin selecting some fellows prior to the September application deadline.
- Visiting Fellowship applicants should list their preferred start date and the number of weeks requested, which should not exceed 20. The Nieman Foundation will work with selected fellows to determine a start date. The duration of the fellowship awarded may be shorter than the number of weeks requested.
- Applicants will be required to provide a short (no more than 600 words) proposal.
For more information, visit Nieman Visiting Fellowships.
