In 2013, the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships will be creating several specialized fellowships and working exclusively with partner institutions. We are only accepting applications from journalists at our partner media companies or Muslim journalists from the following countries who are eligible for the Daniel Pearl Fellowships:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE and Yemen.
If you meet these requirements as well as the criteria of eligibility below, please email the AFPF Program Manager at katie@pressfellowships.org to request an application. If you do not meet these requirements, please contact us in May, 2013 for information about the 2014 program.
PROGRAM GOALS:
To provide the Fellow with experience in reporting, writing and editing that will enhance future professional performance;
To enable the Fellow to gain a practical understanding of the function and significance of the free press in American society;
To transfer knowledge gained on the program to colleagues at home;
To foster continuing ties between free press institutions and journalists in the United States and their counterparts in other countries.
CRITERIA of ELIGIBILITY:
- Current full-time employment as a journalist for the news or editorial departments of independent newspapers, magazines, wire services, or online publications of general public interest in a developing country or an emerging market;
- At least three years of full-time professional experience as a journalist in the print/online media;
- Citizenship of a developing country or an emerging market;
- Early to mid-career status and between 25 and 35 years old;
- A demonstrated personal commitment to a career in journalism in a developing country or an emerging market;
- Ability and desire to share what is learned on the fellowship with other journalists at home;
- Endorsement from the management of the home publication;
- An excellent command of both written and spoken English as all activities are conducted in English.
Due to requirements of reporting in the United States, preference is given to applicants who are proficient in using computers and driving automobiles.
THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM:
In the conviction that a strong, free press is essential to the healthy functioning of a democracy, the late Alfred Friendly, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former managing editor of The Washington Post, conceived a fellowship program that would both impart American journalistic traditions and respond to worldwide interest in the dissemination of fair and accurate news. It was Alfred Friendly's belief that working side by side with reporters and editors is the best way to absorb the practical realities of journalism in this country and the instrumental role it plays in our society. Therefore, he created the program that bears his name to immerse approximately ten journalists each year for six months in American newsrooms. Since 1984 the ALFRED FRIENDLY PRESS FELLOWSHIPS (AFPF) has trained 283 journalists from 78 countries.
In addition to the six month newsroom experience, the program works closely with home and host news organizations to create specific plans for the fellows; offers specialized fellowships by topic (business, health, investigations, online, etc.) and region (Muslim world); and introduces fellows to what is new and unique in American newsgathering and delivery. Our goal is to increase the level of effectiveness and excellence of the AFPF program in the 21st century and to broaden the impact of the program on countries that are working to understand press freedom.
Sharing the goals of AFPF, the Daniel Pearl Foundation partnered with AFPF in 2003 to offer special fellowships to honor the life and work of journalist Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal South Asia bureau chief who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Daniel Pearl Fellows -- eight from Pakistan, three from Egypt and one each from Afghanistan, Malaysia, Nepal, Turkey and Yemen -- have worked at The Berkshire Eagle/North Adams Transcript, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, ProPublica, San Francisco Chronicle and the Atlanta, New York and Washington, DC bureaus of The Wall Street Journal. Applicants for the DANIEL PEARL FELLOWSHIPS (DPF) come from areas that Daniel Pearl covered as a journalist -- the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia -- and must submit an essay as to why they would like to be a Pearl Fellow. Additional opportunities are provided to Daniel Pearl Fellows that are in line with the mission of the Daniel Pearl Foundation -- to encourage dialogue among people of different cultures, reduce cultural and religious tensions and create a platform for responsible and creative journalism. Fellows are required to work one week at a Jewish publication and participate in a public discussion, typically in Los Angeles where the Pearl family resides.
The fellowship program begins in March with a two-week orientation seminar in Washington, DC designed to prepare the fellows -- both personally and professionally -- for the challenges of living and working in the United States. At the middle of the program, fellows and staff come together for a week to attend seminars focused on writing, editing, multimedia reporting and investigative reporting/Computer Assisted Reporting. A final seminar in Washington reunites the fellows and allows them to compare and evaluate their experiences and discuss their impressions of the American media. Fellows return to their home countries in early September to begin sharing their knowledge and skills with colleagues, editors and publishers in their home newsrooms.
The fellowship covers all costs of program-related international and domestic U.S. travel, health insurance and provides a monthly stipend to cover basic living expenses. It is highly recommended that fellows bring additional money with them. While family members may visit for up to one month, they cannot accompany the fellow for the duration of the fellowship.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries/ submissions: katie@pressfellowships.org
Website: http://www.pressfellowships.org
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