The Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships

Each year, the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship program awards approximately twelve fellowships to mid-career print journalists, usually between the ages of 25 and 35, from developing and transitional countries with an emerging free press. The selected participants receive a six-month, practical introduction to the professional and ethical standards of the U.S. print media through a working assignment at a daily U.S. newspaper. Fellows are expected to contribute to the routine output of the host publications by working as general assignment reporters. In recent years publications such as the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and The Washington Post have participated in the program.

Participants are selected on the basis of their commitment to careers in journalism and their presumed ability to learn from a working experience in a U.S. newsroom. Applicants are required to have an excellent command of both written and spoken English, at least three years of professional experience as a journalist in the print media, and current employment as a journalist with an independent print media organization in the country of citizenship.

The Fellowship covers all costs of program-related international and domestic U.S. travel and provides a monthly stipend to cover basic living expenses. This stipend is NOT sufficient to provide support for spouses or other dependents. The deadline for completed applications is February 1, 2003 via mail (faxed or e-mailed versions are not accepted).

The program has also recently announced the establishment of the Daniel Pearl Fellowship, which seeks to promote press freedom and foster East-West understanding. Underwritten by the Daniel Pearl Foundation and administered under the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships program, the new fellowship has been established to honor the memory of journalist Daniel Pearl who was murdered in Pakistan in February 2002. The fellowship will focus on journalists who exemplify the spirit and professionalism of its namesake, a foreign correspondent noted for his open-minded coverage of the Muslim world and gift for portraying the human side of complex international problems. The Daniel Pearl Fellowship will initially give strong preference to applicants from Pakistan.

For additional information on these programs, contact the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships, 1616 H Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20006, USA; phone (1-202)737-4414; fax (1-202)737-4416; e-mail: info@pressfellowships.org; website http://www.pressfellowships.org/.

Copyright 2004 Search for Common Ground