Program Director, Alfred Friendly Press Partners
Applications are invited from journalists all over the world interested in investigative reporting for the Trace Investigative Reporting Fellowship.
TRACE and Alfred Friendly share the belief in the power of investigative journalism to hold the powerful accountable and strengthen democracies. TRACE sponsored its first Fellow in 2019, a reporter from Russia placed at The Wall Street Journal. In 2020, TRACE sponsored two fellowships for journalists dedicated to investigative reporting. TRACE, through its Foundation, supports projects that encourage greater commercial transparency. The TRACE Foundation was established to promote, support and fund research, investigative journalism, publications, videos and related projects that encourage greater commercial transparency and advance anti-bribery education.
The goals of the Fellowship are: to provide the fellow with experience in reporting, writing, editing, producing and editorial decision-making that will enhance future professional performance; to expose the fellow to the technological changes that are occurring in the industry; 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; and to foster continuing ties between free press institutions and journalists in the United States and their counterparts in other countries.
The fellowship program begins with a three-week orientation and training seminar at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri designed to prepare the fellows – both personally and professionally – for the challenges of living and working in the United States.
Topics for seminars and hands-on training include ethics, writing, editing, multimedia reporting, investigative reporting and data journalism. At the middle of the program, fellows and staff come together for advanced training sessions. Fellows join the staffs of one or more major U.S. media outlets for five months.
A final seminar in Washington allows them to compare and evaluate their experiences and discuss their impressions of the American media, and to learn and practice presentations to make in their home countries to share what they’ve learned with colleagues.
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.
Deadline for submission of applications is September 16, 2021
To apply, please download, fill and submit the TRACE Investigative Reporting Fellowship Form. The form should be emailed to david@presspartners.org with the subject: Trace Fellowship Application AFPP.
