Nieman Fellowships in Global Health Reporting, Harvard University, USA

The Nieman Foundation will award two fellowships for 2012-2013: one to a journalist from the United States and one to a non-U.S. citizen. During their Nieman year, the Global Health fellows will be part of the Nieman Class of 2013 and will participate in weekly activities at the Nieman Foundation. They will have the opportunity to study at Harvard’s School of Public Health and will have access to faculty and courses across the university through the Harvard Initiative for Global Health.

At the conclusion of their year at Harvard, the global health reporting fellows will begin three four months of journalistic fieldwork in a developing nation. The fieldwork is intended to provide an intensive learning and reporting experience in countries where the most pressing issues in global health exist. At the conclusion of the fieldwork, the fellows will be expected to produce a body of work that might include stories for publication, a case study focusing on the complex issues in global health journalism or a handbook of best practices related to reporting on health in a developing nation.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE NIEMAN FELLOWSHIP IN GLOBAL HEALTH REPORTING?
Candidates nominate themselves by submitting an application and supporting materials. There is no age limit and no educational prerequisite for a Nieman Fellowship in Global Health Reporting.

* One fellowship will be awarded to a citizen of the United States and one to a non-U.S. citizen. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact Stefanie Friedhoff by e-mail at stefanie_friedhoff@harvard.edu
* You must be fluent in speaking, reading and writing English.
* You must have five or more years of full-time or freelance professional journalism experience in the news media. Work you have done as a university student or for a nongovernmental or governmental organization will not count toward fulfilling this requirement.
* Your professional experience must be with the news or editorial departments of newspapers, wire services, radio or television stations or networks, online publications or magazines of general interest. We will not consider candidates from public relations or organizations that do not produce general-interest news.
* Your employer must grant you a leave of absence for the academic year at Harvard and the three to four-month field work experience, a total of 13-14 months. Your employer also must state the intent of your news organization to use, as much as practical, your skills and knowledge in the coverage of global health when you return to work.

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR APPLYING?
All of your application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be sent to the address at the bottom of this page and must be postmarked on or before January 31, 2012.

The Nieman Foundation cannot pay customs fees or other shipping charges for your application materials. You can avoid these costs by using the online application. If you are mailing your application from outside the United States, please consider the length of time it takes mail from your country to reach the U.S.

If any of the information related to your application changes after you have submitted it, please notify us immediately by e-mail at stefanie_friedhoff@harvard.edu

Send all application materials to:

Class of 2013 Global Health Fellowship
Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
One Francis Avenue
Cambridge MA 02138-2009
USA

WHAT WORK SAMPLES SHOULD I SEND WITH MY APPLICATION?
Send samples that best illustrate your interests and abilities. Your samples must have been published or aired between Jan. 1, 2011, and Jan. 31, 2012. You may submit one sample from before Jan. 1, 2011, as a substitute for one required sample. (Note the exception below for documentary filmmakers.) If you routinely work in more than one medium, you may submit samples from each as long as you follow the guidelines below.

If your work samples are not in English, please include a summary of their contents in English. Your supporting statements and synopses must also be in English.

All printed samples, summaries and synopses must be formatted to fit 8 1/2” x 11” (21.5 x 28 centimeters) sheets of paper. Write your name in the upper right corner of every item you submit (or on the backs of photographs). Do not send complete newspapers or magazines, books, scrapbooks, unpublished manuscripts, works-in-progress, irreplaceable material, elaborate presentations (for example, spiral bindings or report covers) or “creative” displays such as video presentations of still photographs. We will not accept work that does not meet these criteria.

Please clearly date all your samples and do not send more than the requested number. We cannot return any submitted material, so make copies of everything you send.

Broadcast Journalists (Note: If in English, submit a DVD/CD totaling 30 minutes with a synopsis)

* Radio and Television: Submit a written synopsis of five stories that are representative of your work with a brief description of your involvement in each story — for example, producing and editing.
* Documentary: Submit a written synopsis of your work samples and a brief description of your involvement with the works — for example, writing the script and directing. Your samples must have been broadcast or shown in a public venue in the past two years.

Print Journalists

* Writers: Submit samples of five different published works. (Each byline counts as one sample.) If you send stories from a series, include a brief outline of the other stories in the series.
* Editors: Submit a statement describing your job. (This is in addition to your two essays.) You may include copies of published work along with a description of your role in these samples. For published work, follow the instructions for writers.
* Photographers: Submit a portfolio with eight samples of your work: original prints, tear sheets or a combination of both. Photographs must be 8” x 10” (20.5 x 25.5 centimeters) and may be black and white or color. Do not mount your photos.

Online Journalists: Submit samples equivalent to five print articles or 30 minutes of programming, along with a statement describing your job, your involvement with each sample and whether each was created for the Web or adapted from another media format. (Your statement is in addition to your two essays.) Your samples must be journalistic in nature and demonstrate that your job involves news gathering, writing, editing or producing.

WHAT MUST MY APPLICATION INCLUDE?

* Write your name in the upper right corner of all items you submit as part of your application.
* Complete, date and sign pages 6 through 9 of this application form.
* Include work samples as described on page 3 of this application.
* Write two essays:
o One personal statement of 1,000 words or less that describes your journalistic experience, career plans and aspirations
o One proposal for study at Harvard of 1,000 words or less. Include in this proposal your ideas for subjects or fields of concentration in global health and how you anticipate using in your journalistic work the knowledge you gain during your Nieman year and fourmonth practicum. You do not need to list specific course titles and you also should not submit a plan for the fieldwork phase of the fellowship. Global Health reporting fellows will develop their plan during the Nieman year with guidance from the Nieman Foundation.

These essays are critical to your application. The Selection Committee will carefully evaluate them to understand your accomplishments, your potential and your commitment to covering global health. We are particularly interested in examples and details that show you have a significant capacity for growth and leadership as a journalist. We also want to know specifically how an academic year at Harvard and four months of fieldwork in a developing country will improve your work as a journalist covering global health.

We also require four confidential letters of recommendation:

* Two from people familiar with your work who can comment on your journalistic abilities and potential.
* One from your immediate supervisor commenting on your qualifications for this fellowship.
* One from your news organization’s publisher, editor, manager or director supporting your application and granting you a 14-month leave of absence if you are awarded a fellowship. Please tell the person who writes this letter that it must include an expression of intent to use, as much as practical, the skills and knowledge you develop in covering global health issues when you return to work.

Freelance journalists should have four people familiar with their work write letters.

Please ask the individuals who write letters to tell us specifically how your abilities and experience make you an outstanding candidate for a Nieman Fellowship in Global Health Reporting. Letters of recommendation should be mailed directly to the Nieman Foundation at the address at the bottom of page 2 in time to receive a postmark on or before January 31, 2012.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR NIEMAN FELLOWS IN GLOBAL HEALTH REPORTING
Nieman Fellows in Global Health Reporting will receive a maximum stipend of $78,000 over a period of 13 months (less if fieldwork is only 3 months), September 2012 through September 2013, at $6,000 per month. The first nine months will be spent studying at Harvard and the last three to four months will be spent doing fieldwork in a developing country. During the nine-month period at Harvard, families are invited to participate and a housing allowance and childcare supplement will be provided. Costs for attending classes at Harvard are also covered for fellows and affiliates.

For more information, please visit official website: www.nieman.harvard.edu