Barons of D.C. journalism take steps toward diversity; sports columnist's show pulled before it airs; a new rush to judgment in Ferguson; OU frat incident renews debates on N-word, racism; J-class finds innocent made to look like criminals; NBC News division coalescing around Lester Holt; NAHJ supports fired Mexican broadcast journalist; fellowship sends journalists of color abroad to report (3/16/15)Barons of D.C. Journalism Take Steps Toward Diversity
Sports Columnist's Show Pulled Before It Airs
A New Rush to Judgment in Ferguson
OU Frat Incident Renews Debates on N-Word, Racism
Fellowship Sends Journalists of Color Abroad to Report
"The Bringing Home the World Fellowship helps U.S.-based minority journalists cover compelling yet under-reported international stories, increasing the diversity of voices in global news," the International Federation of Journalists says in an announcement.
"The program helps level the playing field and redress the inequality minority journalists often face by giving them the opportunity to report from overseas and advance their careers."
Journalists of color who have accepted trips abroad sponsored by foreign governments or interest groups have said they did so because they did not have the backing of a news organization to pay their way, even though mainstream news organizations frown on such arrangements as conflicts of interests.
The IFJ notice continued, "In previous years, fellows have produced more than 120 stories, enriching their communities with new perspectives on global issues. Many of the fellows’ stories have been hard-hitting reports that have exposed abuses and corruption, as well as documented the extraordinary lives of unsung people. A quarter of the reporters have won awards for their coverage. Fellows' stories have appeared in news media ranging from NPR to the Miami Herald to the Daily Beast, with a combined reach of more than 100 million people. . . ."
The 2015 fellowship is sponsored by the Ford Foundation, the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Brooks and Joan Fortune Family Foundation and United Airlines. The application deadline is March 31.
The National Association of Black Journalists formerly awarded $5,000 fellowships to journalists seeking international reporting experience through self-conceived assignments in Africa through NABJ's Ethel Payne Fellowship, but the program has not been funded in recent years.