John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University 2017

Application Deadline: 1st December, 2016

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: All

To be taken at (country): Stanford University, USA

About the Award: A John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship is a life-changing experience. Each year, JSK selects up to 20 fellows from around the world and brings them together for 10 months (September to June) at Stanford University, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Immersed in the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of this region, they are inspired to let go of old assumptions and learn new ways of thinking and working.

JSK Fellows spend a significant portion of their time pursuing their journalism challenges, while also taking advantage of classes and other activities at Stanford and in Silicon Valley. By the end of the program, we expect fellows to have some sort of outcome from their work on the journalism challenges. That outcome can take many forms and is often a preliminary or intermediate step toward a goal that the fellow will continue to pursue after their JSK Fellowship. Some fellows explore ideas that involve technology, others work on challenges that focus on organizational change and innovation. We are not a program focused on creating products, companies or organizations, though some fellows have ended up doing those things. We also are not a reporting fellowship.

JSK Fellows have a lot of freedom to decide how to spend their time and energy, but we do have a few expectations. Once selected, fellows must agree to:

• Devote their energy during the year to the fellowship rather than to regular professional work
• Spend the academic terms, September through June, in residence at Stanford
• Participate fully in weekly all-hands meetings and activities organized by the fellowship
• Fellows who commit to return to their news organizations after the fellowship agree to honor that commitment.

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility:

• Experience: U.S. applicants for a JSK Fellowship ideally have at least seven years of full-time professional experience; international applicants ideally have at least five years. But we also consider less experienced applicants with outstanding achievements.
• Degree: No college degree is required.
• Professional Background: We consider applicants who fall into one or more of these categories:
  • Journalists employed by a news organization or journalism freelancers
  • Journalism entrepreneurs and innovators
  • Journalism business and management executives

Selection Criteria: The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship is focused on journalism innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. We select JSK Fellows who are passionate about finding ways to address challenges facing journalism and journalists. To that end, we ask applicants to identify a challenge they want to pursue and tell us a little bit about it. Those who are selected for a fellowship spend a significant portion of their time here working on that challenge.

Selected fellows identify and articulate a challenge in journalism that they want to work on addressing. We expect them to arrive in the program with more questions than answers and we seek people who are eager to experiment and to change course based on what they learn along the way.

JSK Fellows learn from, and collaborate with, each other. Diversity of background, experience and viewpoints is a fundamental value of our program. We enthusiastically include spouses, partners and families in fellowship life.

There is no single formula for identifying a journalism challenge that will assure you are selected for a JSK Fellowship. The best advice we can give you is this: Identify a challenge that you are passionate about pursuing and that is important to helping journalism.

If you are looking for a sabbatical, this is not the program for you.

Number of Awardees: 20

Value of Fellowship: To help fellows get the most out of their year, we provide several financial benefits, including a stipend of $65,000. In addition to the stipend, we provide fellows with additional funds designed to help with specific costs, such as housing, health insurance, child care and expenses related to work on their journalism challenges. (The amounts of these supplemental funds a fellow receives are based in part on family size and range from $13,000 to more than $50,000.)

Other benefits of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship:

• Access to some of the world’s most innovative thinkers and organizations, from technology giants to hot new startups to Stanford’s 100-plus special institutes and centers.
• Opportunities to join classes taught by top-notch Stanford professors and instructors in a wide range of specialties. It is not uncommon for classes to be taught by people who also are working in the private sector.
• A rich intellectual and cultural campus life, including live theater, music and dance performances and special lectures and events.
• Fellowship social events where everyone can get to know one another. A number of these events also are open to fellows’ children.
• Spouses and partners are eligible to take classes and attend fellowship seminars just as the fellows do. Fellows’ children can attend excellent Palo Alto-area schools and are included in some special fellowship social activities.
• Exposure to the incredible diversity of world views, experiences and cultural traditions that about 20 fellows from all over the world bring to the program.
• New friendships, professional connections and entrepreneurial skills that will continue beyond your 10 months with us.

Duration of Fellowship: 10 months (September to June)

How to Apply: Apply here

Visit Fellowship Webpage for details

Award Provider:  John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship Programme