Class of 2007

Gina Acosta, editorial page copy editor at The Washington Post, will study the fiscal consequences of U.S. immigration policy and the participation of ethnic and religious minorities in public life.

Harro Albrecht (Germany), medical writer/editor at Die Zeit, will study the conditions that favor sustainable and efficient health care: What impact do the economic, social and political relationships within a country have on the health situation? What takes priority: prosperity or health? Albrecht is a Nieman Fellow in Global Health Reporting, with funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Tangeni Amupadhi (Namibia), editor of Insight Namibia magazine, will focus on how economics and business reporting can be improved to help ordinary Namibian and African voters spot the personal interests that motivate politicians when making decisions. Amupadhi is the Montalbano Fellow, with funding provided by the William Montalbano Memorial Fund.

Christopher Cousins, reporter for The Times Record/Brunswick (Maine) Publishing Company, will study the events, trends and forecasts that bred the perception of Maine as an overtaxed, underachieving and economically disadvantaged state struggling for a position in the emerging world economy. Cousins is the Donald W. Reynolds Nieman Fellow in Community Journalism, with funding provided by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

Yuyu Dong (China), opinion page editor in chief of Guangming Daily, will focus on understanding the standards necessary to judge and analyze social situations. Dong is the Carroll Binder Fellow, with funding provided by the Carroll Binder Fund.

Renee Ferguson, investigative reporter at WMAQ TV NBC-5 Chicago, will study American constitutional law and the tension between national security and human rights in an open society with an emphasis on the First Amendment; and the relationship, historically, and currently, between journalism and government during times of war.

Dexter Filkins, Baghdad correspondent for The New York Times, will study the interaction between the West and Islamic world since the September 11 attacks, with special emphasis on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Eliza Griswold, a freelance journalist who has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine and The New York Times Magazine, will study the hardening of political and religious fault lines between Christianity and Islam along the Tenth Parallel and their global impact.

Evelyn Hernández, opinion page editor of El Diario/La Prensa, will study the role of media in preserving Hispanic institutions, communities and identity and building new ones, given the ongoing changes in the U.S. Hispanic population.

Alagi Yorro Jallow (Gambia), managing editor of The Independent newspaper, will study the links between economic development and democracy, along with politics, human rights, media development and public policy. Jallow is the Bingham Fellow, with funding provided by the Barry Bingham Jr. Fund.

Damakant Jayshi (Nepal), deputy news editor of the The Kathmandu Post, will study the guiding principles behind the United States’ policy on Nepal and how much the U.S. global war on terrorism is influencing Nepal and South Asia. Jayshi is the Chiba Nieman Fellow, with funding provided by the Atsuko Chiba Nieman Fellowship Fund. This fund was established in memory of Atsuko Chiba, a 1968 Nieman Fellow.

Ian Johnson, reporter/editor in Berlin for The Wall Street Journal, will study the role of religion and civil society in societies under stress.

David Kohn, medical and science reporter at The Sun, Baltimore, Md., will study international public health, including the politics of HIV prevention, global mental illness and the idea of war as a public health problem. Kohn is a Nieman Fellow in Global Health Reporting, with funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Juanita Leon (Colombia), Semana online editor at Publicaciones Semana, will study the role of the United States in Latin America, especially on issues related to the war on drugs and terrorism. Leon is a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow, with funding provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Rose Luwei Luqiu (China), assignment editor at Phoenix Satellite Television, will study international affairs, especially relations between China and the United States, and the impact of the Internet on the future of the media industry. Luwei is the Ruth Cowan Nash Fellow, with funding provided by the Nash Fund.

Andrea McCarren, investigative reporter at WJLA-TV, Washington, D.C., will pursue an anthropological study of adolescence in America with an emphasis on the impact of new technology on school violence and gang membership.

Cameron McWhirter, staff writer/metro at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will study the role of race riots in creating and shaping the segregated geography of urban America.

Kondwani Munthali (Malawi), broadcast journalist at Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, will study the formulation of global health policies and the institutions, such as the World Health Organization, that carry out these policies. Munthali is a Nieman Fellow in Global Health Reporting, with funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Patsy Nakell (Finland), editor in chief of Ny Tid, will study the early 20th century history of American policy in the Middle East, with special focus on the political impact of the King Crane commission report in 1919. Nakell is the Robert Waldo Ruhl Fellow, with funding provided by the Robert Waldo Ruhl Fellowship Fund. Her fellowship is also supported by Svenska Kulturfonden.

Anja Niedringhaus (Germany), photographer for The Associated Press, will study culture, history, religion and the issues of gender in the Middle East and their impact on the development of foreign policy in the United States and other Western countries. Her fellowship is supported by the Buffett Foundation.

Kate Peters (United Kingdom), world news producer at the British Broadcasting Corporation, will study the impact of continuous news and the Internet on broadcast journalism, especially in coverage of wars and civil conflict.

Claudio Sanchez, national education correspondent for National Public Radio, will study educational policies and practices that have failed Mexican immigrant children — legal and illegal — to better understand why so many are growing up alienated and unskilled.

James Scott, general assignment reporter for The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C., will study the exploitation of Latinos in the U.S. labor force and the rise of anti-immigrant legislation. Scott is the Louis Stark Fellow for labor and workplace issues. Funding is provided by the Louis Stark Fellowship Fund in honor of Louis Stark, a pioneer in the field of labor reporting.

Gail Smith (South Africa), editor of Pulse Magazine (City Press), will study identity, race, class, gender, culture, poverty, popular culture, media, politics and power across different disciplines. Her fellowship is supported by the Nieman Society of Southern Africa.

Tini Tran, Vietnam bureau chief for The Associated Press, will study the link between market reforms and democracy in China’s model of governance and its subsequent impact in shaping Asia’s future.

Mauricio Herrera Ulloa (Costa Rica), investigative journalist at La Nación, will study the causes and mechanisms of high-level corruption in Latin America and its weakening impact on democracy. Ulloa is a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow, with funding provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Craig Welch, environment reporter at The Seattle Times, will study how rapid globalization influences illegal markets for natural resources at home and abroad.