Class of 2009

Kael Alford, a freelance photojournalist based in Atlanta, plans to study how dominant narratives relating to U.S. foreign policy are reinforced through mass media. She also will research models for multimedia approaches to independent reporting.

Hannah Allam, Cairo bureau chief, McClatchy Newspapers, will study sectarianism within Islam, focusing on Arab-Persian relations and Sunni vs. Shiite doctrine on governance, armed struggle and family law.

Mónica Almeida (Ecuador), Quito bureau chief , El Universo, will study the relationship between business and government in some South American countries ruled by left-of-center and/or nationalist administrations. She is a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow.

Rosita Boland (Ireland), reporter, The Irish Times, will study the ways in which recipient countries have adapted to their multicultural incoming communities, and how politics, education, language, economics, media coverage and culture influence integration in both directions.

Carla Broyles, Metro deputy news editor, The Washington Post, will examine the power of images in the media and the impact they have on how ethnic communities are represented and regarded.

Haili Cao (China), foreign editor, Caijing magazine, will study foreign affairs, their influence on global trends and the role China plays in them. She also will study the history, religion and culture of the Middle East, India and Africa. Cao is the Atsuko Chiba Nieman Fellow. Her fellowship honors the memory of Atsuko Chiba, a 1968 Nieman Fellow.

Jae Hyun Choi (Korea), reporter, Korean Broadcasting System, will study international politics and explore possible changes in the role and policy of the United States in North East Asia due to the rapid growth of Chinese influence in the region. His fellowship is supported by The Asia Foundation.

Alfredo Corchado, Mexico bureau, The Dallas Morning News, will study the fallout of organized crime on Latin America’s young, fragile democracies, particularly the impact on the freedom of the press and consequences for the United States.

Sapiet Dakhshukaeva (Russia), producer, BBC Russian Service, Moscow, will study the psychological outcomes of war-zone trauma and methods for healing survivors of war. Dakhshukaeva is the Barry Bingham Jr. Nieman Fellow.

Scheherezade Faramarzi (Iran/Canada), reporter, The Associated Press, Lebanon, will study the Sunni-Shia divide that is often caused by the changing alliances of Western nations with regional players and how mainstream U.S. media covers the war on terror. Faramarzi is the Ruth Cowan Nash Nieman Fellow.

David Jackson, reporter, Chicago Tribune, will study the lives and social impact of elementary school pupils who are so often absent, suspended or truant that they have effectively dropped out of school by the eighth grade.

Kalpana Jain (India), health journalist and former health editor, The Times of India, will study global health systems and explore sustainable solutions for providing health care in developing countries. Jain is a Nieman Fellow in Global Health Reporting, with funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Thabo Jerry Leshilo (South Africa), editor in chief, Sowetan, will study economics and its application to public policy. He will focus on microeconomic behavior and the rationale for government intervention when people make decisions that are detrimental to their own well-being. Leshilo’s fellowship is supported by the Nieman Society of Southern Africa.

Margarita Martinez (Colombia), freelance filmmaker, plans to focus on film, Latin American studies and Chinese philosophies. Martinez is a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow.

Margie Mason, Asia-Pacific medical writer, The Associated Press, will study the international response to emerging infectious diseases in developing countries and how lessons from past experiences have influenced pandemic preparedness and the overall strengthening of poor health systems. Mason is a Nieman Fellow in Global Health Reporting, with funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Graciela Mochkofsky (Argentina), reporter and writer, will study the impact and potential of Internet technology in Latin America. Mochkofsky is a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow.

Ching-Ching Ni, Beijing correspondent, Los Angeles Times, will study the intersection among religion, politics and immigration, with a focus on the changing spiritual landscape of America.

Ronke Olawale (Nigeria), senior features correspondent, Guardian Newspapers Limited, will concentrate on maternal health and child survival strategies, as well as public health policies and strategies for revitalizing the primary health care delivery systems in developing countries. Olawale is a Nieman Fellow in Global Health Reporting, with funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dorothy Parvaz, columnist and editorial writer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, will study American history and constitutional law with a focus on the moral and social underpinnings that created the country’s current political climate. Parvaz is the Louis Stark Nieman Fellow.

Guy Raz, defense correspondent, National Public Radio, will study the collapse of ancient and modern empires and the effect of such collapses on global order.

Julia Reynolds, staff writer, The Monterey County Herald, will study the epidemiology of street gangs and how to measure the effectiveness of youth violence prevention programs. Reynolds is the Donald W. Reynolds Nieman Fellow in Community Journalism.

Andrea Simakis, reporter, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, will study U.S. immigration and refugee policy and its impact on how newcomers learn and navigate American culture.

Ernie Suggs, enterprise reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will study the significance, history and future of historically black colleges and universities and their place in American society.

Fatima Tlisova (Russia), freelance correspondent in the Northwest Caucasus. She plans to study the nexus between fighting terrorism, human rights violations and the press.

Tommy Tomlinson, columnist, The Charlotte Observer, will study how the causes and consequences of poverty unfold at the neighborhood level.

Nathalie Villard (France), business reporter, Capital magazine, will study how the American economy and society adapt to globalization with regard to four challenges: innovation, immigration, job outsourcing and competition from emerging economies. Villard is the Robert Waldo Ruhl Fellow.

Chris Vognar, movie critic, The Dallas Morning News, will study interdisciplinary connections between African-American culture and history and today’s African-American pop culture. Vognar is the 2009 Arts and Culture Nieman Fellow.

Peter Wolodarski (Sweden), editorial writer, Dagens Nyheter, will study the future of health care, especially how to increase innovation and efficiency in publicly financed systems.

Andrei Zolotov Jr. (Russia), editor and publisher, russiaprofile.org, will study the interrelationship between politics, religion and media, including the adoption of Russia’s 1997 law regulating religious organizations, and the historic role of religion in nation building. He also will study media management. Zolotov is the William Montalbano Nieman Fellow.