Alumni Perspectives

Beth Macy, NF ’10

I was a much more confident journalist — convinced, finally, that it really was possible to do big journalism in smaller communities — and I was more curious about the larger world, and where the communities I wrote about fit within them.

Wendi C. Thomas, NF ’16

I came to Cambridge with a vision for the project, but what I didn’t have was confidence. There were no entrepreneurial journalists in Memphis for me to follow. I wasn’t sure how to raise enough money to pay our contributors fairly. And part of me wondered if I was crazy to try.

Issac Bailey, NF ’14

When you hail from a small-market newspaper in a small state, convincing those outside of your readership area to take you seriously is a daunting task. When you are gifted with the stamp of Nieman at Harvard University, your work suddenly becomes indispensable.

Mary Beth Sheridan, NF ’13

Not only were the professors brilliant; they were generous and eager to hear my opinions. The Harvard community, including my Nieman Fellows, were curious, full of ideas, and really collegial. Thanks to the Nieman program, I began to think of myself as a leader.

The Nieman year gave me a gift that was totally unexpected, a series of conversations, encounters and contemplations that converged to change the course of my career. … It gave me the confidence to leave traditional journalism to be part of the future of journalism.

Lorie Hearn, NF ’95

Amy Ellis Nutt, NF ’05

One of the most wonderful things about the experience was meeting the international fellows, journalists who have had to put their lives on the line for their work.

Gwen Thompkins, NF ’11

My area of study when I was at Harvard was storytelling. I tried to use [the] year to learn about all kinds of different ways to tell stories.

Anna Griffin, NF ’12

I’m going back to my newsroom feeling a real responsibility to be more involved in teaching younger people, and in making my voice heard when there are big decisions to be made, and in being a pain in the neck to my bosses.

H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, NF ’86

People say, ‘Why’d you begin to write books?’ The reason I really began to write books is that, after my Nieman year, I felt I owed it to myself to go and do something out of the box. So that’s what I did.

The Nieman Fellowship has supported people in countries that are very repressive. Comparing then and now, it’s day and night.

Joseph Thloloe, NF ’89