Fellowships

In 1938, nine American journalists — “newspapermen,” in the parlance of the day — set foot on Harvard’s leafy campus to take part in a bold new experiment. They were the first Nieman Fellows, “persons deemed specially qualified for journalism” who, according to the bequest that created the Nieman Foundation, would help “promote and elevate the standards of journalism” through a year of study at one of the world’s great institutions of higher learning.

Since that inaugural class, which assembled even as thunderclouds of war massed over much of the world, more than 1,700 Nieman Fellows from across the globe have come through the foundation’s doors and Harvard’s storied gates. And like those first fellows, they’ve taken advantage of the university’s unparalleled resources, enriched the conversations around them, and left with ideas of how to do better and stronger journalism amid challenging times.

My own Nieman experience was no different, a transformative year spent in the company of distinguished peers and brilliant thinkers. Members of my cohort have gone on to lead their news organizations, bear witness to historic events, invent new reporting tools, and reimagine ways of telling stories and connecting with audiences so that people have the information they need to govern their societies and themselves.

Nearly 90 years in, the mission of the Nieman Foundation and the Nieman Fellowships to strengthen journalism is timelier than ever. If that mission matches your own, I encourage you to apply.

Henry Chu
2015 Nieman Fellow
Interim Curator, Nieman Foundation