The Nieman Foundation announces named fellowships for the class of 2023

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard has announced the named fellowships for the class of 2023. These fellowships are supported by foundation grants and endowed funds that provide important financial assistance to journalists from the United States and abroad.


Jorge Valencia, the Latin America correspondent for the public radio program “The World,” is the 2023 Knight Latin American Nieman Fellow. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has funded dozens of Nieman Fellowships for journalists from Latin America since 1981.


Danny Fenster, editor-at-large for Frontier Myanmar, an investigative news magazine covering business and politics in Myanmar, and Tanya Kozyreva, an investigative reporter based in Kyiv, Ukraine, are the Murrey Marder Nieman Fellows in Watchdog Journalism. The fellowship honors the memory of Murrey Marder, a longtime Washington Post reporter and 1950 Nieman Fellow who funded and helped found the Nieman Watchdog Project.


Natasha Khan, a Hong Kong- based Asia correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and Moises Saman, a Spanish-American photojournalist and a member of Magnum Photos, are the 2023 Ruth Cowan Nash Nieman Fellows. Nash was best known for her work as an Associated Press war correspondent during World War II. She also served as a president of the Washington Press Club.


Amanda Becker, the Washington, D.C., correspondent for The 19th, is the Louis Stark Nieman Fellow. The fellowship honors the memory of the New York Times reporter who was a pioneer in the field of labor reporting.


Bopha Phorn, an independent journalist based in Phnom Penh and the first Nieman Fellow from Cambodia, is the Atsuko Chiba Nieman Fellow. The Chiba fellowship honors the memory of Atsuko Chiba, a 1968 Nieman Fellow from Japan.


Olga Churakova, an independent Russian journalist and podcast host, is the Robert Waldo Ruhl Nieman Fellow. Ruhl, a 1903 Harvard graduate, was editor and publisher of the Medford Mail-Tribune in Oregon from 1911-1967.


Adefemi Akinsanya, an international correspondent and anchor for Arise News in Lagos, Nigeria, is the Carroll Binder Nieman Fellow. The Binder Fund honors 1916 Harvard graduate Carroll Binder, who expanded the Chicago Daily News Foreign Service, and his son, Carroll “Ted” Binder, a 1943 Harvard graduate.


Sheikh Sabiha Alam, a senior reporter for the daily Prothom Alo newspaper in Bangladesh, is the Barry Bingham Jr. Nieman Fellow. Bingham, a 1956 Harvard graduate, was the editor and publisher of the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times.

Pinar Ersoy, a BBC editor who runs BBC Monitoring’s Turkey team in Istanbul, is the William Montalbano Nieman Fellow. Montalbano was a 1970 Nieman Fellow and a prize-winning Los Angeles Times reporter who reported from 100 countries during his 38-year career.


The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard educates leaders in journalism, promotes innovation and elevates the standards of the profession. More than 1,700 journalists from 100 countries have been awarded Nieman Fellowships since 1938.


The foundation also publishes Nieman Reports, a website and print magazine covering thought leadership in journalism; Nieman Journalism Lab, a website reporting on the future of news, innovation and best practices in the digital media age; and Nieman Storyboard, a website showcasing exceptional narrative journalism and nonfiction storytelling.