Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship Programme 2019 (Fully-funded)

Deadline: June 29, 2018

Applications are open for Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship programme 2019. The Fellowships offer an opportunity for practising journalists to develop an academic understanding of the media industry and focus on in-depth research, away from the pressure of tight deadlines. Fellowships offer mid-career journalists the opportunity to reflect on the industry and carry out media-based research while being part of the University of Oxford, studying with an international cohort of journalists and academics.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism offers fully funded Fellowships to well established mid-career journalists from throughout the world.  Fellowships may be for three, six or nine months covering one or two terms or a full academic year (October – June) respectively.

Are you a mid-career journalist? Want time to think and research? International journalists are invited to apply for 2019 Journalist Fellowship programme.

Responsibilities

As a Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow you’ll spend one, two or three terms at the University of Oxford, one of the world’s leading universities, where you’ll:

• Attend seminars given by a diverse and high-level range of guest speakers who will share their insights into key industry trends and developments
• Work with an experienced supervisor, usually an Oxford academic, to produce a research paper which will be published and promoted by the Reuters Institute
• Visit world-class news organisations and gain insights into how they are approaching industry challenges. Previous visits have included trips to Thomson Reuters, The Financial Times, The BBC, The Economist and The Guardian
• Join trips to key UK cultural and political organisations and institutions. Previous destinations have included Oxfam, the House of Commons and Stratford-upon-Avon, home of Shakespeare
• Exchange ideas and experiences with a diverse and international peer group. Around 25 Fellows a year join us from high-level media organisations all over the world. Strengthen your network, develop a global set of contacts and gain insights into international trends and developments
• Benefit from the extensive learning facilities offered by the University of Oxford, including the world-famous Bodleian Library and access to various seminars and lectures across the university. You are also encouraged to engage with the university’s cutting edge specialist research facilities, including centres for African, Middle Eastern, South Asian, Eastern and Western European, Japanese and Chinese studies
• Be given visiting scholar status of Green Templeton College

Funding

Awards may include travel expenses (including air travel economy class) and a modest living allowance. This arrangement is subject to variation. Spouses and partners (including with dependents) are welcome but under no circumstances will the Fellowship Programme pay the travel or living costs of visiting spouses or dependents.

Journalists on Fellowships from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Mona Megalli, Wincott and Google will receive a monthly stipend of £2,000 for their living costs during their stay in Oxford, as well as covering travel costs within reason.

Fellowships

1. Anglo American Journalist Fellowship: The Anglo American Journalist Fellowships are aimed at mid-career journalists resident in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Brazil, Peru, Colombia or Chile. The Fellowships will appeal to journalists who are interested in the opportunity of producing a research paper that falls broadly within the categories of Transparency, Accountability and / or Sustainability.
2. Google Digital News Journalist Fellowship: The Google Digital News Journalist Fellowships are aimed at mid-career journalists resident in one of the countries covered in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Turkey. The Fellowships will appeal to journalists who are interested in the opportunity of producing a research paper based on some aspect of either the Digital News Report survey data or digital journalism in their country more generally, with a direct focus on the professional and industry implications based on their own experience.
3. Wincott Business Journalist Fellowship: The Reuters Institute is seeking applications for Wincott Journalist Fellowships as part of its world renowned Journalist Fellowship Programme based at the Reuters Institute in Oxford. Fellowships are aimed at mid-career business journalists resident in sub-Saharan Africa. The Fellowships will appeal to business journalists who want to take a deeper look at one aspect of financial reporting.

Eligibility

• Open to ambitious, high-achieving mid-career international journalists
• Applications are also accepted from freelance journalists, however they must be working journalists who plan to work as journalists after the Fellowship.
• Applicants must have a minimum of five years’ experience in any branch of journalism
• Applicants must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English to be able to participate fully in the life of the Programme and write a research paper in English of publishable quality.
• You will join a diverse group of individuals from around the world including journalists, editors, broadcasters, columnists and freelancers.
• Applicants should have a demonstrable desire to focus on a piece of research related to the media, which you will work on during your time at the Reuters Institute.
• Candidates who are carrying out a research project within one of the Reuters Institute of Journalism’s areas of interest will be given priority in the selection process.

Priority will be given to journalists proposing research projects within the following four areas of focus:

1. Journalism and Democracy – This encompasses projects exploring the functions of media in political information, engagement, and participation, the roles of journalism and other media and communication platforms in democratisation, the interplay of politics and the media, and public policies toward media.
2. Business of Journalism – These projects are focused on the practices and effects of business / financial reporting, variations in practices around the globe, relationships between journalists and sources, and how coverage portrays and effects national and international economic and financial policies.
3. Journalism Practice – These includes projects exploring topics such as the role of news and journalism in creating awareness and understanding of science and medicine, reporting of risk, business/financial reporting, relationships between journalists and sources, and on journalism affects public opinion and governmental policies.
4. Media Policy – This incorporates projects investigating policies and proposed policies affecting media, such as structural and behavioural regulation of broadcasting, press regulation, pluralism policies, ownership controls, content regulation, taxation, and subsidies.

Other areas of research can be considered providing these are clearly related to the professional work of applicants and will lead to greater excellence in journalism.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed on three main criteria:

• The quality of the professional achievements of the journalist, related to the stage they have reached in their career
• Their potential and interest in being part of an international programme, and of contributing to and making best use of the opportunity presented by the fellowship
• The quality of their detailed research proposal and their proposed ideas on how they might promote their research.

Application

Please review the following steps to ensure the complete and timely submission of your application:

1. Make sure you are eligible to apply
2. Decide which fellowship fundingyou will apply for.
3. Prepare your application materials.
4. Complete the online application form, remembering to attach all the required application materials