Harvard University Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship in Journalism Innovation 2024

The Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship in Journalism Innovation brings individuals to Harvard University to work on a specific course of research or a specific project relating to journalism innovation.

Application Deadline: 22nd January 2024

Eligible Countries: International

To Be Taken At (Country): Boston, USA

About the Award: The Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard share a set of common interests around journalism, innovation, and the evolution of the digital space, and both have longstanding fellowship programs that offer a year of learning and collaboration with others in the Harvard community.

Proposals from Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship candidates may deal with any issue relating to journalism’s digital transformation. Examples include ideas for new revenue streams to fund journalism, the construction of new tools for reporting, or research into news consumption patterns. Candidates must explain how their proposals will benefit journalism.

On campus, Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellows draw upon the wealth of resources available at Harvard and in the surrounding area for their work. Along with the Nieman Foundation and the Berkman Klein Center, Cambridge is home to institutions such as the Harvard Business School, MIT’s Center for Civic Media, the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, the Shorenstein Center for Press, Politics and Public Policy, the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab) and other centers interested in journalism’s evolution.

Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellows are expected to fully participate in both the Nieman and Berkman Klein fellowship programs and serve as a bridge between them. They also are expected to share the results of their work with other fellows and through the Nieman Journalism Lab.

Type: Fellowship

Eligibility: We invite applications from people whose work on Internet and society may overlap with ongoing work at the Berkman Klein Center and may expose our community to new opportunities and approaches. We welcome applications from people who feel that a year as a fellow in our variegated community would accelerate their efforts and contribute to their ongoing personal and professional development.

We encourage applications from scholars, practitioners, innovators, engineers, artists, and others committed to understanding and advancing the public interest. Fellows come from across the disciplinary spectrum and different life paths.

• Some fellows are academics. For the 2024-2025 year, we invite academics who are post-docs or professors to apply.  This year we will accept applications from PhD students and candidates as well.
• Some fellows are practitioners who have built their careers outside of academia, including technologists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, policymakers, activists, journalists, educators, and others from various sectors and callings.
• Many fellows wear multiple hats and straddle different pursuits at the intersections of their capacities. Fellows might be starting, rebooting, driving forward in, questioning, or pivoting from their established careers.
• For the 2024-2025 year, we will prioritize and select for fellows who have a demonstrated record of contributing to public and scholarly conversations in their area of study.
• Fellows are committed to spending their fellowship in concert with others, guided by a heap of kindness, a critical eye, and generosity of spirit.

The fellowship selection process is a multi-dimensional mix of art and science, based on considerations that are specific to each applicant and to the composition of the full fellowship class. Please visit our FAQ to learn more about our selection criteria and considerations.

International applicants: We work with the Harvard International Office (HIO) to sponsor immigration paperwork for our eligible international fellows. An outline of the visa application process and requirements may be found on the HIO website at: http://hio.harvard.edu/scholar-visa-process.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value and Duration of Award: Those selected for the program spend two full semesters at Harvard auditing classes with some of the university’s greatest thinkers, participating in Nieman events and collaborating with peers. Nieman Fellows are also able to audit classes at other local universities including MIT and Tufts.

How to Apply: Candidates who want to apply for the 2024/2025 Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowships should complete the fellowship application and indicate interest in being considered for the Nieman-Berkman Klein program in the appropriate section.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details