Eight Journalists Awarded Pew Fellowships in International Journalism at SAIS
Washington - 11/10/1998 - Eight U.S. journalists have been awarded four-month fellowships to focus on international affairs in the second program of the Pew Fellowships in International Journalism at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of The Johns Hopkins University.
The Pew Fellowships in International Journalism, funded by a $2.9 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, were created this year to provide early-career U.S. journalists with an opportunity to study international affairs and to do in-depth reporting overseas. Two groups of Pew Fellows are chosen each year - one for a fall session and one for each spring. Seven Pew Fellows are now completing the fall 1998 program.
"Young U.S. journalists are looking for opportunities to learn about international issues first-hand. We're pleased to have such an outstanding group of journalists for our second program," said John Schidlovsky, director of the Pew Fellowships and a veteran foreign correspondent. The average age of the new Pew Fellows is 30.
The Pew Fellows and the countries on which they will focus are:
Emily Backus, freelance reporter, New York - Italy
Richard Byrne, Riverfront Times, St. Louis - Yugoslavia
Steve Inskeep, National Public Radio, Washington D.C. - Colombia
Jason Maloney, ABC News, New York - Guinea-Bissau
Carrie Miller, Manhattan Mercury, Kansas - Costa Rica
Carol Pastan, NBC Dateline, New York - Guatemala
Justin Pritchard, Legi-Slate News, Washington, D.C. - Cuba
Edie Rubinowitz, WBEZ Radio, Chicago - Panama
The Fellows will report on such topics as press freedom, labor rights, refugee issues, environmental cleanup, conflict resolution, sustainable agriculture and economic development during the overseas travel portion of their fellowships.
The eight Pew Fellows arrive at SAIS 01/18/1999 to begin a two-month Washington-based program of studies, including special daily seminars on international topics. Pew Fellows are also invited to audit SAIS classes in international affairs. Each
Fellow spends five weeks overseas, reporting on a specific news story outlined by the journalists. The Pew Fellows return to SAIS for two weeks to prepare their news reports, which are offered to news organizations and excerpts of which are published by the Pew Fellowships program.
The Pew Fellows were selected by a panel of distinguished journalists and scholars that included: Seymour Topping, administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes; Robert DeVecchi, adjunct senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations; Loren Jenkins, senior editor of National Public Radio; Patricia King, professor of law at Georgetown Law Center; Simon Li, foreign editor of the Los Angeles Times; Phyllis McGrady, vice president and executive producer, ABC News; Deborah Potter, executive director of NewsLab; Nadya Shmavonian, independent consultant and former executive vice president of the Pew Charitable Trusts, and David Zucchino, assistant to the editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The first group of Pew Fellows is now overseas in their travel period before returning to Washington at the end of November. These journalists are focusing on projects in: Chile; Namibia; Azerbaijan; West Bank/Gaza; China; Bosnia and Kenya.
The deadline for applications for the fall 1999 program is 04/10/1999. For more information on the fellowships, see the website at or call (202) 663-7761.
SAIS is one of the country's leading graduate schools devoted to the study of international relations. Located in the heart of downtown Washington, near think tanks, embassies and government offices, the school enrolls more than 450 full-time graduate students and mid-career professionals and has trained more than 9,000 alumni in all aspects of international affairs. Its distinguished faculty includes some of the nation's leading experts in global issues.
The Pew Charitable Trusts, among the nation's largest philanthropies, support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Based in Philadelphia, the Trusts make strategic investments that encourage and support citizen participation in addressing critical issues and effecting social change. In 1997, with more than $4.5 billion in assets, the Trusts awarded $181 million to 320 nonprofit organizations.
For more information, contact Felisa Neuringer Klubes at the SAIS Public Affairs Office at 202.663.5626 or [email protected].