JOIN USProgrammes for journalists
Foreign Correspondent Programme in Finland:
A recent journalism graduate, or one who will graduate soon, might be eligible for a month-long stay in this Nordic country as they are introduced to Finnish business, politics and culture.
People strictly between the ages of 20 and 25, who are fluent in English, can apply through the Embassy of Finland’s website in their home country when the programme is advertised, usually around January of each year.
Applications from India are now accepted. Selected participants will be funded for international travel expenses, local travel in Finland, food and accommodation but will not be covered for medical insurance or daily expenses.
The application procedure is fairly elaborate, entailing a resume template, an application form and an essay, all of which can be downloaded. Submission is via email. http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=85557&culture=en-US
United Nations Journalism Fellowship: A working journalist across print, broadcast, web and radio, between 25 and 35 years old, can apply to spend up to two month from the United Nations headquarters in New York under the Dag Hammarskjold Journalism Fellowship.
Applicants work should reflect an interest in international affairs. They should also have the permission of their employer to participate and that the reportage from this programme will be used in the publication. Participants should also reside and work in a developing country as well as be fluent in English. Eligible countries, on an annual rotational basis, and other details, are available online at http://unjournalismfellowship.org/node/564.
Australian Young Media Fellowship: The Australian-India Council provides this all-expense paid opportunity for a local print or television journalist to spend up to a month in Australia reporting stories to be published in the Indian media.
Applicants must be employed by an Indian media firm and have the organisation’s permission to participate. However, based on information on the website, it is unclear whether the programme will continue next year. Interested applicants should check in January 2012. http://www.dfat.gov.au/aic/aic_ymf.html
BBC Journalism Trainee Scheme: Only 15 people will be selected in this paid-programme to be trained in broadcast, online and radio skills by the BBC. Online applications are invited in September. The programme starts the following February or March and lasts for a year.
An orientation session will be held for selected participants in January and short listed applicants must be present for a personal interview and series of tests at headquarter offices in London. Applicants should also have permission to work in the U.K.
Participants are likely to be rotated between offices in various parts of the U.K. during the training period. No specific credentials are required. However, people who have been trained in, previously or currently work in broadcast are not eligible to apply. http://-www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/jts/about-the-scheme.shtml
Reuters Foundation: This organization regularly advertises seminars and workshops for journalists in different parts of the world. Basic skills such as reporting and writing news as well as subject-specific courses such as business reporting are conducted. Some financial aid options are available. Applications must be submitted online.
http://www.reuterslink.org/
Young India Fellowship: Slightly different from the others listed here, this programme is not specific to journalism but is an option worth exploring for people interested in current affairs. A relatively new venture, the Young India Fellowship, in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania, is being called India’s equivalent of the Rhodes scholarship.
Supported by some of the brightest minds in media, business and other fields, this opportunity seems to develop 50 interdisciplinary leaders. A residential postgraduate course, selected applicants are awarded a scholarship of approximately Rs 8 lakh, which will cover all expenses for one year of study.
Course content includes history, politics, English, philosophy, economics and art. http://www.youngindiafellowship.com/Index.aspx
Although not specific to students, below are two programmes that young journalists can possibly plan for later in their career.
Nieman Fellowship: This fellowship is one of the oldest and most prestigious journalism opportunities offered to 24 mid-career full-time journalists, in the United States and around the world, who have a minimum of five years of work experience.
Freelancers can also apply. Fellows, and their families, can spend a year at Harvard University, attending classes and programme-specific seminars, among other events, the biggest of which is the annual Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism. Participants must be granted a year (10 months) leave of absence from their current employer and return to the organisation at the end of this period. See http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/NiemanFoundation.aspx for more information.
Daniel Pearl Fellowship: Available to non-U.S. mid-career print journalists with at least three years of work experience, this fellowship grants six months of reporting experience in American newsrooms.
The programme seeks to advance Daniel Pearl’s work by providing the opportunity to write for the audiences he reached out to, reporting from environments most familiar to him. Applications are accessible around May and must be submitted via postal mail by August 1 of the year preceding the year in which the fellowship is to be undertaken. Check http://www.pressfellowships.org/DPearl.html.