Professional British journalists are being offered the chance to work for three months as a reporter on the national news desk of the Washington Post this summer, and travel the US for a month.
The Laurence Stern Fellowship is now in its 40th year and is open to journalists who work in Britain (not just London) across any news medium: print, radio, TV or online.
There is no age limit, but the fellowship is aimed at attracting young journalists with two or three years’ experience working on important national stories, with cuttings to prove it, who are capable of “making himself or herself useful to the Post’s national desk”.
The fellowship is named after the former Post assistant managing editor who was something of an anglophile prior to his death in 1979.
Previous fellows include FT editor Lionel Barber, former Newsnight editor Ian Katz, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman and Guardian editor-at-large Gary Younge.
Last year’s winner, Gabriel Pogrund of the Sunday Times, said: “The Stern Fellowship is the best thing I have ever done.
“During my summer, I went to twenty states, followed Trump around the Rust Belt, attended John McCain’s funeral, covered Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation from the US Senate and flew to Pittsburgh in the wake of the synagogue shooting.
“I shook hands with Obama, got ignored by Jared and Ivanka Trump, and had Mike Pence brush aside Secret Service agents so we could do an impromptu interview.
“Three-and-a-half decades on, the Stern Fellowship continues to give young British hacks a summer no one could ever reasonably expect, not to mention skills and anecdotes to last a lifetime. Please apply.”
Applicants will be reviewed by a panel of the fellowship’s sponsors. Broadcasters must have enough writing experience to convince the panel of their abilities.
The winner will be chosen by a senior editor from the Post and paid a salary as well as air fare. The fellowship will also provide a “modest sum” for US travel for one month after the secondment.
To apply, write a piece explaining why you are right for this opportunity and send it along with a CV containing at least two references (one from a current or previous editor/producer) and three recent samples of your work submitted in PDF format only.
Joint bylines must include a short paragraph explaining which elements were your contributions. TV or radio journalists can submit scripts or give examples of recent achievements.
Candidates will be interviewed soon after the closing date. A second interview for those shortlisted will take place at City University, London, on 19 March. The fellowship starts in July this year.
Send applications to stern.fellowship@gmail.com, or by post to:
Dr Glenda Cooper
Department of Journalism
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London
EC1V OHB
The deadline for applications is 4pm on 28 February 2019. Visit the City University website for more information.
Picture: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
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