2023 News Corp Media Fellowship for Digital Innovation
In collaboration with News Corp and The Wall Street Journal, ICFJ is offering journalists from around the world an opportunity to sharpen their digital journalism skills, as well as support to develop data- and/or digitally-driven projects.
The 2023 News Corp Media Fellowship program includes digital innovation training, grant funding and exclusive, virtual newsroom placement with WSJ. It builds on previous iterations of the Fellowship, which since 2014 has offered journalists an immersive experience in some of the world’s most digitally advanced newsrooms.
More About the Fellowship
During the fellowship, the journalist will be embedded virtually for three months (September 15 – December 15) with WSJ. The selected News Corp Media Fellow will have the opportunity to:
- Contribute to WSJ projects on analyzing audience engagement and newsletter interactions
- Lead peer-to-peer discussions
- Promote an exchange of ideas and knowledge
- Establish new partnerships and relationships with WSJ teams
The fellow will also have the opportunity to travel and meet WSJ colleagues at the bureau closest to them. This one-week site visit will include meetings with various teams and newsroom leaders.
The program will cover all expenses during this week-long visit.
How to Apply for the Fellowship
To be considered for the fellowship, journalists must:
1. Participate in two half-day webinars conducted by editors and reporters with expertise in digital tools, data journalism and visualization, artificial intelligence, mobile journalism and audience engagement. Webinars will be open to a select group of up to 50 journalists. Both webinars will occur in April.
2. Receive one of five news innovation grants to support a data or digitally-driven project. Only journalists who participate in both webinars are eligible to apply for these grants. Projects should promote new forms of storytelling, data journalism and visualization, or citizen engagement. Each grant recipient will also receive online editorial coaching and mentorship from experienced editors, reporters and experts.
Only journalists who complete both stages successfully will be considered for the News Corp Media Fellowship. The ideal fellow will be one who:
- Has a strong news sense and curiosity
- Demonstrates strong collaborative skills
- Has an interest in audience engagement and building community
- Is willing to try new things, experiment and innovate
- Comes with ideas for several projects to work on during the fellowship
Requirements to Participate
English-speaking journalists and editors with experience working with data, audience engagement, or newsletters are welcome to apply for the webinars – the first step toward the fellowship. Journalists from all countries are eligible for the opportunity.
While reporting skills will be useful, the fellowship has a non-reporting component, instead focusing on audience, newsletter and other digital journalism skills. The selected journalist should not expect to receive bylines during their fellowship.
Applications can be found here and are open until Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 11.59 pm EST.
