New York, NY — December 16, 2024 — With threats to journalists mounting around the world, top academic institutions led by the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY are launching the Knight Press Freedom Fellowships program to support journalists at risk. The new program is made possible by a generous grant from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, based in Miami.
In addition to the Newmark J-School, participating institutions include the Knight-Wallace Fellowship program at the University of Michigan; the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University; and the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.
The Knight Press Freedom Fellowships will support leading journalists from around the world who face censorship or other repressive action. The goal of the fellowship program is to allow threatened journalists to stay in the profession. Journalists of stature who have made a significant contribution to global understanding are eligible for consideration.
The Knight program fills a critical gap by supporting journalists who may not be candidates for existing fellowship programs due to personal or professional circumstances or because of an emergency situation requiring immediate action. There is no standard application process for Knight Press Freedom Fellows. Each fellowship is developed by the participating institution based on its own criteria and in consultation with the proposed fellow. Fellowships can be resident or non-resident, short-term or longer-term, and can support independent research or journalism-related projects.
The fellowship program is guided by an advisory board consisting of Lynette Clemetson, director of the Knight-Wallace Fellowships at the University of Michigan; Dawn Garcia, director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford; Kathy Kiely, the Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies at the University of Missouri; Lucy Westcott, Emergencies Director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Jim Brady, Vice President of Journalism at Knight Foundation. The advisory group is chaired by Joel Simon, founding director of the Journalism Protection Initiative, which administers the fellowship program.
More information about the Knight Press Freedom Fellowship program is available here.
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About the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, founded in 2006, is a public graduate journalism school based in the heart of New York City. With affordable tuition and extensive scholarship support, it prepares students from diverse economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds to produce high-quality journalism. The school offers 16-month master’s degree programs: M.A. in Journalism, M.A. in Engagement Journalism, and M.A. in Journalism – Bilingual Program (English/Spanish). Through the school’s J+ division, which offers a suite of executive training programs, the J-School trains seasoned journalists to reimagine news business models, build news products, and step into leadership roles with an entrepreneurial mindset. The Newmark J-School is also home to four unique centers and initiatives: the McGraw Center for Business Journalism; the Center for Community Media; the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism; and the Journalism Protection Initiative.
About the Journalism Protection Initiative
The Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY was established in February 2023 to support research, convenings, and education related to press freedom and media safety. “Journalists are under threat around the world and I’m thrilled that, thanks to Knight Foundation, the academic community is able to come together to support them in new and innovative ways,” said JPI founding director Joel Simon.
About Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. KF.org. “For decades, Knight Foundation has supported journalists facing threats and persecution by funding individual fellowships,” said Jim Brady, vice president of Knight Foundation. “The Knight Press Freedom Fellowship program formalizes that process, allowing us to stand with leading academic institutions committed to press freedom and supporting journalists at risk.”
About the Knight-Wallace Fellowship Program
The Knight-Wallace Fellowships offer accomplished journalists an academic year of study and collaborative learning at the University of Michigan. Through this fellowship, journalists have the opportunity to deepen knowledge, develop new ideas and address challenges facing the journalism industry. For five decades, the Knight-Wallace Fellowships have been a steadfast advocate for press freedom, providing vital support and a safe haven for journalists at risk.
“The Knight Press Freedom Fellowship fills a vital need in the landscape of support for journalists facing danger,” said Lynette Clemetson, Director, Wallace House Center for Journalists and Knight-Wallace Fellowships, University of Michigan. “It allows for the creation of tailored responses in cases that do not easily fit the structures and timelines of existing programs. It is an honor to collaborate with the Journalism Protection Initiative on this important effort.”
About the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships Program at Stanford
The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships empower diverse journalism leaders to succeed as effective change agents, sustain democratic communities, and defend press freedom around the world. Stanford has offered journalism fellowships since 1966 as a way to give journalists access to the university and develop leaders in the field. The fellowship program was renamed in 1984 for newspaper executive John S. Knight. “We believe the growing level of hostility to journalists by repressive regimes and the deterioration of press freedom across the globe are challenges that need our focus and attention,” said JSK Fellowships director Dawn Garcia. “We’re glad to be part of this new initiative to step in to help journalists who are at risk, but may not fit into our existing programs.”
About the Missouri School of Journalism
Founded in 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism was the world’s first school of journalism. Located on the flagship campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, it trains U.S. and international undergraduate and graduate students through work in both the classroom and professional newsrooms. Missouri School of Journalism students learn their craft by working in five professional newsrooms, including the NBC and NPR affiliates for mid-Missouri. “Our support for this important Knight initiative stands squarely in the tradition of our school’s founding dean, Walter Williams,” said Kathy Kiely, the school’s Lee Hills Chair in Free Press Studies. “He understood the importance of advancing press freedom globally and we continue that legacy today.”
About the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
“At the Committee to Protect Journalists, we know first-hand the scale of threats against journalists globally, and the need for programs like the Knight Press Freedom Fellowships to help members of the media continue their work in the face of repression,” said Lucy Westcott, CPJ’s Emergencies Director. “I am thrilled to be an advisory board member, and to help support this crucial initiative.”