Gordon Summer Journalism Fellowship

The Gordon Summer Journalism Fellowships are intended to support and inspire independent summer journalism projects in the U.S. or abroad, particularly (but not exclusively) for aspiring journalists, writers, editors, and other participants in the information media. The Fellowship is open to Yale Journalism Scholars and to active participants in the Yale Daily News and its affiliated publications. Program.

Students develop and propose a story idea and an initial reporting and writing plan. Some examples from recent years are described below.

Projects should first and foremost be journalistic in nature, involving first hand reporting, researching and writing of current events, issues or trends intended for publication in a newspaper or magazine (including on-line news or information sites). Investigative and analytical projects are encouraged.

Support/Guidance. In addition to financial support, each Fellowship recipient will be paired with a member of the Fellowship Committee (most of whom are working journalists or editors) who will help guide the recipient’s project, including providing assistance in shaping the reporting plan, suggesting interim milestones and deadlines and targeting an appropriate outlet for publishing the completed work.

Size/Length of Projects – Two Alternatives. Students may apply for either;

1.a one- to three-week project, which could be done before, after or in conjunction with an internship, job or other fellowship, with fellowship amount to be in the range of $600 - $1800, or 2.for a six- to eight-week project intended to represent the student’s primary activity for the summer, with fellowship amount to be in the range of $4,000 - $5,000.

Application Process. Applications must be submitted by the deadline above. Applications can be submitted via the Yale Fellowship Office or may be emailed to Mark Gordon (mgordon@wlrk.com). Please contact us if this deadline poses a particular problem for you. We are available to discuss potential projects in advance of the deadline.

Criteria for Selection The selection of applications to be awarded Fellowships, the number of Fellowships to be awarded in a given year, and the size of each of such Fellowships will be determined each year in the discretion of the Fellowship Committee. Among the factors to be considered by the Fellowship Committee in evaluating a particular proposal are the merits of the proposal, the seriousness and commitment of the applicant, the applicant’s past and future contributions to journalism at Yale, the financial requirements of the proposal, and the merit and financial requirements of other competing applications. Concrete, well-thought-out proposals will, unsurprisingly, have a greater chance of success. It is possible that no fellowships will be granted in any given year. Applying for a Fellowship does not preclude you from applying for other grants or fellowships for which you may be eligible through Yale or external sources. 4.Support and Assistance During the Fellowship, and Post-Fellowship Follow-up

Each recipient will be paired with a member of the Fellowship Committee (most of whom are working journalists or editors) who will serve as a mentor and advisor, and help guide and structure the recipient’s project, including:

• assistance in shaping the reporting plan,
• setting interim deadlines,
• reviewing outlines and drafts, and
• assistance in finding an appropriate outlet for publishing the completed work.

During the Fellowship summer, Fellowship recipients will be expected to provide twice-weekly updates to the Fellowship Committee via email.

Following the summer, Fellowship recipients will be expected to present and discuss their work with the Fellowship Committee and other interested YDN staff members and alumni. If suitable, the work would be expected to be published in the appropriate YDN publication.

Publication of Completed Projects

Recent past recipients have seen their work published in outlets such as The Atlantic (online), Foreign Policy, Time (online), Texas Monthly, the Texas Tribune, and in Yale publications. We will work with recipients to target appropriate outlets.

Fellowships are intended for (1) Yale Journalism Scholars and (2) members of the YDN Board, in either case who are in their freshman, sophomore or junior year at the time of application (i.e., for summer after freshman, sophomore or junior year). Graduating seniors may also be considered on a case by case basis. Students receiving financial aid from Yale are encouraged to apply. We will work with you to seek to make the Fellowship work with your summer-contribution and other financial aid requirements.