AFPF announces new Executive Director Kathleen Graham

The Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships (AFPF), an American non-profit, non-governmental organization, is a cultural and professional exchange program for journalists. Through AFPF, journalists and their readers gain a broader view of the world and journalism thereby creating mutual understanding and peaceful relations between Americans and people of other nations. Fellows return home with new journalistic skills and knowledge, and a desire to advance a free, responsible press in their own countries–without which democracy does not exist.

Since 1984, the core program has provided developing world journalists the opportunity to work as reporters at American newspapers for five months. The program, which runs from mid-March to early September, is offered annually to print and online journalists between the ages of 25 and 35.

While in the U.S., Fellows spend the majority of their time reporting for their American host newspapers but are also encouraged to attend conferences and workshops, read journalism books, and make short-term professional visits to organizations that are relevant to their work at home. Special AFPF seminars are organized for the Fellows at the beginning, middle and end of the program. Upon returning home, Fellows organize and lead seminars based on the knowledge and skills gained through their AFPF experiences.

In the last five years we have refined the program for increased journalistic and cross-cultural impact by expanding the enrichment activities we offer to our international Fellows, creating partnerships, hosting forums, sending American journalists overseas to conduct training and requiring the Fellows to conduct journalism seminars upon returning home.

Since 2002, AFPF has worked with the Daniel Pearl Foundation to provide special fellowships to honor the life and work of journalist Daniel Pearl – The Wall Street Journal South Asia bureau chief who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Created to encourage dialogue among people of different cultures, reduce cultural and religious tensions and create a platform for responsible and creative journalism, the fellowships are offered to Muslim journalists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

Since 2007, AFPF has had a partnership with Nation Media Group of East Africa. In the first three years (2007-09), The Kansas City Star hosted Nation Media Group (NMG) journalists in their newsroom for five months of on-the-job training and sent their journalists to Kenya, Tanzania and/or Uganda to provide one month of training and direct newsroom mentoring to Nation Media Group employees. In 2010 and 2011, the Missouri School of Journalism and its newspaper the Missourian, hosted NMG’s reporters exposing them to innovations in journalism.

In 2009 and 2010 AFPF partnered with China Daily Group, whose flagship publication China Daily is the national English-language newspaper. In 2010 we hosted the second China Daily reporter in as many years as an Alfred Friendly Fellow.

In 2009, AFPF partnered with Money Today, a South Korean business publication. In 2012, AFPF is hosting the third Money Today reporter since our partnership began.

These partnerships enlighten readers, improve business models and journalistic skills in the U.S. and the sending countries, and deepen understanding and learning.