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"It is because of AFPF that I have discovered many of my skills and have been able to diversify in the field of journalism." Qudssia Akhlaque, Pakistan, 1992 |
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Program Overview for Potential Participants
Applications:
"The broadening of my perspective has been the biggest
contribution of the Fellowship. It has made me a more rounded, complete
and wiser journalist."
"The program was invaluable. It gave me a
view of America and the press there that I would never have gained, no
matter how many articles or books I read."
"AFPF has a distinctive mark in whatever I
achieve in my professional life....I am very proud in what I have
achieved so far. I am aware that there are not very many female
journalists who have reached a positive professional point and a high
administrative post."
"The experience gave me a new insight into news coverage through
different types of reporting. It improved my writing
style." "[our fellow from] Cambodia was crucial in helping us develop
contacts in the Cambodian community south of Seattle. His ability to
cultivate sources and serve as an interpreter…enabled the P-I to better
understand the events leading up to a police killing that involved a
Cambodian suspect in 1997. Because of his work, the P-I was able to
produce stories that had context and stretched beyond the limited
information supplied by police sources."
"I learned many new skills at the San Francisco Chronicle and it’s transformed me, it’s really transformed me. And the most important thing about that is its taken place at the most formative juncture in my life, and I think it will change the course of my life altogether and that might reflect in the plans I’m going to put into effect when I go back to Egypt. I have high hopes now for more serious, more courageous journalistic practice. So it was great, really." |
WHAT IT MEANS TO
BE A FELLOW
Program Realities
Alfred Friendly Press Fellows are professional journalists from
developing and transitional countries. They are in the early to middle
stages of their careers with an average of six years experience
working in the print media. Fellows are selected through a
competitive application and review process. 54
journalists from 27 countries applied for the 2008 program.
Approximately 10 journalists are chosen to participate each year. Each Fellow is assigned to an American newsroom for
the duration of the program where he or she covers local news. It
was Alfred Friendly’s idea that the best way to learn about the
U.S. and the role newspapers play in its society is by covering
local news, the dominant focus of the U.S. press. Even such
national papers as The Washington Post are considered local papers
in their communities. Local news sells papers and occupies most of
the paper’s space and its editors’ attention. In this environment
Fellows cover stories about issues and events of interest and
importance to people in and near the host cities:
renovations at a neighborhood school or government building, the
opening of a new park or playground, area traffic or transportation
problems, and other, similar stories. Applicants should be
aware that Fellows rarely if ever report for their hosts on
national politics or similar stories they may cover at home.
Fellows are, however, encouraged to send correspondence about
events in America to their own publications and to write, for their
hosts, about developments in their countries. Because a Fellow enters his or her host newsroom as a new reporter in an unfamiliar setting, even the most experienced AFPF Fellow is generally viewed as one of the most junior members of the staff—he or she may even be treated as an intern. Fellows need to prove themselves as reporters. As one former Fellow put it, you're "climbing the ladder from the very bottom up." In addition to meeting the minimum criteria, a successful
Fellow is adaptable, committed to journalism, mature and open-minded.
Those who get the most from the program are those who
come with realistic expectations of what it offers and what they will be
doing in the host newsroom.
Working and living in another country is a challenge that
Fellows not only overcome but embrace. The following is a partial list
of professional benefits to Alfred Friendly Fellows.
But the benefits of the program go far beyond the
professional. Fellows meet journalists from all over the world. In
addition, the Fellowship staff as well as the Friendly family are
integral parts of the experience. The personal ties that develop last a
lifetime. You become a member of a family when you become a Friendly
Fellow.
The fellowship is a
full-time training experience and Fellows are expected to conduct
themselves in a professional and responsible manner throughout. While
Fellows are encouraged to write stories for their home publications and
to participate in activities outside of the newsroom, these activities
must not interfere with their training. Since the program schedule
provides little time for tourism, Fellows who would like to travel
while in the U.S. should plan to do so before the orientation or after
the final seminar.
Fellows arrive in Washington for an orientation seminar to prepare them — both personally and professionally — for the challenges of living and working in the United States. A major component of the seminar is a five-day refresher course in American journalism. The hands-on sessions are conducted at the University of Maryland’s School of Journalism. After writing, reporting, and learning about style, ethics, libel and the culture of American newsrooms, Fellows leave the classroom better prepared for their fellowship assignments. Addressing the Fellows’ personal adaptation to the United States is Dr. Gary Weaver, professor at The American University’s School of International Service. Dr. Weaver, a cross-cultural adaptation specialist who has worked with Alfred Friendly Fellows since 1984, discusses what Fellows typically experience during their time in the United States and suggests strategies to handle the various phases of culture shock most Fellows experience. The remainder of the two weeks is spent on professional, tourist and social activities in and around Washington. For the last weekend of the orientation seminar, AFPF invites host newspaper representatives to come to Washington so that, as mentors, they can meet the Fellows, discuss plans that the host newsrooms have for them and provide information on logistical concerns such as health insurance, banking, housing, etc. The Fellow and host mentor travel together at the end of the weekend to begin the Fellow’s five-month assignment. At the middle of the program Fellows, AFPF staff and Dr. Weaver come together at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida to discuss the personal and professional experiences of the individual Fellows at that point. The highlight of the Midterm Seminar is the four-day seminar at Poynter. This seminar, created specifically for Friendly Fellows, focuses on writing, editing and coaching. A final seminar in Washington reunites the Fellows so that they may compare and evaluate their experiences and discuss their impressions of the American media. The mentors are invited back to Washington at the end of the final seminar to meet with AFPF staff to discuss the program and bid farewell to the Fellows who return to their home countries following the final seminar.
Learn more about how to apply.
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