Jefferson Fellowship Grant for Senior Journalists and Newsroom Leaders (New Zealand)

The East-West Center is providing one place on the Jefferson Fellowship programme, funded by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, for a New Zealand journalist on this the three-week programme, which includes travel to Hawaii, Indonesia, and Thailand.

The programme is made up of an immersive dialogue, travel, and reporting programme to Hawaii, Indonesia, and Thailand that will enable participating journalists to explore growing concern about food security in the Southeast Asia region caused by changing environmental conditions, rising prices, declining fisheries, and disruptions in global supply chains.

Theme

• The theme for the programme is ‘The Future of Food Security: Lessons from Southeast Asia’.

Funding Information

• Asia New Zealand Foundation will cover most travel and programme-related costs for the successful participant. The estimated value of this grant is NZ$16,000 to NZ$17,000.
• The journalist must cover:
  • all applicable visa fees and any additional visa-related expenses
  • travel-related health insurance.

Role and Responsibilities

• The East-West Center requires that a successful candidate:
  • Prepare and submit a short paper (1,000–1,500 words) several weeks prior to their arrival at the Center. Papers should address the theme and discuss how the journalist’s home country or region/field of coverage – at the government, private sector and/or socio-cultural level – is responding to the issue.
  • Prepare an oral presentation (approximately 10-15 minutes) based on the previously submitted paper and participate in discussion of his or her topic. The purpose of the presentations is to leverage the knowledge and experience of participating journalists in ways that are professionally useful to fellow participants as they study, assess, and report on the theme of the fellowship as well as the Indo-Pacific region.

Eligibility Criteria

• Newsroom leaders and senior journalists who are based in New Zealand are eligible to apply.
• Applicants must also be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

Application Requirements

• A letter of interest (maximum three pages, double-spaced). Letter should include: a brief description of your news organization or freelance work, job duties and experience; what you expect to accomplish and what issues you want to explore during the program, including specific story ideas; the relevance of the theme to a New Zealand audience and your areas of coverage; how participation will benefit your work as journalist.
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (maximum two pages).
• An employer’s statement of support completed by the applicant’s supervisor/employer indicating that the applicant has the support of their media organisation to attend the Fellowship. (Does not apply to freelance journalists.)
• Two professional references with letters of recommendation.

For more information, visit Asia New Zealand Foundation.