Alfred Friendly Press Partners announces 2015 Fellows

The Alfred Friendly Press Partners has announced the selection of seven accomplished journalists from six countries to participate in the 2015 fellowship program, which runs from March 20 through August and starts with an expanded two-week orientation and training program at the Missouri School of Journalism.

The 2015 Fellows will work for five months at U.S. news organizations beginning April 6. Guided by mentors, they will participate in daily newsroom activities, get their stories published and broadcast, and gain a deep understanding of journalism in America.

After another two weeks of training at MU in July and a final seminar in Washington, D.C., the Fellows return to their home countries, where they are obligated to share their new knowledge and skills with their newsroom colleagues. Two Fellows were funded by the Daniel Pearl Foundation, and one was funded by Nairobi-based Nation Media Group.

The 2015 Fellowship class:

• Saher Baloch, Karachi, Pakistan. Reporter for Dawn, the nation's most read English news outlet. Pearl Foundation Fellow. Los Angeles Times
• Oksana Grytsenko, Kyiv, Ukraine. Reporter for the English language Kyiv Post. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• David Herbling, Nairobi, Kenya. Reporter, Business Daily. Nation Media Group Fellow. Chicago Tribune
• Isaac Imaka, Kampala, Uganda. Chief correspondent, oil and gas; political reporter, Parliament, Daily Monitor Miami Herald
• Saw Yan Naing, Yangon, Myanmar. Senior reporter, The Irrawaddy Magazine. Tribe Media/Jerusalem Post.
• Tarun Shukla, New Delhi, India. National writer. Mint, a Hindustan Times business newspaper. Wall Street Journal
• Arooj Zahra, Lahore, Pakistan. Associate Producer, GEO News. Pearl Foundation Fellow. Washington Post

Now in its 32nd year, Alfred Friendly Press Partners has placed more than 300 early- and mid-career journalists from 80 countries in U.S. newsrooms.

"This is a watershed year for the nation's longest-lasting and training-intensive journalism fellowship program in the country," Program Director David Reed said. "By bringing the initial training program to the Missouri School of Journalism, the Fellows will learn the best practices and most up-to-date techniques from a wide range of accomplished and innovative faculty members."

The agenda includes basic journalism seminars, general assignment reporting for the Columbia Missourian, lectures on ethics and communication law, using social media for reporting, using mobile tools for reporting, data reporting and multimedia reporting. The midterm training focus on more advanced skills and include a three-day investigative reporting segment.

Created by Alfred Friendly, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and former managing editor of The Washington Post, Press Partners is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Programs are supported by contributions from individuals, newsrooms and foundations.

Source - Alfred Friendly Press Partners