Berkman Klein Fellowship Program in Journalism Innovation 2024

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard share a set of common interests around journalism, innovation, and the evolution of the digital space, and both have longstanding fellowship programs that offer a year of learning and collaboration with others in the Harvard community.

Proposals from Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowship candidates may deal with any issue relating to journalism’s digital transformation. Examples include ideas for new revenue streams to fund journalism, the construction of new tools for reporting, or research into news consumption patterns. Candidates must explain how their proposals will benefit journalism.

On campus, Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellows draw upon the wealth of resources available at Harvard and in the surrounding area for their work. Along with the Nieman Foundation and the Berkman Klein Center, Cambridge is home to institutions such as the Harvard Business School, MIT’s Center for Civic Media, the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, the Shorenstein Center for Press, Politics and Public Policy, the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab) and other centers interested in journalism’s evolution.

Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellows are expected to fully participate in both the Nieman and Berkman Klein fellowship programs and serve as a bridge between them. They also are expected to share the results of their work with other fellows and through the Nieman Journalism Lab.

• Table of Content
• About Harvard University
• Berkman Klein Fellowship Program
• Aim and Benefits of Berkman Klein Fellowship Program
• Requirements for Berkman Klein Fellowship Program Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Harvard University

Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution. A statue of John Harvard stands today in front of University Hall in Harvard Yard, and is perhaps the University’s best known landmark. Harvard University has 12 degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advan... continue reading

Berkman Klein Fellowship Program

Aim and Benefits of Berkman Klein Fellowship Program

Those selected for the program spend two full semesters at Harvard auditing classes with some of the university’s greatest thinkers, participating in Nieman events and collaborating with peers. Nieman Fellows are also able to audit classes at other local universities including MIT and Tufts.

Requirements for Berkman Klein Fellowship Program Qualification

We invite applications from people whose work on Internet and society may overlap with ongoing work at the Berkman Klein Center and may expose our community to new opportunities and approaches. We welcome applications from people who feel that a year as a fellow in our variegated community would accelerate their efforts and contribute to their ongoing personal and professional development.

We encourage applications from scholars, practitioners, innovators, engineers, artists, and others committed to understanding and advancing the public interest. Fellows come from across the disciplinary spectrum and different life paths.

• Some fellows are academics. For the 2024-2025 year, we invite academics who are post-docs or professors to apply.  This year we will accept applications from PhD students and candidates as well.
• Some fellows are practitioners who have built their careers outside of academia, including technologists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, policymakers, activists, journalists, educators, and others from various sectors and callings.
• Many fellows wear multiple hats and straddle different pursuits at the intersections of their capacities. Fellows might be starting, rebooting, driving forward in, questioning, or pivoting from their established careers.
• For the 2024-2025 year, we will prioritize and select for fellows who have a demonstrated record of contributing to public and scholarly conversations in their area of study.
• Fellows are committed to spending their fellowship in concert with others, guided by a heap of kindness, a critical eye, and generosity of spirit.

The fellowship selection process is a multi-dimensional mix of art and science, based on considerations that are specific to each applicant and to the composition of the full fellowship class. Please visit our FAQ to learn more about our selection criteria and considerations.

International applicants: We work with the Harvard International Office (HIO) to sponsor immigration paperwork for our eligible international fellows. An outline of the visa application process and requirements may be found on the HIO website at: http://hio.harvard.edu/scholar-visa-process.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Candidates who want to apply for the 2024/2025 Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellowships should complete the fellowship application and indicate interest in being considered for the Nieman-Berkman Klein program in the appropriate section.

For more details, visit the website.