Fellow FAQ
The fellowship preferences graduates of two-year, four-year, or graduate programs familiar with Washington state issues, but the minimal requirement is a passion for local journalism.
Graduating students may apply but must have completed their degree prior to their start date.
No. Reporting experience and work samples, perhaps gained in service to student media or as an intern, may be sufficient evidence for selection. Other considerations may involve secondary language skills or familiarity with a topic area that appeals to a participating news organization.
WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must provide identity and employment eligibility verifications as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
Partnering news organizations will produce original, local content about issues relevant to Washington residents. Successful newsroom applicants will have demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding local news coverage into underserved communities or beats and developed a clear plan for how the fellow will fulfill the communities’ information needs.
The program is open to all news outlets in Washington state, regardless of the media platform; they can represent for-profit or nonprofit media, community and ethnic news outlets, or news associations, irrespective of platform. Prospective host organizations are expected to articulate a plan for how the fellow will expand coverage of civic affairs to new and existing audiences, including residents in rural areas of Washington and/or underserved populations.
Starting with the summer 2024 cohort, applicants will know the identity of the organization and its beats. The WSU application indicates the fellowship is based in Pullman, but that is incorrect: Rather, that reflects where a fellows’ paycheck originates. Fellows will live in the community served by their news organization.
A limited amount of work may be conducted virtually, but fellows must move if they are matched with a news organization outside of their current community of residence.
The mission of the program is to enrich Washington state residents’ understanding of civic affairs and to extend the host organization’s journalistic impact to new and existing audiences. Coverage and assigned beats might entail substantive reporting of local news and policy issues spanning health, education, economic development, environment, criminal justice and under-represented communities. The goal is to match the needs of a host news organization with an applicant’s interests, aptitude and skillset.
Newsroom applicants are asked to detail their plan to provide editing and professional development support for their reporter, though the fellowship program may offer some editing assistance.
The Murrow College provides ongoing training, culminating in a certificate in digital media. In their non-newsroom hours, fellows must complete the training and participate in virtual discussions with other fellows, plus thought leaders in journalism, media law, ethics, digital security, misinformation, civic information, community engagement, public information access and related topics.
Fellows should plan to spend about two hours per week in training and professional development outside of their commitment to the news outlet. Most programming will be online and asynchronous to maximize flexibility for the fellows’ schedules, but the fellow should also maintain weekly contact with the program manager as needed. The fellowship likely will include two annual in-person gatherings, and the program will provide ample notice of those dates to newsroom partners.
Murrow fellows, as university employees, receive $55,000 annually with benefits. They also receive stipends for travel and equipment as needed. WSU’s benefits options include health and dental coverage plus retirement and savings plans; the salary is non-negotiable.
The fellows are categorized by Washington State University as administrative professionals, and their employment terminates at 24 months. They work full time with their news outlet, earning leave benefits at the university’s rate. Leave time is planned in consultation with WSU’s program manager and the news organization’s point of contact. Fellows adhere to scheduled WSU holidays, not those of their host organization.
No. Fellows are asked to commit to a two-year appointment with a newsroom. Further, a fellow can serve for only a single cycle, though the newsroom and individual could agree to negotiate continuing employment beyond two years.
Please email program manager Jody Brannon or murrow.news.fellowship@wsu.edu.