In addition to working journalists, those who should consider applying include publishers, programmers, designers, media analysts, academics and others interested in enhancing quality, building new business models or designing programs to improve journalism. Project proposals may be completed during the time spent at Harvard or be part of a larger undertaking. All visiting fellows are expected to be in residence in Cambridge during their study and present their findings to the Nieman community at the end of their research period. There are no academic prerequisites, and a college degree is not required.

Successful applicants are invited to the Nieman Foundation for a period ranging from a few weeks to three months, depending on the scope of the project. Knight Visiting Nieman Fellows have access to the extensive resources at Harvard and throughout Cambridge, including local scholars, research centers and libraries. Successful applicants also have the opportunity to work with Nieman Fellows and the various projects housed at the Nieman Foundation, including Nieman Reports, Nieman Journalism Lab, and Nieman Storyboard.

The Knight Visiting Nieman Fellowships are supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to help news innovators develop projects to advance quality journalism.

Learn more about recent Visiting Fellows including Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek, who used his time at Harvard to plan an epic seven-year reporting trip walking across the globe to trace the path of human migration, and Hong Qu, chief technology officer for Fusion, who spent time on campus developing his Keepr application to help journalists and other users better follow stories on Twitter. Keepr was put to the test in April 2013 during the Boston Marathon bombings when Hong used his algorithm identifying reliable information as events unfolded. Read Nieman curator Ann Marie Lipinski’s thoughts on the importance of the visiting fellowships: New Knight Visiting Nieman Fellows: Journalism Needs Everyone’s Help.

Candidates for the 2016 calendar year may apply starting in the summer of 2015. For questions about the application process, contact Nieman Fellowship program administrator Nicole Arias or call 617-495-2238.

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