• Knight Fellowships

Changes to the Knight Fellowships Program

It's not the same old story, not in journalism and not at the Knight Fellowships program. Beginning with the 2009-10 fellowship year, the program will put a new emphasis on journalistic innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership.

The program is transforming itself in order to serve the needs of journalism and journalists as much in the years ahead as it has in the past. The dizzying landscape of layoffs and consolidation, Internet media sites, citizen journalism and bloggers make journalism a chaotic and exciting proposition today. We are making bold changes to meet these new realities.

The changes will build on the excellence of the Knight Fellowships program to create an enhanced fellowship experience and to generate benefits that go beyond the individual Fellow. Changes in the program will enable Fellows who embrace the challenges facing journalism to focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. The bedrock goal remains the same: promoting excellence in journalism.

What's changing

• The program will focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership to foster high quality journalism during a time of profound transformation.
• Given the emphasis on innovation, the program will expect Fellows to come to Stanford with a coherent proposal that will lead to a tangible result.
• Fellows will embody a broader range of experience, media and skills, both in the U.S. and abroad.
• The program welcomes applications from all qualified international journalists, but will pay particular attention to international journalists who can have a direct impact on the development of a free press and flow of information in their countries.
• The program will rely more on Stanford faculty and regional resources, specifically including the rich pool of innovation and entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley.
• The program will enlist Knight Fellowship alumni more directly in the program and in the improvement of journalism.

What's not changing

Key elements will remain. Fellows will spend an academic year at Stanford University and take advantage of the university's deep intellectual and educational resources. Fellows will be responsible for setting their own agenda during their year. And rich interaction among the Fellows will continue to be a major element of their experience.

How did we get here?

Eighteen months ago, when the scope of disruption of traditional news media models became clear, the Knight Fellowships began a strategic planning process designed to ensure that the program served the cause of outstanding journalism as much in the future as it had in the past. A task force of fellowship alumni, Board of Visitors members, journalism leaders and Stanford faculty worked on the plan, which was approved by the Board of Visitors earlier this year. This new emphasis is the result.

We welcome your questions, comments on suggestions. For further information, read a copy of "Roadmap for Change," which expands on the new direction of the program, view a FAQ about the changes and check into Knightline, Knight Fellowships Director Jim Bettinger's blog about changes to the program and changes in journalism.

Jim Bettinger Director

Dawn Garcia Deputy Director