Applications for the National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024 are open now. The National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024 are now accepting applications. This is an excellent opportunity for early-career journalists who are interested in pursuing careers in scientific, health, or environmental reporting. If you are an early-career journalist based in the United States, with at least two years of professional experience, you are eligible to apply.
National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024
This professional development opportunity is provided to early-career journalists by the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. (Get to know last year’s group).
The fellowships are intended to help budding journalists who are pursuing careers in scientific, health, or environmental reporting (or all three) or who have a strong desire to do so. Basic science, evaluating medical research, data analysis, elucidating evidence-based choices, comprehending climate science, and other topics will all be included in the curriculum. The goal of the program is to deliver critical on-the-job training that would otherwise require years to accrue.
Within the year, the chosen fellows will:
- Attend workshops and other events during the annual conferences of ScienceWriters (early November 2024), Health Journalism (June 7–10), and Environmental Journalism (April 3–7).
- Attend bespoke webinars that are arranged all year long to acquire knowledge, contacts, and resources that will enhance their reporting.
- Find a professional mentor to work with.
- Obtain pre-paid memberships in AHCJ, SEJ, and the National Association of Science Writers.
- Engage in peer-to-peer networking on many platforms.
- If they are an independent journalist, they will be paid stipends for project support.
Benefits of National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024
The fellowship offers the following:
- Tailored workshops and seminars presented in connection with the yearly conferences organized by AHCJ, SEJ, and CASW/NASW, which cover conference participation, meals, housing, and domestic transport.
- A range of online gatherings offering chances to hone skills and get news, information, and updates on science, health, medicine, and the environment; these include private breakout talks with instructors and specialists.
- Two years of AHCJ, SEJ, and NASW membership (new or renewed), provided that all requirements are satisfied.
- Enrollment in any virtual events that AHCJ, SEJ, or CASW hosts throughout the program year.
- Chances for mentoring in a chosen issue area with a veteran journalist.
- Private website where fellows can network, access training materials, and exchange reporting efforts.
- A $2,000 reporting project support grant will be awarded to freelancers upon program completion.
Eligibility Criteria for National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024
- Candidates should be early-career working journalists with at least two years of professional experience who are based in the United States and can be either staff or freelance.
- During the program year, fellows are expected to attend a few training activities. The safety of fellows will always come first, and program administrators will choose whether events will be held in person or digitally depending on the most recent public health issues.
- Every employer—or, in the case of a freelancer, a news organization that is a consistent client—will be requested to write a reference letter for the candidate. Additionally, employers are requested to guarantee that the fellows will be able to attend all training sessions.
- Applicants may not be board members or employees of the partner organizations.
- Diversity and inclusion in memberships, training programs, and the journalism sector at large are priorities for CASW, AHCJ, and SEJ. Applicants who share that commitment are encouraged to apply.
Anticipated Schedule for National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024
The following are some tentative times and locations (whether in-person or virtual), based on public health recommendations:
- Opening lecture, March 12 (via Zoom), SEJ2024, Philadelphia, April 3–7.
- Newsweek 2024, New York City, June 7–10.
November 2024, ScienceWriters2024, TBD.
Personalized webinar briefings are conducted every year.
Application for National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships 2024
- Include a cover letter outlining your career growth goals, your journalism history, and your motivation for applying for the fellowship.
- An updated CV or resume.
- A reference letter from your present workplace outlining the advantages of the fellowship for both you and the readership of the news organization, along with the employer’s pledge to fund your whole fellowship participation. A letter of recommendation from a regular client or assigning editor attesting to your skills and the benefits of working with you is required of freelance applicants.
- Two representative news or feature articles that were written or broadcast in the previous 12 months.
Application Deadline: February 23, 2024
