Investigative reporting fellowship at Cal

Here's info on a fellowship at UC Berkeley from Chron East Bay bureau chief Charles Burress:

The Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley has established fellowships in investigative reporting, the first of their kind in the nation. Three fellowships, funded by the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation, the Gruber Family Foundation, Scott and Jennifer Fearon, and David Einhorn will be awarded this coming academic year. The fellowships are open to all working journalists, but preference will be given to graduates of the masters program of the journalism school at Berkeley.

The purpose of these fellowships is to promote and nurture the kind of reporting that requires both dedication and critical thinking.

Applicants will be chosen based on their qualifications as well as potential, and the proposed areas of investigation they intend to pursue during the year-long program. There are no educational prerequisites. Fellowships will be administered by the Investigative Reporting Program of the school and its advisory board.

“With the economics of major news organizations deteriorating,” said Lowell Bergman, the professor in charge of the Investigative Program at the Graduate School, “this kind of public interest journalism involving time consuming investigative work is endangered as never before. These fellowships will provide both a refuge and base of operations for a new generation of investigative reporters."

Mr. Bergman said that funding for the fellowships had been secured through 2008-09 academic year. Professor Bergman explained that in the coming year the graduate program in investigative reporting will be focused on public and corporate corruption as well as investigations into the criminal justice system. Applicants are urged to present proposed areas of inquiry within this broad subject area.

Fellows will be provided with office space, phones and basic expenses. They will be housed in the Investigative Reporting Program’s offices at 2481 Hearst Avenue in Berkeley provided by the Reva and David Logan Foundation.

In addition to regular interaction with the faculty of the school of Journalism and the instructors in investigative reporting, the fellows will participate in a weekly seminar in investigative reporting conducted by Professor Lowell Bergman and Robert Gunnison.

Fellows will be salaried employees of the University of California with the job classification of Staff Research Associate II and an annual salary of approximately $45,000 with health benefits. They will also enjoy the privileges of the University allowing them to audit classes and use the University’s research facilities.

The fellowships have been established to augment an endowment created by The Reva and David Logan Foundation that funds a permanent program in investigative reporting at the Journalism School. That endowment and related programs and scholarships are also funded by gifts from Richard and Diane Scruggs, Robert Bishop, Rita and Ian Isaacs, the Gruber Family Foundation and the Gladys P. & Alfredo I. Rodriguez Fund.

The deadline for fellowship applications for the academic year 2007-8 is June 25th. This year's recipients will be announced on July 20th. The fellows’ year-long tenure will begin on August 27th. The application can be found at http://jobs.berkeley.edu/.

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Click on job title "Analyst, Administrative"

For further details on the fellowships please visit: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/05/23_report.shtml or email investigativereportingprogram@berkeley.edu.