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Marketplace Correspondent Adam Allington Awarded Journalism Fellowship to Focus on Economics of Aging and Work

Press Release

Chicago, October 12, 2015—Adam Allington, an award-winning public radio reporter, has been named the second recipient of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Fellowship on the Economics of Aging and Work.

The 10-month residential AP-NORC Fellowship will enable Allington to spend the next year in Chicago working with world-class research scientists, economists, and other experts to develop the economic and analytical skills needed to produce research-based enterprise journalism focused on the economics of aging and work in the United States.

As a correspondent for American Public Media’s Marketplace, Allington reported for the program’s sustainability desk. He was awarded the fellowship after a national competition open to journalists with at least five years’ experience and a demonstrated interest in research-based reporting or issues related to the economics of aging and work in the United States.

The fellowship was established by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research with funding from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The AP-NORC Center is a joint venture of the AP and the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago.

“Adam Allington is a highly skilled journalist with a deep background in economics.” said Trevor Tompson, director of the AP-NORC Center. “The fellowship will provide Adam with an opportunity to conduct even more in-depth investigation and reporting on an area of vital importance to our society, while simultaneously receiving expert training in economics, econometric analysis, and research methods and their application to journalism.”

“I’m honored to have been chosen for this opportunity,” said Allington. “The fellowship affords me the chance to do deep-dive reporting on an issue of growing importance for both citizens and policymakers.”

As the AP-NORC Fellow, Allington will participate in original AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research projects.  He will also report a series of in-depth stories on issues related to the economic and financial issues confronting our aging workforce. His stories will run on the media platforms of the AP.

Other elements of the fellowship include:

  • Access to the research and academic resources of the University of Chicago, including its renowned economics faculty, and the broader economics research community.
  • A senior NORC scientist as a mentor throughout the fellowship. NORC at the University of Chicago carries out many of the largest social science research initiatives funded by the federal government, including the General Social Survey, second only to the U.S. Census as a source of research-based information on many aspects of American life.
  • A highly individualized training program including one-on-one tutorials, seminars, and the opportunity to audit selected University of Chicago courses.

Prior to Marketplace, Allington worked as a reporter for St. Louis Public Radio for six years, and as an economic media specialist with the Federal Reserve. In 2011 he was chosen for the prestigious Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan.

Allington's work has won numerous awards, including Michigan and Missouri Association of Broadcasters awards, as well as a National Edward R. Murrow award for series reporting.  Hailing from northern Michigan originally, Allington grew up on a cherry farm and studied economics at Kalamazoo College, where he earned a BA. Prior to his career in journalism, Allington worked in the telecommunications industry in Germany and Sweden.  His AP-NORC Fellowship began Sept. 21.

“Adam Allington is a highly skilled journalist with a deep background in economics.”

Trevor Tompson

Director

“Adam Allington is a highly skilled journalist with a deep background in economics.”

About The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research taps into the power of social science research and the highest-quality journalism to bring key information to people across the nation and throughout the world.
www.apnorc.org

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.
www.ap.org

 

About NORC at the University of Chicago

NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.

www.norc.org

Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).

The two organizations have established The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to conduct, analyze, and distribute social science research in the public interest on newsworthy topics, and to use the power of journalism to tell the stories that research reveals.