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The AP-NORC Journalism Fellowship on the Economics of Aging and Work

Press Release

Chicago — The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, announces a 12-month residential fellowship for journalists that will focus on issues surrounding the aging workforce in the United States.

The AP-NORC Fellow will be selected through a national competition open to mid-career journalists who are currently employed by the Associated Press or by any Associated Press Media Editors (APME) association news organization.

The fellowship, which will begin in March of 2013, will focus on the economics of aging and work.

“Many Americans are living longer and healthier lives and choosing to work longer. Others are forced by the economy to remain in the workforce. Whatever the reason, the economics of the aging workforce have important implications for retirement policy, Social Security, and health care financing,” said Trevor Tompson, Director of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “While the media has revealed these trends, this new fellowship will result in new in-depth news projects exploring the vast social and economic consequences of more and more people working later in life.”

The new fellowship will have three main components:

  • Spending 12 months working with world class research scientists, economists, and others to develop the economic and analytical research skills needed to produce research-based enterprise journalism.
  • Writing a series of in-depth news stories on economic issues linked to the aging workforce that will run on the media platforms on the Associated Press, carrying the issue to the AP’s vast national and international audience.
  • Participating in an original AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research national survey dealing with strategies for retirement planning in the current economy.

In addition to working for the AP or an APME news organization, applicants must have at least five years of journalism experience with two years’ experience covering business and economics or issues of aging as well as some training or experience in statistics or data analysis. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate a guarantee of employment at a news organization after the fellowship year.

The AP-NORC Fellow will spend one year working at the AP-NORC Center in Chicago and will work closely with the research scientists of NORC, the economists and other academics at the University of Chicago, and other specialists from throughout the nation who can help enrich the fellowship experience.

The AP and the APME have a joint journalism program called “Aging America” that has as its mission telling the story of aging baby boomers. The AP-NORC Fellow will be a member of the Aging American team, focusing on workforce issues, and will have the opportunity to write enterprise stories on a regular basis. It is anticipated that the stories will run on the media platforms of the Associated Press.

Funding for the fellowship has been provided through a grant from the Sloan Foundation, which includes among its program interests support for work that deepens understanding of aging American’s work patterns.

Complete eligibility requirements, a description of the selection process, and further details of the AP-NORC Center Fellowship for Journalists can be found at www.apnorc.org.

“Many Americans are living longer and healthier lives and choosing to work longer. Others are forced by the economy to remain in the workforce. Whatever the reason, the economics of the aging workforce have important implications for retirement policy, Social Security, and health care financing.”

Trevor Tompson

Director

“Many Americans are living longer and healthier lives and choosing to work longer. Others are forced by the economy to remain in the workforce. Whatever the reason, the economics of the aging workforce have important implications for retirement policy, Social Security, and health care financing.”


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).


About The AP
The Associated Press (AP) is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from the AP. Founded in 1846, the AP today is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The AP considers itself to be the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspaper, radio.