Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Announces New Fellowships for Journalists on the Economics of Aging and Work and Long-Term Care in the United States
Chicago, May 5, 2015 — The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Journalism Fellowship Program, with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The SCAN Foundation, announces two 10-month residential fellowship programs that focus on the economics of aging and work and long-term care in the United States. The fellowships will provide carefully selected journalists with the opportunity to work at the AP-NORC Center on special research and reporting projects. Each fellow’s work will have an enormous impact, as the enterprise stories written will be distributed by the AP, providing an unparalleled distribution platform for the work.
“It's a chance to surround yourself with brilliant minds, to silence the daily buzz of the newsroom and to zero in intensely on a fascinating, meaningful subject,” said Matt Sedensky, correspondent with The Associated Press, and the inaugural journalism fellow at The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “You leave the fellowship invigorated, driven, focused and ready for a new chapter in journalism.”
The Economics of Aging and Work Fellowship, sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, will focus on issues surrounding the aging workforce in the United States. The Long-Term Care in America Fellowship, sponsored by The SCAN Foundation, will focus on long-term care and healthy aging issues in the United States.
These AP-NORC Journalism Fellows will be selected through 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 America’s aging workforce or long-term care in the United States.
Each fellow’s salary is competitive. Journalists working in text, radio, television, and online are eligible to apply. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from today until June 30, 2015. Each fellowship will begin in September 2015 for a 10-month fixed term.“Both of these issues—the economics of aging and work and long-term care in America—are critical to the social fabric and fiscal health of the United States,” said Trevor Tompson, vice president for public affairs research for NORC at the University of Chicago and director of the AP-NORC Center. “These fellowships are a great opportunity for a journalist to study either of these two trends connected to this important demographic group.”
The fellowships will have two main components, the opportunity to do in-depth journalism and education and training
- Each fellow will devote 40 percent of his or her efforts to training and skill development activities. The fellow will have a significant amount of time to undertake formal and informal training in econometric and other social science research methods to facilitate data-driven journalism. The fellow will be mentored by a University of Chicago faculty member and will have opportunities to take courses and attend conferences and workshops.
- Sixty percent of the fellow’s time will be spent developing in-depth reporting projects where he or she will obtain hands on experience with the assistance of AP and NORC senior staff. The fellow will work with an AP editor to develop innovative reporting projects around the economics of aging and work or long-term care issues in the United States. The fellow’s stories will be distributed by AP to its global worldwide audience and its thousands of subscribers and customers across all media platforms.
Candidates will need to submit a resume/CV. Select candidates will be asked for a personal statement, a research statement, and three letters of recommendation.
“It's a chance to surround yourself with brilliant minds, to silence the daily buzz of the newsroom and to zero in intensely on a fascinating, meaningful subject.”
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.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).
About AP
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. On the Web: www.ap.org.