The inaugural cohort of six Murrow News Fellows began their two-year reporting assignment this month, focusing on civic affairs in underserved Washington communities. Their beats range from voting and water rights to housing and economic policies. Applications will soon be available for three reporting slots delayed until summer.
Over its first two years, the state-funded initiative will place a total of 16 aspiring journalists with news organizations, from rural to urban. In applying, prospective host news organizations of all sizes and formats can submit a plan to enhance local public affairs news coverage and deepen citizens’ understanding of complex community issues and policies.
Proposals for news organizations seeking a fellow in the second cohort are now available. Use the information box below to request an application or email murrow.news.fellowship@wsu.edu. The deadline is extended to 5 p.m. April 29. All reporters are expected to begin employment in July.
Fellowship Information
Fellows are Washington State University employees assigned to work with partner news organizations.
- The program is open to journalists committed to careers in writing/reporting, digital, video, audio, photo and/or multimedia.
- Those selected emphasize enterprise reporting on matters of civic interest and public policy such as health, education, economic development, environment, criminal justice and community leaders and agencies.
- Fellows receive $55,000 annually with benefits as WSU employees. They receive stipends for travel and equipment as needed.
The Murrow College provides ongoing training for fellows, resulting in a certificate in digital media. Fellows must complete the training and participate in discussions with leaders in journalism, media law, digital security, misinformation, ethics, civic information, community engagement, public information access and related topics.
For the first cohort, the five-person hiring committee comprised program manager Jody Brannon, Murrow professor Lisa Waananen Jones, Seattle Pacific journalism professor Peg Achterman, Seattle Times reporter Heidi Groover (former Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild president), and Jeff Hite, director of recruiting, Spokane’s KHQ/Cowles Media.
Partnering
News Organizations
Forty newsrooms, whose coverage spans 36 of Washington’s 39 counties, applied to host an inaugural Murrow fellow; submissions came from daily and weekly newspapers, television stations, radio, and digital news outlets. A five-person evaluation team of Murrow staff (professor Ben Shors and manager Jody Brannon) and professional journalists (Enrique Cerna, Holly Menino and Julie Shirley) considered 40 proposals, based on the applicants’ plans to support and direct the fellow on a specific beat.
Service & Operation
The Murrow College, in consultation with industry leaders, will produce an annual report on the fellowship program and the state of the media in Washington state. An advisory board will provide feedback to Murrow’s program manager, the Murrow College, state officials and the state’s officials as needed.
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General questions about the program and applications should be directed to murrow.news.fellowship@wsu.edu or program manager Jody Brannon.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Prospective Newsrooms
This program is designed to help news organizations across Washington state bolster civic news coverage in underserved communities with journalists, preferring promising reporters with familiarity with Washington state issues. The state-funded initiative places fellows with Washington news organizations for two-year, full-time reporting positions. In addition, fellows receive ongoing training, perhaps applying insights into privacy, interactivity, media law and other topics with their news teams.
The mission of the program is to enrich Washington state residents’ understanding of civic affairs and to extend the host organization’s journalistic impact to new and existing audiences. Coverage and assigned beats might entail substantive reporting of local news and policy issues spanning health, education, economic development, environment, criminal justice and under-represented communities. Fellows might cover breaking news, but they should be more focused on issues within the community.
The program is open to all news outlets in Washington state, regardless of the media platform and can represent for-profit or nonprofit media, community and ethnic news outlets or news associations.
Prospective host organizations submit a proposal, specifying how a fellow would expand coverage of civic affairs to new and existing audiences, including residents in rural areas of Washington and/or underserved populations. Applicants detail a plan to provide editing and professional development support for their fellow, though the fellowship program also may provide some editorial support.
News organizations that produce original, local content in Washington state are encouraged to apply. Successful newsroom applicants will have demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding local news coverage into underserved areas or beats and developed a clear plan for how the fellow will extend and/or fulfill the communities’ information needs.
Nothing monetary. As administrator of the legislative funding, Washington State University formally employs the fellows. However, the “cost” will be to newsroom editors or supervisors who will direct and coach fellows on their story assignments and beats. The newsroom should provide a suitable workspace for the fellow as well as access to any required software or equipment outside of that provided by the university.
Washington State’s screening committee examines the applicant pool, passing qualified candidates to the partner news organizations for deeper consideration and to decide which applicants to interview.
Yes. News crosses geographic boundaries, so media outlets may pair to submit an application for a shared fellow. In such cases, the application should clearly identify a primary point of contact for the fellow, as well as clearly delineate information needs and news priorities for the reporter.
The fellowship is open to graduates of two-year, four-year, or graduate programs, preferencing those familiar with Washington state issues. The fellowship expects to attract candidates committed to journalism careers in writing, digital, video, audio, photo and/or multimedia.
The Murrow College provides ongoing training, culminating in a certificate in digital media. Fellows must complete the training and participate in discussions with thought leaders in journalism, media law, ethics, digital security, misinformation, civic information, community engagement, public information access, and related topics. This element of the fellowship occurs on their personal time away from the newsroom.
Murrow fellows receive $55,000 annually with benefits as WSU employees and observe the university’s holiday and vacation policies. They are expected to work full time with their news outlet, but rarely if ever more than 40 hours a week as overtime requires approval from a university representative. Leave should be planned in consultation with WSU’s program manager and the news organization’s point of contact.
A limited amount of work may be completed remotely, but selected fellows agree to move if they are matched with a news organization outside of their current community of residence. In the application, publishers indicate whether the fellow should have a vehicle to perform their duties.
No. Fellows are asked to commit to a two-year appointment with a newsroom. The goal is to make a match that is so fitting that neither party wants to curtail the two-year commitment.
Onboarding and internal training will be up to the host newsroom. As part of the fellowship, the reporters will spend at least two hours per week in training and professional development outside of their commitment to the news outlet. Most of the programming will be online and asynchronous to maximize flexibility for the fellows’ schedules. The fellowship likely will include two annual in-person gatherings, and the program will provide ample notice of those dates to newsroom partners.
Please email program manager Jody Brannon or murrow.news.fellowship@wsu.edu.
For Applicants
This program was created in 2023 to offer early-career journalists the opportunity to report on civic affairs in underserved communities, from rural to urban. The state-funded two-year initiative was conceived to place eight fellows each year with Washington news organizations to report for two years, full-time. As the program takes shape in 2024, 16 reporters will be hired by summer. In addition, fellows will receive ongoing training, mentorship and a strong cohort experience.
The fellowship is open to graduates of two-year, four-year, or graduate programs, preferencing those familiar with Washington state issues. Candidates should be committed to journalism careers in writing, digital, video, audio, photo and/or multimedia. Current working journalists may apply, but the fellowship is a full-time commitment beginning at the program’s start date.
No. Reporting experience and work samples, perhaps gained in service to student media or as an intern, may be sufficient evidence for selection. Other considerations may involve secondary language skills or familiarity with a topic area that appeals to a participating news organization.
The mission of the program is to enrich Washington state residents’ understanding of civic affairs and to extend the host organization’s journalistic impact to new and existing audiences. Coverage and assigned beats might entail substantive reporting of local news and policy issues spanning health, education, economic development, environment, criminal justice and under-represented communities. The goal is to match the needs of a host news organization with an applicant’s interests, aptitude and skillset.
Partnering news organizations will produce original, local content about issues relevant to Washington residents. Successful newsroom applicants will have demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding local news coverage into underserved communities or beats and developed a clear plan for how the fellow will fulfill the communities’ information needs.
Starting with the summer 2024 cohort, applicants will know the identity of the organization and its beats. The WSU application indicates the fellowship is based in Pullman, but that is incorrect: Rather, that reflects where a fellows’ paycheck originates.
The program is open to all news outlets in Washington state, regardless of the media platform; they can represent for-profit or nonprofit media, community and ethnic news outlets, or news associations, irrespective of platform. Prospective host organizations are expected to articulate a plan for how the fellow will expand coverage of civic affairs to new and existing audiences, including residents in rural areas of Washington and/or underserved populations.
Newsroom applicants are asked to detail their plan to provide editing and professional development support for their reporter, though the fellowship program may offer some editing support.
The Murrow College provides ongoing training, culminating in a certificate in digital media. In their non-newsroom hours, fellows must complete the training and participate in virtual discussions with other fellows, plus thought leaders in journalism, media law, ethics, digital security, misinformation, civic information, community engagement, public information access, and related topics.
Murrow fellows, as university employees, receive $55,000 annually with benefits. They also receive stipends for travel and equipment as needed. WSU’s benefits options include health and dental coverage plus retirement and savings plans.
The fellows are categorized by Washington State University as administrative professionals, and their employment terminates at 24 months. They work full time with their news outlet, earning leave benefits at the university's rate. Leave time is planned in consultation with WSU’s program manager and the news organization’s point of contact. Fellows adhere to scheduled WSU holidays, not those of their host organization.
Graduating students may apply but must have completed their degree prior to their start date.
WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must provide identity and employment eligibility verifications as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
A limited amount of work may be conducted virtually, but fellows must move if they are matched with a news organization outside of their current community of residence.
No. Fellows are asked to commit to a two-year appointment with a newsroom. Further, a fellow can serve for only a single cycle, though the newsroom and individual could agree to negotiate continuing employment beyond two years.
Fellows should plan to spend at least two hours per week in training and professional development outside of their commitment to the news outlet. Most of the programming will be online and asynchronous to maximize flexibility for the fellows’ schedules, but the fellow should also maintain weekly contact with the program manager as needed. The fellowship likely will include two annual in-person gatherings, and the program will provide ample notice of those dates to newsroom partners.
Please email program manager Jody Brannon or murrow.news.fellowship@wsu.edu.