FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
International Women's Media Foundation Announces Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship for Journalists Reporting on Human Rights and Social Justice
Washington, DC - The International Women's Media Foundation has called for applications to the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship, a new program that supports women journalists who report on human rights and social justice. The fellowship combines research opportunities at MIT's Center for International Studies and other Boston area universities with reporting opportunities at The New York Times and The Boston Globe.
The fellowship is named for a Boston Globe reporter who was a 1998 winner of the IWMF's Courage in Journalism Award. Elizabeth Neuffer was killed in May 2003 while covering the war in Iraq. The IWMF has established this project in collaboration with Neuffer's family and friends.
"As a reporter, foreign correspondent and witness to war, Elizabeth Neuffer saw the very worst that human beings can do to each other. As a result, she was passionate about human rights and social justice," said IWMF co-chair Lynn Povich.
The flexible structure of the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship will allow the fellow to design a program that combines academic research with practical experience covering human rights. The fellow will also have a key role in the Elizabeth Neuffer Forum on Human Rights and Journalism, an annual program to be held in May. The fellowship is open to women journalists who focus on human rights and social justice. A successful applicant will be dedicated to a career in journalism in the print, broadcast or Internet media, and show a strong commitment to sharing knowledge and skills with colleagues upon the completion of the fellowship. Excellent written and spoken English skills are required. Expenses, including air fare and housing will be covered.
Mark Neuffer, Elizabeth's brother, said, "The fellowship is a great resource to fire the imaginations and kindle the energies of women committed to human rights journalism."
Applications are being accepted until February 25, 2005. The fellowship winner will be announced in May 2005. The fellowship will run from September 2005 - May 2006.
This project is generously supported by The Boston Globe, Peter Canellos, Carolyn Lee, MIT Center for International Studies, Mark Neuffer, the United Nations Foundation and Friends of Elizabeth Neuffer. The International Women's Media Foundation was launched in 1990 with a mission to strengthen the role of women in the news media worldwide, based on the belief that no press is truly free unless women share an equal voice.
The IWMF network includes more than 1,500 women in the media in more than
130 countries worldwide.
For further information and an application, visit the IWMF website, http://www.iwmf.org/programs/neuffer, or e-mail [email protected]