International journalism fellowships are an opportunity for professional and personal growth for Latin American journalists who want to advance their careers and impact the local industry.
As part of these programs, journalists generally spend an academic year studying at an esteemed university and working on a project focused on an issue central to media.
While they provide journalists time and resources to find solutions for complex problems and a break from the day-to-day rigors of professional life, those in Latin America and the Caribbean may view the application process as challenging and out of reach.
To demystify this journey and help potential candidates, LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) sought advice from fellowship participants and those in charge of the international programs at universities in the U.S. and UK.
Although the application period hasn't yet begun, the need to prepare in advance, even before the selection process officially opens, was unanimous among those interviewed. The key to success, they said, lies in meticulous preparation, self-confidence and a deep understanding of the program they’re applying for.
“You have to be really interested in your subject because you will be working only on that for several months, and you want to enjoy your fellowship and write a useful paper,” Chilean journalist Francisca Skoknic, alumna of the 2023-2024 class at the Reuter’s Institute, told LJR. “I think it’s important to study the chosen subject, to start your application well in advance—this shouldn't be a last-minute effort, and to clearly articulate why your project matters.”
Francisca Skoknic shares the findings of her project during her fellowship in August 2024. (Image: Andrew Bailey)
For her project, Skoknic focused on media funding transparency, which culminated in the publishing of her paper "The looming threat (and possible solutions) to Latin America’s foreign donor-funded journalism" in August 2024. Skoknic, who is editor and co-founder of journalistic platform LaBot, said the biggest challenge during the application process was writing the required texts.
“On the one hand, you need to show your best accomplishments and strengths, which always makes me uncomfortable,” she said. “On the other hand, you have to develop a project that's both interesting to you and appealing to the selection committee.”
To apply for the Reuters Institute fellowship, which is located at the University of Oxford in the UK, applicants must submit a one-page project idea explaining the topic they will be working on during the program. They must also write a one-page motivation letter detailing why the fellowship is right for them and what they plan to do with the project upon returning to their home country. The program is suitable for mid-career journalists with more than five years of experience who will return to the profession after completing their studies. Other documents and requirements necessary for the application and can be found on the Reuters Institute's official website. Applications usually open the second week of January.
“Typically, we're looking for ideas that are timely, will have a demonstrable impact on your career or newsroom, and are motivated by personal experience,” Caithlin Mercer, associate director of the Journalism Fellowship Programme, told LJR. “We are not looking for thoroughly sourced research proposals or academic experience.
Mercer recommends that applicants keep an eye on past fellows' projects published on the program's website to better prepare before the application period begins. She said most new projects are published in August, September, December, and April because they are released between academic semesters. If the topic the applicant wants to explore is the same, she advises building on that work.
“I'm not going to lie and tell you it's easy,” she said. “Less than 1% of people who apply to this programme get in. But just because it's difficult, doesn't mean you are not worthy of giving it your best shot. At the Reuters Institute, our final decision always comes down to the best mixture of ideas and experiences, not just the best ideas. You never know when you might be the missing ingredient we're looking for.”
Skoknic echoes the challenge of the process, but believes that if the candidate is an experienced journalist, the program isn't out of reach. She said it's a good idea to include a concrete outcome for the project, such as identifying solutions to a specific problem or a practical application for journalists.
“You have to work hard on your application. Focus on subjects you know well and avoid topics that are too broad,” she said. “I read extensively about my chosen subject to develop an informed proposal. I also gave myself plenty of time: I like to write a draft, let it rest for a few days, and then revise it. It always improves.”
In the year since she published her paper, she said she still gets comments and invitations to speak about the subject, even going abroad.
“Almost without realizing it, I've become an expert in this field,” Skoknic said.
Brazilian journalist Sérgio Spagnuolo, executive director of Núcleo Jornalismo and a 2025-26 John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University in California, said putting together a good application is one of the biggest challenges of the selection process. He spoke with fellows from previous years, read and reread the required submissions, paid close attention to the requested topics, and reviewed all grammar and spelling.
"I was never satisfied with the first draft of my answers; there was always room for improvement," Spagnuolo told LJR. "It's very important to prepare in advance. I speak from experience: many people leave the entire application until the last few days, and that's not a good idea, especially because you don't have time to reflect on what you can write and improve the quality of the material."
According to JSK’s official website, the fellowship is open to American and international journalists working in media outlets, independent journalists, journalism entrepreneurs, strategists and innovators. Applicants must have at least five years of professional journalism experience, and a college degree or experience in traditional newsrooms is not required.
Alberto Mendoza, director of the JSK fellowship program, emphasizes that the program seeks professionals with leadership skills and a willingness to propose solutions to industry problems. He said this leadership doesn't need to be tied to formal positions, but rather to concrete actions and initiatives that the individual has implemented in their community.
“This is a journalism fellowship that focuses on helping leaders become even more well rounded,” Mendoza told LJR. “You really have to step into that [being a leader] and know that because you want to do something to change the industry, this is the perfect fellowship to give you that opportunity.”
Mendoza also emphasized the importance of submitting a detailed application. Applicants should be able to clearly state the types of classes that interest them, what they specifically hope to gain from being a JSK fellow, and what questions they hope to answer during their time at Stanford. He also said that the proposal made during the application is only a starting point for what will be done during the fellowship.
“We want to have people that are coming here with a question. ‘What would happen if?’ And that while they're at Stanford, they're going to look for all the different answers and be influenced by everything that they're exposed to here,” Mendoza said. “The project is basically the exploration of a concept that you're going to put to test in the fellowship. The reason why I say that that's important is because half of our fellows sometimes change their direction. And so, if we were very focused on just what the proposal is, you know, then sometimes we miss the opportunity to pivot.”
Among the most common mistakes made by Latin American applicants, Mendoza cited generalizations, a lack of connection between their past experiences and the project they're proposing, and a difficulty in valuing their own career. He also said it's essential to contextualize the reality of the applicant's home country and the local press, as well as explain why their work is important in the region, since evaluators won't stop to research this amid thousands of applications.
“Latin Americans, as one myself, we are not very comfortable with bragging or we're not comfortable talking about ourselves,” he said. “This is the moment to be really proud of the things that you've accomplished and share those. And then by the same token, sharing the vulnerabilities is good too.”
Applications for the next JSK fellowship class open on Oct. 15 and run until Dec. 3. All information about prerequisites and fellowship benefits can be found on the program's official website.
While at Oxford, the research project carries significant weight, and at Stanford, leadership is key, at the University of Michigan, the approach is focused on innovation. Lynette Clemetson, director of Wallace House Center for Journalists, said a strong application presents a clear argument as to why the fellowship is necessary to accomplish something that was not possible in the normal course of work, or something that truly requires time, as well as academic and financial support to develop.
“Generally, I think fellowships like ours are looking for journalists who are several years into their career, who have been working long enough to have a sense of what skills or training or opportunities they could have to advance their career”, Clemetson told LJR. “We are more of a mid-career fellowship. And I don't use the term mid-career on our website because I think it is really tricky now because sometimes people come to journalism from other fields.”
Clemetson said one of the most common mistakes is submitting generic applications or applications lacking knowledge about the program. She also explained that it's not uncommon for candidates to apply for different fellowships with the same materials, without considering the specific requirements for and benefits of each program.
The Wallace House director also emphasized the importance of having a solid level of English fluency and being comfortable communicating in the language. Clemetson said that last year, she saw an application for the first time that clearly used artificial intelligence in the preparation of the material.
“Sometimes I will get an application that says I would like to study in the Journalism School. But Michigan doesn't have a journalism school. So I know that that person hasn't done some preliminary research,” she said. “And also, if they're accomplished, they don't need to study journalism, right? If your level of facility with English is at one level in the application and then we do a phone interview and it's clear that this is not your working fluency, that's really difficult to work around.”
Like Mendoza, Clemetson reinforced the importance of being very specific about the context of local journalism in Latin America and the candidate's role in this context. She recommended that candidates organize their ideas and write in the same way they would in a good article on a complex topic unfamiliar to readers: bringing the information to life and making it understandable for the public.
“If you assume that most applicants in Latin America would be embedded in journalism ecosystems that maybe the person reading your application isn't familiar with, you have to bring those alive and be able to talk about the dynamics of where and how you do your work,” Clemetson said. “The more you can make your own personal journey and your resume come alive and demonstrate not just what you have done but the things that you still want to do and are your personal mission to get done, that's very, very appealing.”
Applications for the Knight-Wallace Fellowship open in October, and the deadline for international applicants is Dec. 1. Clemetson recommends that interested applicants from Latin America speak with former fellows and university professors before applying to strengthen their candidacy. All requirements for participating in the selection process are available on the official Knight-Wallace website.
The Nieman Foundation awards fellowships to selected journalists who are invited to spend an academic year at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, pursuing individual study plans to strengthen their knowledge and leadership skills. Each year, 12 American and 12 international journalists are selected. Henry Chu, interim curator of the Nieman Foundation, said the fellowships are investments in journalists who have not only excelled but also demonstrated potential for more.
“We’re on the lookout for applicants who have thought deeply about how a year away from their workplaces and at Harvard will benefit their journalism and equip them to be stronger leaders in their newsrooms or in the industry more generally,” Chu told LJR.
Brazilian Simone Iglesias is part of the 2026 Nieman Class. (Image: Archive)
Brazilian Simone Iglesias, a business and government reporter for Bloomberg News in Brasília, is part of the 2026 Nieman Class. For her, the biggest challenge of the selection process was balancing the development of her project with an intense reporting schedule. Iglesias decided to apply in March 2024 and only completed her application in November of the same year.
"Every day I was mentally organizing myself to produce, a crisis or a story to cover would arise," Iglesias told LJR. "It was eight months of taking notes, researching, reading, pestering friends with my topic, and gaining insights between interviews, conversations with sources, coverage of the G20, the BRICS, presidential trips, and maddening time zones."
To apply for the Nieman Fellowship, as with other programs, journalists must have at least five years of professional experience. The fellowship website is categorical about English fluency in speaking, writing and reading. Iglesias believes that no program is out of reach for journalists in Latin America, but she emphasizes that it's important to select the right program for each stage of a journalist’s career.
"For Nieman, you need more experience. The Harvard professors who welcomed me into their chairs don't see me as an undergraduate student, but as someone who can contribute to the class as a whole more effectively in a debate about my field," she said. "I would never have applied to Nieman at the beginning of my career. I made my pitch at the right time. Journalists from Latin America are absolutely welcome in these programs. We have a lot to contribute to foreign universities with our knowledge."
Applications open in October, and the deadline for international journalists is Dec. 1. Complete application information can be found on the Nieman Fellowship website. For journalists considering applying, Iglesias recommends following the announcement's instructions to the letter.
"This week, a Mexican colleague talked to me about the application process. He asked me for contact information for foundation staff for tips. I told him it's not the right way," Iglesias said. "Read the entire process carefully dozens of times. Do exactly what's asked. But do it absolutely well."
