Media Fellowship Project

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - now extended until September 11, 2020

Media Fellowship Project on the 2020 Election
Progressive Views on a Historical Turning Point 

In seeking to cover the historic 2020 elections in the United States, the FES DC is introducing a media fellowship project to amplify and empower diverse voices from outside of Washington DC to cover progressive views on what could very well be a historical turning point for the United States. Up to 5 media fellowship participants will be selected to cover the election and the currents of progressive thought and social themes in the United States in 2020, receiving a stipend of $3,000 to complete their projects. Application instructions are below. The application window closes September 11, 2020. Finished stories would be published by December 31, 2020.

Independent journalists, bloggers, community activists, or US residents who wish to report on progressive views for a complex transatlantic audience (interested German and European readers, but also progressives in the USA and Canada) are invited to apply for a stipend to support original reportage, to be published with attribution for research support through the website and social media channels of the FES DC. This would take the form of a recurring blog series for the FES DC. Longer publications would be considered for another FES publication format. Digital pieces, such as video clips and podcasts, are also acceptable. Participants in the media fellowship project will engage with the FES DC on social media during their story research and reporting.

While participants will have research freedom, project proposals should include topics germane to social democratic values – freedom, justice, and solidarity – or labor unions and movements. These include:

• Economics
• Just Transition
• Union membership
• Apprenticeships and trade education

• Domestic policy and social politics
• Local governments as international actors
• Identity politics and combatting discrimination
• Democratic values and civility

• Foreign and security policy
• A new foreign policy and an expanded view of security
• International cooperation and rules-based order
• Regional strategies for stability and peace

• Progressive thought in America
• New ideas of the role of government in American society
• A barometer of social policy proposals and preferences
• Justice in America 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Complete applications will consist of:

1. Resume: Please use a standard US format
2. Cover letter: A one-page document outlining your motivation, qualifications, and experience. 
3. Proposal: Please include the following three sections:
• Story proposals: Please include a short description of the stories you plan to cover (about 200 words each), as well as the relationship of your stories to the topics outlined above. In your proposal, consider the question – why are these proposed stories interesting or relevant from a transatlantic and social democratic perspective?
• You do not need to have interviews confirmed, but you should indicate whom you plan to contact. Please also specify the language of publication, medium, audience, and plans for publication.
• Travel itinerary: If you plan on travel, outline your destinations and possible interviews in each location. Travel must be completed by October 31, 2020. The Friedrich Ebert Foundation Washington Office encourages common-sense and regard for social distancing if travel is to be undertaken. The Friedrich Ebert Foundation Washington Office will not accept liability for risks taken while traveling.
• Social media engagement: Briefly explain how you plan to engage with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Washington Office in the course of the media fellowship and your reporting.
4. Work samples: Please submit two work samples in English or German.

Please submit applications to  FESDC with subject line Media Fellowship Project on the 2020 Election by 11:45pm Eastern Daylight Time on September 11, 2020.