There has been a sea change at the Knight Journalism Fellows program at Stanford University.
For the first time, the group of journalists have been chosen based on the program’s new focus on journalism innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership.
The list of US journalists just announced will focus on projects ranging from geographically-aware journalism, multiplatform publication and socially-networked foreign reporting while they study at Stanford during the 2009-10 academic year.
The 12 American fellows join eight international journalists who were announced in April.
The decision by the Knight fellowship to seek out and back innovation and entrepreneurship reflects the need for more research and development in journalism.
The Knight fellowships are a wonderful opportunity to step outside of the newsroom and the routine of news production. I was fortunately to be a Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan and it was a life-changing experience.
The decision to invest in the future of journalism through programs like the Knight Fellowship comes at a time when this is needed more than ever.
There needs to be a space for news professionals to experiment and innovate, without fearing the consequences of failure, in a supportive and open environment.
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