Professional Fellows Program for Emerging Media Leaders

Media professionals from 25 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the United States, will be competitively selected for the program.  The Latin American and Caribbean Fellows will have the opportunity to work directly with U.S. media organizations, develop entrepreneurship projects, and improve their skills in areas such as investigative journalism, fact-checking, and podcasting, as well as non-journalism-specific skills, such as how to build a sustainable business model.

Program Components

• A three-month virtual training series:
  • Each month Professional Fellows will participate in up to five online training sessions such as, audience engagement, podcasting, data visualization, digital/physical security, etc, and have opportunities to workshop project proposals with other media innovators from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States.
• An in-person exchange:
  • A two-day orientation conducted by ICFJ. g. The orientation takes place in Washington, DC where Latin American and Caribbean Fellows will meet each other and participate in sessions on key issues facing the U.S. media landscape. The orientation also provides time for ICFJ to provide further information on Fellows’ newsroom placements and answer any questions they might have.
  • Four weeks of professional placements in newsrooms, etc. The program pairs Latin American and Caribbean Fellows with U.S. newsrooms, digital communications firms, and startup incubators, based on the fellows’ backgrounds, skills, and project proposals.  During the placements, fellows will have opportunities to meet and learn from different teams in the newsrooms.
  • Professional Fellows Congress – The congress is a large global conference that takes place in Washington, DC and is a unique opportunity to network and learn from other Professional Fellows from all over the world that work in various industries.

Cost Covered

• Selected fellows will have all program costs covered by ICFJ and the Department of State, including travel, housing, and emergency travel insurance. Fellows will also receive a stipend to cover living costs during the program. There are no costs to participate in the program.

Benefits

• During the fellowship, journalists are encouraged to develop skills to support their work in a wide range of areas, including:
  • Audience engagement
  • Data visualization
  • Design thinking
  • Business models
  • Fact-checking
  • Developing a good pitch
  • Investigative reporting
  • Media entrepreneurship in Latin América
  • Online digital security
  • Podcasting
  • Product thinking
  • Storytelling

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be between the ages of 25 and 40;
• Must be from one of the 25 eligible countries;
  • Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, ​​​​​​Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• Must be a citizen, national or permanent resident of their home country;
• Is living and working in their home country at the time of application;
• Has at least two years of professional experience at the time of application;
• Submits a complete application, with all required documents, by the application deadline;
• Must be able to begin the Professional Fellows Program virtually in 2024 and participate in the United States in 2025;
• Must able to receive a U.S. J-1 visa;
• Must be committed to returning to their home country after completion of the program;
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application.

Languages

• Participants should have very strong English reading, writing, and speaking skills. The application should be filled out in English, and the interview will be conducted in English.

For more information, visit ICFJ.