JAWS Health Journalism Fellowship – United States

The current health landscape means that journalists in every beat have become de facto health journalists, making it the perfect moment to raise professional awareness, elevate health care reporting, and increase diversity and representation of journalists. By training more journalists and by diversifying the reporting pool, they’re certain to get better and more inclusive health care reporting for the communities.

In keeping with JAWS’ mission, this fellowship aims to advance the professional growth and empowerment of women journalists in health care reporting by giving them the training and support to tell stories about diverse experiences and cultures.

About the fellowship

• JAWS will train and support eight early career journalists (less than 7 years’ professional reporting experience) or those new to the health beat who will complete an intensive project on a key component of health care, including but not limited to:
  • Health equity/disparities
  • Cost and quality of care
  • Health care coverage and access
  • Women’s health/women’s reproductive health
  • Delivery system reform
  • Medicare/Medicaid

Funding Information

• Upon completing and signing a letter of acceptance detailing their commitment, each fellow will spend the next seven months (January–July 2023) working on a substantive reporting project, as well as one shorter-form story, assisted by a reporting grant of $4,000 to cover project-related time and expenses and mentoring by an experienced health journalist for the duration of the project and beyond.
• Additionally, fellows will receive a one-year complimentary membership to JAWS (a $75 value), and complementary registration and travel expenses to CAMP for 2024 (up to a $3,500 value).

Fellowship Deliverables

• Long-form story: Selected applicants agree to write/produce a multi-part series, or long-form story (min 2,000 words or comparable air time) based on original research and reporting. Applicants will submit a proposal outlining their project (see below) along with a proposed timeline. The long-form reporting project must be completed by July 31, 2024 and published or aired by August 31, 2024. Fellows will present their work during a panel discussion at CAMP 2024.
• Short-form story: Fellows will also be required to write/produce and publish a short-form story on any health-related topic listed above, of approximately 750 words (or comparable airtime) no later than April 15, 2024. This story does not have to appear in the same media outlet as the long form piece.

Eligibility Criteria

• The fellowship is open to both staff and freelance journalists.  Freelancers should pre-pitch their story ideas to one or more media outlets and obtain tentative approval from the appropriate editor(s) in writing as part of their application.
• The long- and short- form stories are not required to publish/air in the same outlet.
• Applicants must have at least two years of experience as a journalist. They may report in any format – audio, television, documentary, photojournalism, print, digital, podcast or any combination of multimedia for a recognized mainstream or ethnic media outlet. Blogging, academic writing, and public relations do not count toward journalism experience.

For more information, visit JAWS.