Shorenstein Center Fellowships
Since the Shorenstein Center’s founding in 1986, the Fellowship Program has been central to its mission examining how essential information is created, conveyed and consumed. The purpose of the Fellowship Program is to advance research in the field of media, politics and public policy and facilitate a dialogue among journalists, scholars, policymakers and students.
View past Fellows and their published work.
The Shorenstein Center currently hosts three fellowship opportunities:
- The Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellowship
- The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship
- The Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellowship
All types of fellows at the Shorenstein Center receive guidance for their research and work, a lively network of professionals, and university resources (including an email account, library resources, research services and other tools). See below for more information on each fellowship program.
The Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellowship
The Walter Shorenstein fellowship is a highly selective and paid fellowship opportunity offered to between one and three individuals each year. These fellowships require an invitation to apply and focus on producing a significant product (written or otherwise) that addresses a timely issue at the intersection of media, politics and public policy. Walter Shorenstein fellows are also expected to engage with the research, student and broader community here on campus. If you’re interested in this opportunity, please reach out to our research community lead, Emily Roseman, with a brief introduction and summary of your research interests.
The Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program
he Joan Shorenstein Fellowship Program is designed to bring journalists, technologists, scholars, politicians and policymakers to the Shorenstein Center to engage with students, faculty, other fellows, and the broader Harvard Kennedy School community. Fellows are expected to contribute to the center by publishing original content that aligns with and furthers the center’s core mission of examining how essential information is created, conveyed and consumed. Joan Shorenstein fellows are not required to be in-person and the fellowship can be conducted partially or entirely remotely. Fellows who are in the Boston area are welcome to come to the center as often as they would like. Travel stipends to support trips to Cambridge for unpaid fellows to participate in events and other campus activities are occasionally available.
More about the Joan Shorenstein Fellowship:
Career professionals from a variety of related fields are welcome to apply. Past fellows include journalists from local, national and international TV, radio, print, and digital media; media and civic technology innovators; nonfiction authors; political advisors and policymakers; leading academic scholars in fields such as media research and political science; and policy analysts.
The Shorenstein Center is committed to diversity, and actively encourages applications from all demographic backgrounds, and across the political spectrum.
Fellows may engage with the center in a variety of ways. The expectations of any Joan Shorenstein fellow are:
- Publishing original work on the Shorenstein Center’s website – this may take the form of expert commentaries, a white paper or policy paper, a podcast or video series, or other types of original content. The content should contribute meaningfully to the public’s understanding of how essential information is created, conveyed, and/or consumed.
- Engaging with the Shorenstein Center’s research community, including helping to advise center-wide research, hosting a workshop or office hours session for students, or participating in an event.
Fellows work independently and remotely, with the support of center staff, on the project and/or research agenda agreed to between the fellow and the center. The exact nature of a fellow’s work varies depending on interests, goals, desired impact, and capacity. Fellows have access to a Harvard email account, Harvard facilities and libraries (both physical and online) during the term of their fellowship, and are encouraged to make connections to faculty and other fellows at HKS and across the university. After their term ends, fellows cannot maintain access to the libraries, or their Harvard email, or other Harvard systems. They are encouraged to stay connected to the Shorenstein Center, and may continue to contribute expert commentary writing and engage with the center’s events and student programming, after their fellowship ends.
Applications for the Joan Shorenstein Fellowship are currently closed. Please check back here, or subscribe to the Shorenstein Center’s newsletter and we’ll notify you once the fellowship application is live.
The Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellowship
The Documentary Film in the Public Interest initiative’s fellowship is designed to support new research, analysis, innovation and provocation around core issues facing the documentary field. Through the fellows’ projects, the Shorenstein Center will engage in examinations of best practice, industry ecosystems, public impact, technology and media policy. See here for more information on this fellowship and how to apply.
