The WPI fellowship is offered to 10 journalists from countries around the world. It provides immersion into the governance, politics, business, media, journalistic ethics and culture of the United States for experienced international journalists, through a demanding schedule of study, travel and interviews throughout the country.
The 2011 program will begin in mid August and end in mid-October. The fellows will spend a month in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and then travel to several U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, D.C., for briefings, interviews and visits. They will returned to Minnesota for the final week of the program.
Journalism — in particular, the role and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy— is the primary focus of the WPI fellowship program. First-hand knowledge of the complexity and diversity of life in the U.S. is an equally important goal. Access is the key. Over the term of the fellowship, WPI fellows gain access to a broad range of individuals and institutions ranging from the world renowned to the ordinary.
Since 1961, over 500 journalists from 100 countries have benefited from the WPI experience.
WPI pays all program costs, including transportation to the U.S. and back, all transportation within the U.S. related to the WPI program, and all lodging costs. In addition, a modest daily per diem for food is provided. Personal expenses, such as cameras, film, postage and clothing, are the responsibility of the fellows.
WPI is committed to achieving racial and gender equity in its selection of fellows, topics and persons interviewed.
