WPI Fellowship

In 2014, a World Press Institute fellowship was offered to Ivo van Woerden and 8 other journalists from countries around the world. It provided 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 fellows have spend three weeks in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and then travelled to several U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, D.C., for briefings, interviews and visits. They returned to Minnesota for the final week of the program.

About the Fellowship

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, WPI has brought almost 600 journalists from nearly 100 countries to the United States.

Selection is a competitive process. Each year hundreds of journalists apply to the program. Fellows are picked by the WPI selection committee, composed of journalists and corporate communications specialists, all with international experience.

WPI is committed to achieving racial and gender equity in its selection of fellows, topics and persons interviewed.

Program Review: 2014 Summary Schedule

The fellowship program of the World Press Institute encompasses briefings, interviews, field trips, cultural experiences and additional assignments. Below is a summary of the fellows’ schedule in 2014.

Aug. 8: WPI fellows arrive in Twin Cities.

Aug. 10: Welcome picnic and gathering with Minneapolis and St. Paul host families.

Aug. 11: Orientation to the program with WPI executive director David McDonald and WPI staff.

Aug. 12-13: Two days of briefing and discussion of journalism issues with University of St. Thomas faculty and John Ullmann, former assistant managing editor for investigations at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Aug. 14-15: Visits to Star Tribune, Twin Cities Public Television, community groups and host family reception.

Aug. 17-23: A visit to Ely in northern Minnesota for a community forum and a visit to the Wolf Center. Later in the week observing naturalization ceremony in federal court in Minneapolis and visits to General Mills, Minnesota Public Radio, a discussion with a Minnesota-based international health foundation and a discussion about the Kennedy assassination with U.S. District Judge John Tunheim.

Aug. 24-30: A visit to Tracy in Southeastern Minnesota begins the week. Later discussions with University of Minnesota faculty on data privacy and international relations and health care followed by a visit to the American Refugee Committee to discuss refugee and health care crises and ending the week with a visit to Cargill.

Aug 31-Sept. 6: The U.S. tour begins in Washington, D.C., for visits to Politico, The Washington Post, the Atlantic magazine, PEW Research and Congress, as well as several think tanks

Sept. 6-12: New York City, where fellows will visit The New York Times, Bloomberg News, the Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, a community school, the UN and privacy experts.

Sept. 13-16: Miami for visits to the Miami Herald and Univision and a major Hispanic polling firm.

Sept. 17-19: Atlanta where the visits include CNN, the Carter Center and the Centers for Disease Control.

Sept. 20-23: Austin, Texas, for visits with the Texas Tribune, an online publication; a conservative media consultant; a polling expert and a University of Texas political science professor among others.

Sept. 24-28: San Francisco Bay area where visits include the Stanford University Center for Innovation in Global Health, Silicon Valley firms, a privacy rights organization and the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Sept. 28-30: Seattle for visits to the Gates Foundation and Boeing, among others.

Oct. 1-3: Chicago for visits to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the MacArthur Foundation and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Oct. 4-10: Back to the Twin Cities for meetings with St. Thomas students and faculty, more visits to local firms and media outlets and a graduation ceremony.

Oct. 11: 2014 WPI Fellows depart.