Other Fellowships Available
Poynter Institute Fellowship
More info here.
Broadcast Journalism Fellowship
More info here.
Seeing the World through New Eyes Fellowships
A Fellowship presented by the Jack Webster Foundation with the support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Five BC Journalists receive fellowships to cover sub-Saharan Africa development issues
from left: Andrew Hopkins, Astral Media, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek; Darcy-Anne Wintonyk, CTV British Columbia, Vancouver; Tara Carman, The Vancouver Sun; Nancy Macdonald, Maclean's, Vancouver; Molly McNulty, Terrace Standard; and Don Cayo, project leader and columnist Vancouver Sun
For the 2010/2011 fellowship, please check back in Spring, 2010
On this page:
- 2009/2010 Fellowship Submission form
2010/2011 application form will be available in spring, 2010
"Every story I've done since the Webster fellowship has been touched by my first experience in international reporting. To say it has made me a better reporter is an understatement. It has made me a better person, as well."
Rob Shaw, Victoria Times Colonist
"It was a long way from northern B.C. It was a once-in-a lifetime chance to record the stories and songs of HIV + new mothers surviving through another Hungry Season in Malawi. It was the thrill of tracking down Tanzania's top hip hop star, one conversation at a time. It was the realization that great stories are great stories, the world over. In a word - it was incredible! Remarkable! Unforgettable!"
Betsy Trumpener, CBC Radio
This fellowship has by far been the single greatest experience for me as a journalist and as a human being... a fellowship program like Seeing the World Through New Eyes is invaluable to the quality of Canadian journalism and to the public who deserves a diverse and unfettered look at development issues around the world.
Elaine O'Connor, The Province
I believe the series I produced through the Seeing the World Through New Eyes fellowship has not only taught me but has helped my community to see these issues with new perspective. It really has been an incredible experience. It was one that has vastly broadened my experience as a journalist, and opened my perspective as a world citizen.
Colleen Dane, Comox Valley Record
Rob Shaw, Victoria Times Colonist
"It was a long way from northern B.C. It was a once-in-a lifetime chance to record the stories and songs of HIV + new mothers surviving through another Hungry Season in Malawi. It was the thrill of tracking down Tanzania's top hip hop star, one conversation at a time. It was the realization that great stories are great stories, the world over. In a word - it was incredible! Remarkable! Unforgettable!"
Betsy Trumpener, CBC Radio
This fellowship has by far been the single greatest experience for me as a journalist and as a human being... a fellowship program like Seeing the World Through New Eyes is invaluable to the quality of Canadian journalism and to the public who deserves a diverse and unfettered look at development issues around the world.
Elaine O'Connor, The Province
I believe the series I produced through the Seeing the World Through New Eyes fellowship has not only taught me but has helped my community to see these issues with new perspective. It really has been an incredible experience. It was one that has vastly broadened my experience as a journalist, and opened my perspective as a world citizen.
Colleen Dane, Comox Valley Record
Overview for 2009/10
Seeing the World Through New Eyes will be offered for the fifth time to provide young or beginning BC journalists with their first in-depth experience reporting from the developing world.
Up to five fellowships will be offered. Each will provide a three-day training session in Vancouver in November, followed in March 2010 by two weeks of field research in sub-Sahara Africa, possibly Ethiopia and Niger. (A final determination will be made in October/November.)
These fellowships will benefit new BC journalists who want to see beyond their borders. It will provide a chance to witness firsthand Canadian organizations that help in developing countries and to learn about the developing world from a perspective of the people who live there.
Recipients will receive practical tips for research and reporting from a developing country and will have independent opportunities to research stories. Prior to the trip, participants will be required not only to attend a three-day training session, but also to devote considerable time to planning their own assignments and making contacts in the countries to be visited.
Fellowship recipients will have full discretion to select the stories they pursue. The only restriction is that the stories chosen fall into one or more of these broad categories: health and education, gender equality and integration of women in development, human rights, democracy, good governance, environment, infrastructure services and private sector development.
Eligibility
The program is open to journalists who are aged 30 or younger or who are in their first five years of journalism work and who are full-time BC-based employees at a media organization, or who are BC-based freelancers with a record of printed, published or aired work. The application process requires a letter from an employer or media organization confirming their commitment to publish or air your stories.
These fellowships are primarily for journalists with no previous international reporting experience but we will consider up to one applicant each year who has limited previous experience - for example a story published or aired after a trip undertaken for a primary purpose other than reporting. If you have limited previous experience and would like to apply, please outline your previous experience on a separate sheet and include with your completed application package.
Television applicants must be prepared to shoot their own videos.
Program for 2009/10
Three-day training session in Vancouver
November 6 to November 8, 2009
Day 1: The Intercultural Training Centre from the Department of Foreign Affairs will talk about how to prepare yourself for travel in Sub-Saharan Africa. The session will also touch upon country-specific information.
Day 2: This day will be devoted to discussions of major issues facing the countries to be visited, as well as international development projects that are under way in those countries. It will also deal with how to plan your research in a country where logistics may be daunting. In particular, it will address the issue of how to plan thoroughly enough to ensure you can cover the necessary groundwork, yet flexibly enough to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities or to cope with unexpected obstacles.
Day 3: This day will deal with any remaining issues or questions. It will also provide an opportunity to begin actual planning of how you and the group will spend your time in the field. Specific group activities will be determined through collaborative discussions on this day.
• Independent Preparation
After the preparatory workshop and before departure for sub-Sahara Africa, the journalists will establish their contacts overseas and make plans for specific field visits. The project leader is available by email or telephone for advice, if requested.
• Travel to sub-Saharan Africa
Field travel is tentatively scheduled from March 27 to April 10, 2010. The program will involve one week in each of two countries. Fellowship recipients may travel within the countries for their individual research, though they will be under some constraints as to the time and budget available.
Expectations
1. It is expected that each successful recipient will publish or broadcast major stories on a development–related issue or issues either through the media organization where they are employed or on a freelance basis. Recipients and their employers will retain the rights to their work.
2. Recipients agree to file any requested reports, evaluations and/or expense accounts by the deadlines specified.
3. All stories published or broadcast as a result of this project must include acknowledgement that the journalist traveled with support from CIDA and the Jack Webster Foundation.
4. There will be issues for both you and your employer to consider if you are selected. For more information see the Frequently Asked Questions section.
Fellowship Funding
The fellowship will cover transportation and accommodation for out-of-town participants in the Vancouver training session, as well as airfare to sub-Sahara Africa. It will also pay for accommodation in the field, plus a modest per diem to cover personal and research-related expenses, and some incidental expenses such as vaccinations that are recommended for travel to the region.
Project Leader
Don Cayo is a columnist and former editorial page editor at the Vancouver Sun. Previously he worked in six provinces for newspapers, CBC Radio and TV, and The Canadian Press. For the last decade and a half he has reported periodically on development issues in countries including Haiti, Peru, Brazil, Nicaragua, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Kenya, South Korea, Ghana, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, South Africa, Lesotho and China. He also has experience setting up, teaching and directing a fulltime journalism program in Charlottetown, PEI.
Application Deadline
Please check back in Spring, 2010
Responsibility
Travel in Third World countries has inherent risks. It is a condition of acceptance of the Seeing the World Through New Eyes Fellowship that recipients participate in all aspects of the program at their own risk. Participants will be required to sign a waiver of liability and indemnity agreement absolving the Jack Webster Foundation and the Canadian International Development Agency of any liability that may arise in relation to participation in this program. A copy of the form of waiver and indemnity agreement can be found in the downloads section above. Recipients will also be required to secure appropriate travel and out of country health insurance prior to travel. Proof of securing insurance will be required prior to travel. Financial assistance is available for the purchase of insurance, but responsibility for obtaining insurance rests with the recipient.
FAQs
What are my obligations if my application is accepted for the Fellowship?
Aside from the obvious necessity to be available for and participate in the three-day training session in Vancouver and the trip itself, we expect a significant commitment of time. It's demanding to research projects or issues to find story angles abroad, and to make the advance connections you'll need in order to hit the ground running. Previous winners say it's a commitment akin to holding a second job for several days or weeks to get your stories lined up before you depart. And most recipients found themselves juggling their normal workload with extra writing and editing for a few weeks after they returned.
What are my employer's obligations?
First and foremost, employers must ensure you're available for the training and travel. Whether you'll be paid, or required to take unpaid leave or holiday time, is between you and your employer - some previous recipients were paid, and some weren't. Significantly, your employer must also write a letter of support for your application. This means a commitment to use your stories in the regular mix of news and/or commentary. There was an issue concerning this with CBC in 2006, so it's wise to ensure that a solid understanding is in place in advance. Or, if you are a freelancer, we require a letter from a publication or broadcast outlet expressing specific interest in the story or stories you bring back.
Do I need a passport, visas, etc.?
Absolutely. It will be your responsibility to ensure that you have a valid passport that doesn't expire for at least six months after the end of the trip (In other words, that it's valid until at least early October 2010). If you don't have a passport now, you'll have to get one without delay if you are selected. The Fellowship will pay for and help arrange necessary visas, but a valid passport is essential before a visa can be issued, and it takes time to get one. Participants will probably also need vaccinations, but further information on this will be forthcoming after the selection of recipients is announced. The cost of required vaccinations will also be covered by the Fellowship.
What safety issues should I be thinking about?
All travel has inherent risks, and participants must accept that. The Fellowship will provide money for travel insurance, though it is recipients' responsibility to ensure sufficient coverage is obtained. We'll also provide briefings on possible issues that we can foresee - how much money to take and how to carry it to minimize the risk of loss or theft, internal travel considerations when you're in a destination country, and that sort of thing. And we'll have an advisor on the ground who can be consulted if you can contact him. But ultimately the responsibility for your safety will be your own, and you'll be asked to sign a waiver noting that fact. The Fellowship also has modest funds available that recipients can apply for to help deal with specific safety concerns stemming from the stories you choose to pursue.
Will accepting the Fellowship cost me any money?
Aside from the cost of obtaining a passport and personal expenses such as souvenirs, not necessarily. The Fellowship has budgeted modest amounts for all the expense categories that we foresee, but the actual amount participants receive will be based on what they actually spend, and each category has a cap. Some of previous years' participants were prepared to over-spend a bit - either from their own pockets, or covered by their employers - in order to get the stories they wanted. But in the end all of them, even those who traveled fairly extensively within the destination countries, were able to come in under budget. The Webster Foundation will buy the airline tickets - the largest single expense - and will provide each participant with a travel advance, but this won't necessarily cover all expenses. So participants may have to cover some costs from their own resources and then file a claim for the money when they return. For past participants, this did not amount to more than a few hundred dollars.
What background and experience are required or desired?
The Fellowship is intended to provide young or new working journalists with an early career experience reporting on development issues. In the first three years of the program, we did not consider applicants who had previous experience reporting from abroad. This year, we are prepared to consider up to one applicant who has a limited amount of such experience. However, we are not considering applicants who have received assignments to travel and report abroad. Rather, we are thinking of applicants who've had a chance to travel for other purposes, and have taken the initiative to do a story or two as a sideline.
What about photographers and/or videographers?
Both writers and shooters are welcome to apply individually, but we do not accept applications from teams, and it is unrealistic to expect that colleagues from the same workplace will be awarded fellowships in the same year. This means that writers in print or, especially, television must be prepared to get the pictures they need as well as the words to tell their stories. Previous television reporters who have participated were able, before they left, to get their colleagues to teach them what they needed to know about shooting in order to get the footage to illustrate their stories. And virtually all print writers have also taken still pictures. Conversely, an applicant whose main skill is with a camera must be prepared to write enough to get stories to air or in print. Only one photographer has previously received a fellowship, and she functioned as both reporter and photographer for the trip.
Will I be expected to file stories from the field?
Some recipients have come across breaking news - for example, riots over the price of bus fares in Mozambique - and have filed news stories from the scene. Also, some broadcast recipients have done live link-ups with their stations to report on what they're doing and seeing and to promo the packages to be aired after their return. And, increasingly, recipients are inclined to file blog entries when they're in locations with Internet access. But the major stories produced on these trips have virtually all been features that were researched in the field but written, packaged and presented after the recipients have returned home.
Are journalism students eligible for these Fellowships?
No. This program is intended for working journalists who have fulltime jobs, or regular freelance employment.
Do I need to know what I want to report on when I apply?
No. The purpose of the program is to provide coaching in how to pick and line up interesting stories that you can realistically expect to cover during a fairly short visit, so we do not expect you to have specific stories in mind when you apply. That said, we note that several applicants - including some, though not all, who were successful - had already found some intriguing local connections with the countries to be visited, and they mentioned these in their applications.
Will the impact of my stories be diluted because several other media carry similar stories from other Fellowship participants?
No, this should not happen. The point of this Fellowship is that each participant will find and work on unique stories.
If I am 30 when I apply but will be over 30 at the time of the field trip, am I eligible?
Yes, you are eligible if you are 30 at the application deadline.
The 2009 Seeing the World Through New Eyes Fellowship recipients are:
The 2008 Seeing the World Through New Eyes Fellowship recipients are:
Don Cayo's Seeing the World Fellowship blog
2008/2009 Recipients blogs
2007/2008 Recipients blogs
2006/2007 Fellowship Recipients blogs
2005/2006 Recipients and their experiences
