The Journalism in the Era of Disinformation Fellowship (JED) Fellowship gave student journalists from the United States and Germany the opportunity to meet their peers and learn about the role that disinformation plays in political coverage in both countries.
The JED Fellowship was funded by the Transatlantic Program of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through funds of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi).
In 2018, 2019, and 2021, up to 10 German and 10 American journalism students were selected to participate in this exchange initiative, which a focus on political coverage in the U.S. and Germany and analyzes the trend of “fake news”. By exchanging ideas with distinguished experts and key institutions in the U.S. and by analyzing the similar ways disinformation is seen in the media of both countries, the group of journalists came up with solutions for counteracting this trend.
JED was conducted as an in-person program in 2018 and 2019 and as a virtual program (over the course of two weeks) with additional workshops in 2021.
Program Goals:
- Give student journalists a platform to discuss with experts in the field and one another the threats posed by disinformation
- Give student journalists an opportunity to make suggestions for ways to counteract disinformation, particularly in new media and social media
- Allow journalists to bring lessons learned home and share with a wider audience through presentations and reports
JED was conducted as an in-person program in 2018 and 2019 and as a virtual program (over the course of two weeks) with additional workshops in 2021.
Connect with @JEDfellowship on Twitter
What's Included
- Discussions with high-level contacts at various media, think tanks, and political institutions, focusing on the role of journalism in the age of disinformation
- Transatlantic workshop to develop suggestions for counteracting the increasing role of disinformation in media
- Membership in Cultural Vistas Alumni Network
Eligibility
- You are a student, enrolled in a university or higher education institution in the U.S. or Germany, at the time of application
- You possess citizenship or permanent residence in your country of study
- You are interested in pursuing political coverage (local, state, or federal) in your career as a journalist
- You have previous experience as an intern or employee in a media setting
- Candidates outside of Berlin, Hamburg, New York, and Washington, D.C. are strongly encouraged to apply
- Candidates with limited or no previous international experience are especially encouraged to apply
- JED was conducted as an in-person program in 2018 and 2019 and as a virtual program (over the course of two weeks) with additional workshops in 2021.
Participant Expectations
Following the exchange, each student will:
- Submit a report to a local news medium, analyzing the role of disinformation in political coverage in the media
- Give at least one presentation to their fellow journalism students or to a wider audience via an online medium
- Work with the other exchange participants to suggest strategies for counteracting the influence of disinformation in news media
- Summarize these strategies in a final publication, which will be shared with journalism students in both countries
Program White Papers
Read and download white papers summarizing reflections on the phenomena of “Fake News” and disinformation and peruse the above interactive map with information about the program and contributions by alumni of the Journalism in the Era of Disinformation Fellowship
