DANIEL PEARL FELLOWSIP
ESTABLISHED TO TRAIN FOREIGN JOURNALISTS UNDER AUSPICES
OF ALFRED FREINDLY PRESS FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM
Washington D.C., November 3, 2002 - The Alfred Friendly
Press Fellowships (AFPF) and the Daniel Pearl Foundation
announced today that they have established a new fellowship
in the name of Daniel Pearl aimed at promoting press
freedom and fostering East-West understanding. Underwritten
by the Daniel Pearl Foundation and administered under
the program created by Alfred Friendly, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning
former managing editor of the Washington Post, the Daniel
Pearl Fellowship will initially give strong preference
to applicants from Pakistan. The Wall Street Journal
has agreed to host the first Daniel Pearl Fellow (DPF)
in its Washington Bureau where Daniel Pearl worked as
a reporter from 1993 until 1996.
"This is an important day for the Foundation and
for Danny's legacy," said Judea Pearl, president
of the Daniel Pearl Foundation and father of the slain
Wall Street Journal bureau chief. "This fellowship
is an example of what Danny stood for: bridging cultures
and fostering journalistic excellence. I believe he
would be very proud of this program."
The Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships, set up in 1983
to train foreign journalists in U.S. newsrooms, assists
promising young and mid-career journalists from developing-world
countries where press freedom is newly established or
at least in prospect by immersing them in the day-to-day
practices of the American press. Successful DPF candidates
will also be Alfred Friendly Press Fellows. Joining
212 AFPF alumni from 72 countries, they will have to
meet the program's traditional criteria, among which
are fluent English, at least three years of news-gathering
experience and employment at a non-governmental publication
in their own countries. In addition, the Daniel Pearl
Fellowship will focus on journalists who exemplify the
spirit and professionalism of its namesake, a foreign
correspondent noted for his open-minded coverage of
the Muslim world and his gift for portraying the human
side of complex international problems.
The 19-year-old AFPF program, among whose graduates
are top editors in Colombia, Croatia, Ghana, Hungary,
Indonesia, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, the Philippines,
Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda and Zimbabwe,
is unique in U.S. journalism education in the length
of stay and the hands-on training it provides. Successful
AFPF applicants receive a six-month, in-depth, practical
introduction to U.S. print media, working as staff reporters
in American newsrooms in major (or mid-size) cities.
To be considered for the Daniel Pearl Fellowship, journalists
applying to AFPF in 2003 from Pakistan must submit a
two-page statement explaining how their career goals
match the mission and spirit of Daniel Pearl as a journalist
and a human being. This essay is in addition to all
other AFPF application materials.
The paradox overshadowing Pearl's death was that his
killers, Islamic militants angry with the West, murdered
a reporter who was particularly sensitive to their views
and grievances and committed to explaining them to his
readers. Daniel Pearl wrote objectively and often about
the hardships and aspirations of people in Islamic countries,
most notably Dubai, Iran, Kosovo, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
Sudan and Yemen. This fellowship will focus on connecting
journalists from Muslim countries with their American
counterparts.
The Daniel Pearl Foundation, founded by his family
this year, is continuing his life mission to encourage
dialogue among people of different cultures, to reduce
cultural and religious hatred and to create a platform
for responsible and creative journalism. As a bridge
connecting American and foreign journalists in shared
professional ventures, the Friendly Fellowships, strengthened
by the Daniel Pearl Fellowship, will advance that urgent
and demanding mission.
For further information, please contact Susan Albrecht,
executive director of the Friendly Fellowships, at (202)
737-4414 or salbrecht@pressfellowships.org;
or Seth Jacobson with the Daniel Pearl Foundation at
(310) 317-1966 or media@danielpearl.org.
The Friendly Fellowships web site is http://www.pressfellowships.org.
More information on Daniel Pearl is available at http://www.danielpearl.org
and http://www.saja.org.
A selection of his writings, entitled "At Home
in the World", was published this year by Simon
and Schuster.
Contact:
Susan Albrecht
202-737-4414
salbrecht@pressfellowships.org
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