The KALW News team is looking for early-to-mid-career journalists who want to develop their skills in audio journalism.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
Our Beat Reporting Fellowship is an opportunity for audio journalists who are looking to focus on a specific beat or series over the course of a year. Fellows will primarily work on producing features and two-ways for our award-winning audio magazine Crosscurrents, but will also be invited to produce quick-turnaround news spots for our daily newscasts.
Our newsroom is rich with training resources and staffed by professional editors, engineers, and producers who all double as educators. Reporting Fellows will receive coaching that includes story selection, interviewing, sound editing, and writing.
COMMITMENTS
- Produce a minimum of six audio features over the course of the year and up to 12, packaged for broadcast and online publication.
- Produce supplemental scripted reporter two-ways and quick-turnaround news spots for our daily newscasts.
- Dedicate at least 8-10 hours a month towards community engagement, including source building and peer-to-peer training.
- Meet monthly for a collaborative in-person professional development dinner.
- In-person editing sessions are preferred, but otherwise work can be done remotely.
- Reside in the San Francisco Bay Area for the duration of the fellowship.
The fellowship is for a one-year period, with the opportunity to renew for a second year.
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ability to make an audio feature (a short sound-rich story that includes narration, interview tape, scene tape, and ambient sound) to be eligible for this fellowship.
We’re looking for creative thinkers who are great writers and storytellers. Crosscurrents is known for “going deeper” and candidates should be interested in telling nuanced, sound-rich stories. Our work is highly collaborative, but the ability to meet deadlines and work independently is also essential for success in this fellowship.
Applicants with a strong connection to the Bay Area are preferred. This is a good opportunity for alumni of our training programs, but is open to anyone looking to advance in their career as an audio producer.
PROPOSALS
We are interested in topic-based or geographic-based beats or series that look at issues that are under-reported in local and national media outlets. Some of the issue areas we are interested in, but not limited to, are:
- public policy
- technology
- environment
- economy and labor
- immigration and diaspora communities
- A specific neighborhood or community within the Bay Area
We look for proposals that examine these issues through intersectional lenses, including gender, race, geography, age and class within your particular interest.
This year, we are also interested in hearing from reporters who want to pitch a series, taking an in-depth look at a specific issue or story.
COMPENSATION
Compensation for the monthly hourly commitment is a stipend of $300 a month.
Compensation for news spots, reporter two-ways, and features produced is commensurate with our current contributor rates, up to $1,200 a month.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
The application requires a cover letter that describes the local beat that you are proposing; a resume; references; and at least two work samples.
For more details and to apply, please use this form.
If you have any questions or accessibility needs please email hanisha.harjani@kalw.org.
We will begin reviewing applications on Tuesday, February 24.
The one year fellowship will begin on Tuesday, April 7, with the opportunity to renew for another year.
ABOUT KALW
The KALW newsroom produces four newscasts every day, a daily call-in show, a daily half-hour news magazine, many local weekly programs, and several podcasts serving the San Francisco Bay Area. We have been committed to training as one of our core values since we launched in 2004. Reporting Fellows will be joining a team that includes eight student reporters in our Audio Academy training program, a nine-month tuition-free in-depth program for people with little to no experience in audio production. We also run a Summer Academy for students who know how to make an audio feature and want to develop their skills in a working newsroom.
KALW is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.