The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Legal Fellowship Program
2008-2009
Application Deadline: Feb. 1, 2008
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press will offer a one-year fellowship for a recent law school graduate beginning in September 2008.
The Reporters Committee is a voluntary, unincorporated association of reporters and editors, dedicated to protecting the First Amendment interests of the news media. From its Arlington, Virginia office, The Reporters Committee staff provides cost-free legal defense and research services to journalists and their attorneys throughout the United States, and also operates the FOI Service Center to assist the news media with federal and state open records and open meetings issues.
Legal fellows monitor significant developments in First Amendment media law, assist with legal defense requests from reporters, prepare legal memoranda, amicus briefs and other special projects. They write for the Committee's publications, the quarterly magazine The News Media & The Law, and the bi-weekly newsletter, News Media Update. The fellowship lasts one year (September to August), with a stipend of $30,000, plus fully-paid health benefits.
To be eligible for the program, candidates must have received a law degree no later than August 2008, and should plan to take a bar examination (in any state) by August 2008. Strong legal research and writing skills are required, and a background in news reporting is very strongly preferred.
There is no application form. Candidates should submit the following:
(Note: one application can be submitted for consideration for both this fellowship and the Jack Nelson Fellowship.)
Application materials will be returned only if the applicant supplies a stamped, self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage. E-mail applications will not be accepted. Complete applications must be received at The Reporters Committee's office no later than February 1, 2008.