New York, NY — May 30, 2024 — The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism is proud to announce the Ronan Farrow Investigative Research Fellowship. The two-year fellowship will offer a graduate from the Newmark J-School the opportunity to build their research skills and work directly with the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter.
Farrow’s work, including as a contributing writer to The New Yorker, has catalyzed personnel changes in the public and private sectors, reforms in law and policy, and criminal prosecutions. His stories helped to expose the first sexual-assault allegations against the movie producer Harvey Weinstein; CBS executives, including Leslie Moonves; and then New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Farrow’s reporting about Donald Trump’s alliance with the National Enquirer figured prominently in the first criminal indictment of a U.S. President. His work has won the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service, the National Magazine Award, and the George Polk Award, among other honors. His most recent work as a documentary producer, the film “Endangered,” followed journalists through the COVID-19 pandemic and was nominated for an Emmy. He previously worked as an anchor and investigative reporter at MSNBC and NBC News. Farrow is the author of the New York Times best-sellers “War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence” and “Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators,” which was named one of the best books of the year by more than a dozen major outlets, nominated for a Grammy for its audiobook, and adapted into a podcast that received more than nine million downloads.
“We are constantly looking for opportunities for our students and recent alumni to expand their professional experience and take on new challenges,” said Dean Graciela Mochkofsky. “Ronan Farrow does outstanding investigative journalism, and working with him is a dream for any young journalist. We are honored to establish this post-graduate fellowship, with the support of Craig Newmark, in Farrow’s name.”
The Fellow will work directly with Farrow and must demonstrate a passion for uncovering abuses of power and an interest in deepening their work and investigative research skills. They must have at least two years of reporting background and a knack for finding sources and leads others have missed.
“At a moment when our democracy urgently needs rigorous journalism to break through misinformation and create accountability, the Newmark J-School is playing an important role making this work sustainable and accessible to all, especially given its status as a public school and through its ongoing efforts to provide free tuition,” Farrow said. “As a New Yorker, I’m really proud to be a part of that.”
The Farrow Fellow will receive a $100,000 annual stipend and full health care benefits. They will have regular meetings with Farrow throughout the fellowship.
“Trustworthy, sustainable journalism is a key defense against those who want to harm our country,” said craigslist founder and internet pioneer Craig Newmark. “CUNY’s journalism school does great work providing students of all backgrounds a pathway to a good job. With Ronan Farrow’s partnership, I expect the fellow to contribute to groundbreaking work at the highest level of the profession. That’s a big deal.”
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About the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, founded in 2006, is a public graduate journalism school based in the heart of New York City. With affordable tuition and extensive scholarship support, it prepares students from diverse economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds to produce high-quality journalism. The school offers 16-month master’s degree programs: M.A. in Journalism, M.A. in Engagement Journalism, and M.A. in Journalism – Bilingual Program (English/Spanish). Through the school’s J+ division, which offers a suite of executive training programs, the J-School trains seasoned journalists to reimagine news business models, build news products, and step into leadership roles with an entrepreneurial mindset. The Newmark J-School is also home to four unique centers and initiatives: the McGraw Center for Business Journalism; the Center for Community Media; the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism; and the Journalism Protection Initiative.
About Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer and philanthropist, best known for creating the online classified ads service craigslist. Craig’s full-time philanthropic work focuses on organizations on the front lines of protecting America’s security and democracy. He has given more than $300 million in support of veterans and military families, trustworthy journalism and civic engagement campaigns, cyber security education programs, hunger relief, and pigeon rescue. Craig was influenced by his Sunday School teachers who escaped the Holocaust, set his moral compass, and taught him to treat people like you want to be treated – and how to know when enough is enough. He stepped away from the day-to-running of craigslist almost two decades ago, but he still occasionally volunteers as a customer service representative.
