Kettering Foundation

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  • "The process of involving people, even if they have different points of view, maybe conflicting points of view, is very important."

    Svetlana Chernikova

  • Coping With the Cost of Health Care:

    What Is The Public Voice?

    Video Podcast

  • "We can improve the conversation and that directly impacts people's lives."

    Martin Carcasson

  • DDEX

  • Ibtesam, Rhanda Slim

    Mideast Network

  • "In our research, we look at what ideas community leaders have about the role of the public in deliberating issues and forming policy."

    Alberto Olivas

  • "When I'm working with the different Pacific Island communities, I must make sure that their way of being is always respected and regarded."

    Moerangi Falaoa

  • "You can't sustain an urban community without the voice of its citizens."

    Louise Spiegel

  • "Students have more of a sense that 'maybe we can do that, too.'"

    Katy Harriger

Podcasts

  • David Mathews discusses Education Research
  • Speaking of Politics Interview

Fanning Fellowship Overview


The Kettering Foundation invites journalists and scholars of journalism outside the United States to spend five months working with us to explore the role of the media in a democratic society and the obligations of journalists to public life. Fellows are expected to develop a research project. The foundation is particularly interested in projects that explore the following topics:
  • The impact of journalistic standards that create a division between experts and citizens or treat citizens as passive consumers of information
  • Efforts to use the media in ways that develop citizens' civic capacities and sense of agency
  • The role of the media in framing issues in ways that enable citizens to actively participate in making decisions together about their collective future
These topics underscore Kettering's primary concern with democracy and the foundation's interest in journalism only insofar as journalists might contribute to developing civic capacities of citizens.

Past projects have included everything from articles, columns, and blogs to television and radio productions and book manuscripts. Other appropriate projects will also be considered, such as research papers that address an aspect of the question of what role should journalists play in democracy, as it applies to a fellow’s own country.

About the Fellowship


As part of their fellowship, Fanning Fellows will be asked to discuss and react to a series of readings on deliberative democracy that serve as an ongoing theoretical orientation to the foundation's work. They will also attend workshops, seminars, and other meetings to learn about the foundation’s research and exchange ideas and insights based on their experiences.

Fellows will have an opportunity to visit at least two news organizations that practice a more civic form of journalism in the United States.

The Fanning Fellowship is open to citizens from countries and territories outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

Selection is based on:
  • the relevance of the proposal to the foundation’s research questions
  • the strength of the nominee’s work experience and academic background (advanced degree or bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent)
  • the strength of the letter of recommendation by a sponsoring organization
  • fluency in written and spoken English, as determined by the sponsoring organization
  • experience in public or civic journalism is a plus
  • a commitment to using the experience to further explore the role of the media in democracy and to share future work with the foundation
  • prior attendance at Kettering Foundation workshops or other deliberative experience is also helpful
Expenses and compensation are covered in full by the Kettering Foundation. These normally include: round-trip airfare from the home country to Dayton, Ohio; salary commensurate with experience, from which fellows pay their living expenses; travel expenses for foundation-related trips; and travel/accident insurance and medical coverage.

How to Apply

Applications should include the nominee’s curriculum vitae, a nomination letter from a sponsoring organization, and a letter of intent that contains a brief description of the proposed research and how it relates to the work of the foundation.

Qualified applicants will be asked to submit a more detailed project proposal, which will be developed in collaboration with Kettering Foundation staff. Further inquiries about the fellowship and the foundation’s research should be emailed.

Fellowships begin in February and July. Applications for the February class of fellows are due by October 1 of the preceding year.  Applications for the July class are due by March 1.

Applications should be emailed

or sent to:
Kettering Foundation
Attn: International Fellowships
200 Commons Road
Dayton, Ohio 45459-2788
U.S.A.

About Katherine W. Fanning


This fellowship is named for the late Katherine Fanning, an innovative and influential newspaper editor and publisher who served on the Kettering Foundation Board of Trustees for 12 years and was chair of the board from 1994 to 1996. Between 1966 and 1983 she led the Anchorage Daily News, which, under her stewardship, won a Pulitzer Prize for public service. Katherine Fanning also served as editor of the Christian Science Monitor from 1983 to 1988, and in 1987, was the first woman to serve as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

On the Kettering Foundation board, Fanning gave steady voice to the need for news media to act with ethical standards and journalistic practices that were in the interest of democracy. Her commitment to those ideals sparked the foundation’s exploration of what became known as public journalism, which emphasizes the responsibility of journalists in a democracy to help citizens deliberate over important issues in their communities. She also had a keen interest in the foundation’s international work, and often brought the two interests together.

Learn more about Kettering's work in media and democracy

Background readings on Kettering's work in media and democracy are here.

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