May I apply if I am currently a student or intern? Yes, if you are a journalism intern or journalism graduate student who will complete your studies by June 2023. The program is best suited for reporters who have professional reporting experience and are hoping to make the jump into investigative work.
May I apply if I have a staff job as a reporter? Yes, but only with the support of your newsroom. If your proposal is selected to move past round two, you will be asked to submit a letter of support from your editor saying that your newsroom agrees to co-publish your investigation, and that you will be given substantial time throughout the year to work on it.
How many years of experience is too many? There’s no limit. If you’ve been a journalist for many years but want to pivot and become an investigative reporter, you are encouraged to apply.
If I have personal obligations in early June and cannot attend the Investigative Reporters & Editors conference, may I still apply? In light of current circumstances, we will continue to provide travel funds to Ida B. Wells fellows who wish to attend the IRE conference, but will not require in-person attendance. If the conference becomes a virtual event or offers a hybrid option, we encourage applicants who cannot attend in person to clear their schedules as much as possible so they can participate in the conference online. The conference will take place from June 22-25, 2023.
May I apply if I am not a person of color? Yes. We simply need you to tell us a little bit about yourself and how your presence would contribute to the diversification of investigative journalism.
What makes a story “investigative”? By investigative we mean enterprise reporting — digging up stories other reporters haven’t found yet or significantly advancing stories that have been covered, but not in depth. These are stories that go beyond feature reporting by offering up substantial new facts. They document problems and often show who’s responsible, whether a corporation, a government agency, or an elected official.
How much time will it take to produce an investigative work for the fellowship? This is not the kind of story you can produce in a month or two. Most investigations will require extensive phone reporting, reading, and research; some might require a week or more of field reporting; others might require weeks of poring through documents or building databases. An investigative feature for radio or television might run 20 minutes; a print piece often runs to 5,000 words. So it will typically take months to complete your reporting, months for writing and editing, and several weeks for fact-checking and a comprehensive legal review. Fellows almost always take a full year, and sometimes more, to finish and publish their investigations.
Will my Type Investigations editors help me place my story? Yes, absolutely. We have an extensive network of journalism partners.
Can I propose an international story? Sure. All we ask is that the story be intended for placement in a U.S. publication and be tied to issues or entities in the U.S.
How can I find an investigative story idea? When looking for investigative story ideas, it’s wise to start by doing an extensive search of the coverage of your topic. Read, view, and listen to as many clips as you can. And check out government reports related to your topic. As you read, you’ll start to notice that certain sources recur in each story. Make note of their names. Jot down a list of questions to ask them and call and email them to ask for an interview. Tell them that you’re a reporter who is looking for story ideas and would like to do a background interview in advance of submitting some story ideas to an editor by our application deadline. Sooner or later, these interviews will lead you to a few story ideas.
Can a fellow who is a staff reporter use the resources of their employers? For example if my newsroom has an investigative unit can I use their resources to complete my project? Yes.
Can fellows who are staff reporters work with their employers to generate ideas for the proposal? Yes.
Is Type Investigative interested in local stories published in local outlets? Or should projects have a national focus? We are open to local stories, and we have had lots of success with local stories when they have appeared in local media. However, given the contraction of the news business, local stories tend to be harder to place for freelance applicants; having a national angle on a local story may increase its appeal. That’s something for every writer to consider as you develop a proposal — is there an audience and an outlet for this idea? — and something that Type Investigations editors will consider when evaluating applications.
Do the samples submitted for the application have to be writing samples? Are radio/broadcast pieces acceptable? We accept print, online, and broadcast samples.
Can a team of two apply to Ida B. Wells fellowship? No. Each Fellowship slot goes to just one reporter taking on an independent project.
Is it okay to propose more than one investigative story? You may submit more than one story idea, but we prefer to see a single idea that’s well developed and will only select one for the fellowship.