Nieman names 66th class of fellows

Thirteen U.S. journalists and 12 international journalists were recently appointed to the 66th class of Nieman Fellows. Established in 1938, the Nieman program is the oldest midcareer fellowship for journalists in the world. Fellowships are awarded for an academic year of study in any part of the university to working journalists of accomplishment and promise. More than 1,000 U.S. and international journalists have studied at Harvard as Nieman Fellows.

The new U.S. fellows and their areas of interest:

Erin Hoover Barnett, reporter, The (Portland) Oregonian: How identity, socioeconomic status, and race influence peoples’ options and sense of control over their lives in view of Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act.

Carol Bradley, senior writer, Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune: The growing movement for the humane treatment for animals, the degree of support it has attracted, and its economic and sociological impact.

Alan Cullison, Moscow correspondent, The Wall Street Journal: The history and politics of the Muslim world, Middle Eastern civilization, and the roots of resentment against the West and the United States.

Erik Eckholm, Beijing bureau chief, The New York Times: The role of human rights in the age of terrorism and questions of historical memory, accountability, and catharsis in societies that have experienced deep internal trauma.

Indira Lakshmanan, Asia bureau chief, The Boston Globe: The downsides of development, including the cultural and economic dislocation of people, the loss of old ways of life, the gap between the newly rich and still poor, and strains on the environment.

Santiago Lyon, photo editor for Spain and Portugal, Associated Press: The history of Spain’s relationship with the Americas, focusing on the lasting effects of Spain’s colonization of Latin America as well as the impact of the growing number of Spanish-speaking people in the United States.

Laura Meckler, national staff reporter, Associated Press: The politics of child welfare and how choices in policy affect abused and neglected children.

Susan Orlean, staff writer, The New Yorker: The role animals play in human civilization – particularly the history of zoos, the philosophical and ethical issues of captivity, and the rights of animals.

Jodi Rave, Native American beat reporter, Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star: The legal matters affecting Native peoples and the relationship between local, state, tribal, and federal governments, particularly as these relationships pertain to minority rights, revenue generation, and political participation. Rave will hold the Louis Stark Memorial Fellowship for journalists who specialize in labor, workplace, or related issues. Funding is provided by the Stark Fellowship Fund in honor of Louis Stark, a pioneer in the field of labor reporting.

Ju-don Marshall Roberts, metro, health, and education editor, washingtonpost.com: How the Internet is transforming the way people live, work, and communicate, and the lessons from the evolution of radio and television that apply to the development of the Internet.

Don Schanche Jr., senior reporter, The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph: The evolution of public policy concerning mental illness in the United States and how those policies converge with policies on criminal justice and imprisonment.

David Stern, Caucasus and Central Asia correspondent, The Financial Times: The nature of religious fundamentalism and why it sometimes evolves into more militant movements.

Douglas Struck, Tokyo bureau chief, The Washington Post: America’s policies on dealing with terrorism and whether they alienate the rest of the world and undermine U.S. domestic ideals.

The U.S. journalists were selected by a committee that included Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard and a Nieman Fellow ’78; Evelynn Hammonds, professor of the history of science and Afro-American studies at Harvard University; Lindsay Miller, senior associate producer of “The Connection” on WBUR 90.9 FM and a Nieman Fellow ’88; Rose Moss, author and creative writing instructor; and Bob Giles, committee chair, Nieman Foundation curator, and a Nieman Fellow ’66.

The new international fellows and their areas of interest:

Endy Mouzardi Bayuni (Jakarta, Indonesia), deputy chief editor, The Jakarta Post: Terrorism, democracy, and the news media and how much individual liberties people sacrifice to live peacefully. Bayuni’s fellowship is supported by the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Asia Foundation.

Thierry Cruvellier (Arusha, Tanzania), assistant editor/chief correspondent, Diplomatie Judiciaire: The implication of international criminal tribunals on history and law, and their use as tools for diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Roza Eftekhari (Tehran, Iran), senior editor, Zanan Magazine: Gender issues and their impact on religious scholarship and practice, and the impact of religion on women’s issues in the various interpretations of Islam as well as the way other religions have faced feminism.

Masha Gessen (Moscow), editor in chief, POLIT.RU: The impact on Russian politics and Russian media of the 1999 apartment-block bombings in Moscow and the 2002 theater siege along with the use of terrorism in politics.

Jie Lin (Beijing), producer, China Central TV: The relationship between the press, politics, and the economy, particularly world trade, since Sept. 11. She is the Chiba-Nieman Fellow, supported by the Atsuko Chiba Foundation, established in memory of Atsuko Chiba (Nieman Fellow ’68).

Mauricio Lloreda (Bogotá, Colombia), reporter, El Tiempo: Examining policy-making and political accountability as they relate to terrorism. Lloreda will be a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow.

Lizeka Noxolo Mda (Johannesburg, South Africa), executive editor, The Star: The impact of globalization on national economies, gender, race, and class issues, and migration. Funding for her fellowship is provided by the U.S.-South Africa Leadership Development Program.

Kirsty Milne (Edinburgh, Scotland), columnist, The Scotsman: The effects of U.S. power and foreign policy, and the implications of new protest movements and populist campaigns on politics and journalism. A portion of her fellowship is being funded by a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award.

Pekka Mykkanen (Helsinki, Finland), China correspondent, Helsingin Sanomat: Politics, the political system, and alienation of American voters, and examining the presidency of George W. Bush since Sept. 11.

Carina Novarese (Montevideo, Uruguay), reporter, Diario El Pais: The democratic and economic characteristics of Latin American nations. Novarese will be a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Latin American Nieman Fellow.

Declan Okpalaeke (Lagos, Nigeria), general editor, Insider Communications Ltd.: Environmental and health implications of oil exploration and transmission.

Christian Rioux (Montreal), Paris correspondent, Le Devoir: Globalization and its effect on national identity, culture, and civic life. He is the Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellow, with funding provided by the Goodman Trust in Canada and the Goodman Fund in the United States.

Geoffrey Nyarota (Harare, Zimbabwe), founder and editor of Zimbabwe’s only independent daily newspaper, was appointed a Nieman Fellow in January 2003 and will continue his appointment through December. Nyarota was forced to flee Zimbabwe after he was removed as editor amid an escalating campaign by President Robert Mugabe’s government to quiet criticism from independent news outlets.