The fellowship program of the World Press Institute encompasses briefings, interviews, field trips, cultural experiences and additional assignments. Below is the fellows’ schedule in 2012.
Aug. 10-11: WPI fellows arrive in the Twin Cities.
Aug. 12: Welcome picnic and gathering with Minneapolis and St. Paul host families.
Aug. 13: Orientation to the program with WPI executive director David McDonald and WPI staff.
Aug. 14-17: University of St. Thomas campus with former WPI director John Ullmann discussing the changing face of American journalism, investigative reporting, computer-assisted reporting, journalism ethics and more.
Aug. 19-25: A visit to Ely in northern Minnesota for a community forum, a few hours at Outward Bound, which teaches outdoor survival skills, and a visit to the Wolf Center. Later in the week, visits to Minnesota Public Radio and the StarTribune, a panel with local political experts on the 2012 election, a trip to 3M Company in suburban St. Paul and a dinner with the WPI Board of Directors.
Aug. 26-Sept. 1: A trip to Muscatine, Iowa, for a meeting with international affairs experts at the Stanley Foundation, a meeting with Iowa political experts and a trip to a local farm. Later in the week, the fellows will meet with journalism faculty from the University of St. Thomas, visit Cargill’s headquarters in suburban Minneapolis and hear from both sides of the Minnesota “marriage” constitutional amendment and its national implications.
Sept. 2-Sept. 6: Attending the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Also visiting the NASCAR museum in Charlotte.
Sept. 7-11: Washington, D.C. for visits to the Atlantic Magazine, the Washington Post, Politico, WTOP all-news commercial radio station, National Public Radio, the Newseum, and Capitol Hill.
Sept. 12-17: In New York City, the fellows will visit The New York Times, the investigative group ProPublica, Bloomberg News, the 9-11 Memorial, The Daily Show and more.
Sept. 18-20: In Boston, the fellows will meet with Boston University College of Communication’s faculty and students, as well as visit the Boston Globe, the online news service Global Post, BBC World, and the PBS program Frontline.
Sept. 21-24: In Miami the fellows will visit the Miami Herald, as well as the Spanish-language TV and online network Univision and a major public opinion polling firm that specializes in the Hispanic community.
Sept. 25: In Tampa for a brief stay, the fellows will visit a phosphate mine run by the Minnesota-based Mosaic Company.
Sept. 26: In Atlanta the fellows will visit CNN and meet with editors, reporters and producers and also visit the Carter Center, where they will meet public policy experts.
Sept. 27-28: Austin where the fellows expect to meet with political experts at the University of Texas, political activists and staff at the online news portal Texas Tribune.
Sept. 29-Oct. 1: Chicago where the highlights include a meeting with the violence prevention group CeaseFire at the University of Illinois-Chicago and with city leaders.
Oct. 2-3: In Los Angeles where visits include political and journalism experts at the University of Southern California and the public radio business program Marketplace.
Oct. 4-5: Travel concludes in San Francisco with visits to Google, the Center for Investigative Reporting and Stanford University. |
Oct. 7-13: Back to the Twin Cities for a final week of meetings with St. Thomas students and faculty, an open forum, visits to Hubbard Broadcasting and Mosaic Company, and a graduation ceremony.
At left: WPI fellows meet with veteran journalist and author Bob Woodward.
At right: Fellows at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Presentations on anthrax detection, obesity worldwide, the threat of an Avian flu pandemic and a recent E. coli outbreak traced to fresh spinach produced in California
At left: Fellows at “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” in Burbank, California