The SNF, in collaboration with Columbia Journalism School, in NYC, establishes a Mass Media Scholarship Program for Greek journalists

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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has awarded a $1.3 million grant to Columbia Journalism School, in New York City, for the implementation of a three-year pilot program, allowing both entry-level and mid-career mass media professionals, as well as recent journalism program graduates from Greece, to participate in three intensive summer courses.

The SNF grant will provide an opportunity for up to 18 candidates annually to enhance their skills and careers by attending training courses at Columbia Journalism School. The SNF scholarships fully cover all expenses associated with these courses, including tuition, airfare, local transportation, as well as room and board.

The scholarships are being offered for the following three courses:

The Lede Program – This four-month program is an intensive certification course designed to equip journalists and storytellers of all kinds with the computational skills needed to turn data into narrative. No prior experience in data or coding is necessary. Over the course of the program, students are introduced to the essentials of computing, data analysis and data visualization. It is offered from May 22 - September 11, 2017.

Multimedia Reporting Course – Designed for journalists who are interested in the use of video and multimedia for storytelling, this three-week course focuses on how to conceive of and structure a story, how to handle a camera, how to use post‐production software, and on how to combine audio and video visual components to deliver a story. The course runs from June 12-30, 2017.

Investigative Reporting Course – Over three weeks, journalists and editors from around the world, in all media platforms, examine the structured process of investigative journalism, how stories are conceived, researched and written. Fellows bring to the course an idea for an investigative project, and use the instruction from the lecturers to develop their hypothesis. Participants must be experienced journalists who can provide work samples from published/broadcast news media organizations and be proficient in English. The course, offered in conjunction with the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, runs from July 10-28, 2017.

For more information on these programs, please go to journalism.columbia.edu

Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President and Director of SNF, stated: “All of us at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, are excited to be in a position to collaborate with the renowned Columbia Journalism School, in order to give the opportunity to young and established mass media professionals from Greece, to attend these intensive summer training programs and obtain additional valuable knowledge and experience.”

Steve Coll, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, said: “The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is creating an extraordinary opportunity for journalists from Greece to hone their skills, further equipping them to do deep, impactful reporting that will help advance their individuals careers and strengthen the quality of journalism produced in the public interest in Greece.”

The application process will start in January 2017 and will last until the end of February. Detailed information regarding the process will be posted on the SNF website, www.SNF.org, early next year.

The Foundation is providing full support for the initiative. Admission to the programs is the sole responsibility of the Columbia Journalism School.