The National Press Foundation has awarded journalism fellowships for two reporters to attend the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists.
Cerys Davies of the Los Angeles Times and Paighten Harkins of the Salt Lake Tribune will attend the Oct. 19-21, 2026, seminars in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania’s renowned Wharton School of Business.
Davies is a business reporter covering the entertainment industry. In 2025, she joined the LA Times fellowship program, covering trials involving high-profile rappers; in the fields of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, reviewing music’s biggest breakout artists; and even at local labor union rallies, closely tracking how L.A. residents will be impacted by healthcare cuts.
Harkins covers business and aims to help Utahns better understand the world, from the economic conditions that influence higher coffee and beef prices, to why the businesses they love shut down or expand around them.
At the Wharton Seminars, the journalists will gain knowledge from the intensive lectures and hands-on workshops. Each year, NPF provides funds for two journalists to attend the seminars for free.
NPF has sent more than 45 journalists to the Wharton Seminars over a relationship spanning two decades, including distinguished reporters such as Michelle Singletary and David Benoit.
