Knight-Bagehot fellows named for next academic year

Ten Knight-Bagehot Fellows in economics and business journalism have been named by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for the 2006-2007 academic year. They include journalists from The Financial Times, Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, Forbes magazine, Reuters America and Dow Jones.

The mid-career fellowships provide full tuition and a living stipend of $45,000 for experienced journalists to take graduate courses at Columbia’s Schools of Business, Law, and International and Public Affairs. Fellows also attend special seminars at the Journalism School led by scholars and business experts during the nine-month program, which begins in August. The program is open to journalists with at least four years’ experience.

“These journalists, selected from a pool of highly qualified reporters and writers, represent the best and brightest in business journalism,� said Terri Thompson, director of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship program, in a press release. “We look forward to welcoming the incoming class of Knight-Bagehot Fellows for a rigorous program of study here at Columbia.�

This year’s fellows are: Lynn J. Cook of the Houston Chronicle, Bryan Corliss of The Daily Herald of Everett, Wash., Howard Green of Report on Business TV in Toronto, Jennifer Hughes of The Financial Times, Neil Irwin of The Washington Post, Susan Kitchens of Forbes, Julie MacIntosh of Reuters America, Dwight Oestricher of Dow Jones Newswires, Pang Ruifeng of Southern Weekend and Lauren Weber of Newsday.

Founded in 1975, the fellowships are named for John S. and James L. Knight, brothers who established the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Walter Bagehot, the 19th-century British economist and editor of The Economist. They are administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and directed by Thompson, a former associate editor of U.S. News & World Report and former reporter for BusinessWeek. Thompson also is a graduate of the program.

Funds are provided by an endowment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and by grants from foundations and corporations, which have included The New York Times, McGraw-Hill Cos., Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation Inc., Citigroup and Dow Jones & Co.

The press release was sent out this afternoon to Columbia alums, but it has not been posted yet on the University’s Web site.