Call for CPI Nominations
The Center for Public Integrity Soles Fellowship
In 1989, distinguished UD alumnus Charles Lewis founded the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) in Washington, D.C. Today, Public Integrity is one of America’s oldest Pulitzer-winning nonprofit newsrooms whose mission is to produce original investigative journalism about significant public issues and to make institutional power more accountable. In 1998, Chuck Lewis established the James R. Soles Fellowship at the Center for Public Integrity to honor his professor and mentor.
Each year Public Integrity selects a graduating senior from the University of Delaware for the year-long Soles Fellowship in Washington. This year’s Public Integrity Soles Fellowship recipient will receive $37,500 in salary plus full benefits. We are currently seeking nominees for the 2020-2021 Fellowship. The deadline for application is March 12, 2020.
The Center is looking for a Fellow who can help promote and elevate their stories on social media and maximize impact. The position, based in Washington DC, is a great opportunity to gain media experience and play a leadership role in helping our newsroom connect with people about issues that matter. The Fellow will have a front row seat in the decision-making process of one of America’s most respected nonprofit news organizations and have a lot of autonomy in creating and developing projects that advance Public Integrity’s goals to produce and promote public service journalism of the highest caliber. (For example, current Soles Fellow Alex Eichenstein helped spearhead editorial and social media campaigns related to the Ukraine Documents drop, a central issue in current impeachment proceedings.)
The Fellow will report directly to Mei Fong, the director of Strategy and Communications, who is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, author and newsroom leader. Candidates should have the following:
-Strong interest in political communications, current affairs and social justice
-Solid writing and research skills, especially in using data analytics.
-Be digitally savvy, for example, have experience in building audience on social media
-Multi-media skills, such as creating videos, coding, building websites, a plus.
This is not a job for anyone who doesn’t enjoy/ isn’t occasionally exasperated by/ sometimes marvels at the possibilities of online communication and the ways it can be used to build communities and bridge understanding.
If you are interested in applying for the Soles Fellowship at the Center for Public Integrity, please provide the following to the Professor Stuart Kaufman, Chairperson of the Honors and Awards Committee (skaufman@udel.edu) by March 12, 2020.
- A statement of interest in the position, which should include information about yourself, including why you are an excellent candidate (personal ambitions and motivations), how your education at UD prepared you for this position, and why this opportunity is relevant to your career objectives. The statement should be typewritten, single-spaced, and not exceed two pages.
- A resume
- Three samples of your work that is relevant to being considered for the position. This can be in the form of written pieces, blog posts, video links or other online content that the candidate helped create. What Public Integrity is looking for is demonstrated interest, creativity and ability to execute on projects.
- A letter of recommendation from a UD faculty member or former employer.
Applications will be reviewed and an initial assessment made by the Center for Public Integrity and the Department of Political Science and International Relations Honors and Awards Committee.
Public Integrity will arrange the interview(s) and make the final decision on the 2019-2020 James R. Soles Fellow based on their criteria. Public Integrity is committed to inclusivity and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
To read more about the current fellow click here.