Journalism Today. 14 Jan 2025

By Eduardo Suárez and Matthew Leake

??? Applications for our Fellowship are open

Today we opened applications for the Reuters Institute’s Journalist Fellowship. The programme is open to mid-career journalists from around the world who want to spend a few months away from their newsrooms exploring the future of journalism with us. Here’s what you need to know about our Fellowship and how to apply:?

1. What's unique about the programme? You'll be embedded in a cutting-edge institution shaping key media debates and surrounded by colleagues from all over the world. You’ll also be part of one of the world’s greatest universities and have access to its libraries, lectures and research institutes. | More on the programme

2. How long are the Fellowships? They last three or six months, depending on their funding. They begin in either October, January or April. You are expected to be here in Oxford during term time for the entire duration of your fellowship.??

3. Are Fellowships fully funded? They are. Successful applicants get their fees covered and receive a monthly stipend of ￡2,000, which will be enough to cover the cost of accommodation, food, and general living expenses. We will also cover the cost of travel to and from the UK and any visa costs.?

4. Which grants are available? The Thomson Reuters Foundation funds fellowships for people from all over the world. The Mona Megalli Fellowship is for those in the Middle East and Laudes Foundation funds climate fellowships. Publix funds a new innovation-focused fellowship for those in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. | More on our funders

5. Can you apply? To be considered, you must have at least 5 years of journalistic experience. Freelancing is not a barrier to application, but we do not accept applications from those working in public affairs, public relations or corporate communications. | Explore projects from previous Fellows

6. How can you apply? To complete your application you will need to send a motivation statement, two references, and a short CV. You will also need to outline a project you'll be working on during your time in Oxford. | More on how to apply

7. Here are the key dates: Applications are now open for Fellowships starting in October 2025, January 2026 or April 2026. The deadline to apply is Thursday 13 February at midnight, UK time. | More on the programme, our Fellows and projects?

• If you want inspiration… read our Q&A with our Acting Director Mitali Mukherjee, who leads our Journalist Programmes. She explains who should apply for the programme, why it is particularly useful right now, and which kinds of projects she is looking for. | Read

?? Chart of the day

??Subscriptions are still growing. Around 73% of the publishers running reader revenue models said they grew their subscriptions in the past year. Only 9% said their numbers went down and 19% said they remained stable in 2024. Reader revenue is the top focus for most of the publishers in our sample (77%), ahead of advertising, events and e-commerce. | Read our report on media trends

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? Coffee break

“What the [EU] says and does next will be a crucial test of the principles in the Digital Services Act,” writes our former colleague Lucas Graves on how Meta’s revised content moderation stance could bump up against policy across Europe. | Read

Journalists at UK tabloid the Mirror have been given monthly pageview targets of between 250,000 and one million per month. The targets have raised concerns over editorial quality, particularly among print-focused journalists who fear competition with online-focused reporters whose focus is on ‘trending’ topics. | Read

Traffic to the Washington Post has rapidly declined since 2021, when in January that year it reached 22.5 million active daily users, compared to just 2.5-3 million users in the middle of 2024, according to internal data seen by Semafor. | Read

Silicon Valley is “going to need more than just the brute power of compute, data, and cash,” to bring about the promises of a future transformed by AI, writes Jathan Sadowski. “It'll also need to exploit the power of belief.” | Read

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Are you our next Director? The University of Oxford is seeking a new Director of the Reuters Institute. They will have the strategic vision, academic credentials and public engagement skills to ensure the Reuters Institute continues to thrive. Applications close Friday 17 January, 17.00 UK time. | Find out more and how to apply

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?? One piece from our archive

AI firm transparency. Most of the AI tools used frequently by journalists are opaque about their ownership, finances and other critical data, according to a study by the Media and Journalism Research Center. Just one-third were sufficiently transparent on 9 or the 12 criteria. The report states that “it is essential to understand who has a stake in these AI tool companies and how AI is being used by the media. This will ensure the protection of consumers, democracy, and truth.”?

• In a recent piece for our website our contributor Laura Oliver spoke to an author of the study, Sydney Martin, who also shared her concerns about a widening Global North-South divide revealed by those companies which do share their geographical location: “The way in which AI tools work is often unsuitable culturally or in developmental terms to the Global South and it can obscure some of the truth of the experiences in the Global South”. | Read

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