Job Description:

Exposing injustice and igniting change is no easy feat for a journalist. That’s where the fully-funded O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University comes in. We give U.S.-based reporters the tools, funding and time they need to dig into any national, state or regional story of their choice, with the power to compel change.

Fellows in this Milwaukee-based Fellowship get nine months to work on their projects and receive a $75,000 stipend, with additional funds for housing and reporting travel. They also get help from Marquette journalism students and have access to resources at the university. Since 2013, more than 40 staff-employed or independent journalists from around the country have used the Fellowship to expose problems and explore solutions on topics such as the environment, education, mental illness, health care, racial justice, business and more.

We accept residential, remote or partial residency applications. When in Milwaukee, Fellows work mainly from private offices in the O’Brien newsroom in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University. 

Our application period runs from Dec. 1, 2023 to Jan. 19, 2024 for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Eligibility:

Applicants must have at least five years of professional experience and produce journalism regularly as an employee or freelancer. Applicants may have experience with newspapers, radio, television, online publications, film production, podcasts, wire services, or magazines of general interest. There are no academic prerequisites.

The selection process runs from January-March 2024 for three to four Fellowships starting August 2024.

For more information or to pitch ideas, see the O’Brien website, application page and contact O’Brien Director David Umhoefer via email (david.umhoefer@marquette.edu) or call (414) 288-5956.