Memo to poor, white journos: Stop reading now.
On Thursday, BuzzFeed unveiled a new program in conjunction with Columbia University’s graduate J-school to sponsor a yearlong investigative reporting fellowship for journalists of color. The news comes a day after editor-in-chief Ben Smith released a listicle on how the site plans to become more diverse.
They write in their notice Thursday, “Investigative reporting slots are traditionally considered plum jobs, and our observation is that investigative journalism is even more monochromatic than the rest of the newsroom.”
The fellowship is geared towards mid-level career journos of color. Candidates can’t be newbies. They need to be in the biz for at least five years.
The best part? Aside from the chance to take classes at Columbia, it’s the pay. “The fellow will receive a stipend of $85,000, plus benefits and related expenses for one year,” they announced.
Some guidelines would-be fellows must consider:
1. You must have your green card.
2. You must turn in a story description that will make them “salivate.”
And get this, at least in the written guidelines, you don’t need to prove you’re a person of color — they’ll just have to take your word for it.