For Immediate Release:  March 13, 2014
Contact:  Katie Rudolph at 202-429-3740 or krudolph@presspartners.org

Alfred Friendly Press Partners Names 2014 Fellows 

WASHINGTON—The Alfred Friendly Press Partners is pleased to announce its 2014 Fellowship Class. On March 19, the Fellows will arrive in the United States for five-and-a-half months of journalism training in American news organizations.

“For the first time in our 30-plus years, we have Fellows from Ukraine and Tunisia, and at a critical time for both countries,” said Kathleen Graham, Press Partners’ executive director. “We welcome them along with the entire class of future news leaders, who are committed to promoting press freedom in their home newsrooms. Members of the 2014 Fellowship Class will observe America’s system of open records, improve their investigative reporting skills, discover innovations in journalism and leverage social media and digital technologies to advance global stories.”

  • Arshad Dogar of the News International, Lahore, Pakistan. Host publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Anastasia Forina of the Kyiv Post, Kiev, Ukraine. Host publication: Chicago Tribune.
  • Asma Ghribi Freelancer, Tunis, Tunisia. Daniel Pearl Fellow. Host publication: The Wall Street Journal.
  • Zahid Gishkori of the Express Tribune, Islamabad, Pakistan. Host publication: Kansas City Star.
  • Sahar Majid of Dawn, Karachi, Pakistan. Host publication: Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Harrison Misiko of Daily Nation, Nairobi, Kenya. Host publication: The Washington Post.
  • Kiran Nazish Freelancer, Lahore, Pakistan. Daniel Pearl Fellow. Host publication: The New York Times.
  • Sherif Tarek of Ahram Online, Cairo, Egypt. Daniel Pearl Fellow. Host publication: Los Angeles Times.

“This is our largest group of fellows in several years, and they all hail from places where a free press is not taken for granted,” said Alfred and Jean Friendly Foundation Board President Randall Smith. “They may not realize it now, but they are joining a tight fraternity that will emerge as lifetime friends and colleagues. I saw it this week at a free press conference in Myanmar, where both Sri Ramakrishnan (1999 Alfred Friendly Fellow) and Umar Cheema (2008 Daniel Pearl Fellow) gave inspiring speeches. Two other former fellows were in the audience.”

The Alfred Friendly Press Partners has placed three hundred fellows from 80 countries in U.S. newsrooms.

Created by Alfred Friendly, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and former managing editor of The Washington Post, the program places mid-career journalists from emerging markets in some of America’s best newsrooms for five months. The program allows these international journalists to participate first-hand in America’s constitutionally protected news-gathering and reporting.

Press Partners is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Programs are supported by contributions from individuals, newsrooms and foundations.

To schedule an interview with any of the 2014 Fellows or with Press Partners leadership, please contact Executive Director Kathleen Graham at 202-429-3740 or kgraham@presspartners.org.

Alfred Friendly Press Partners Mission:  In the belief that just societies must have a vigorous and principled free press, Alfred Friendly Press Partners aims to build strong newsrooms that make possible an informed citizenry. We work to strengthen skills and values by placing talented international journalists in U.S. newsrooms and by establishing long-term training partnerships with news organizations that share our goal of fostering professional excellence.

The Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed in 2002 in memory of the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia Bureau Chief, journalist/musician Daniel Pearl, to promote the ideals that inspired his life and work. The Foundation works domestically and internationally to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, to counter cultural and religious intolerance, to cultivate responsible and balanced journalism, and to inspire unity and friendship through music.

###