“The journalists selected for this award practice their craft in very different situations. Some have broad freedom, while others labor under heavy censorship”

The Media Project is pleased to announce the names of the 16 international journalists chosen to receive a 2015 Coaching and Leadership Fellowship.

“The journalists selected for this award practice their craft in very different situations. Some have broad freedom, while others labor under heavy censorship,” said Media Project President Paul Marshall. “It is our hope that these talented journalists, coming from 13 countries, can together develop leadership skills that transcend cultures and that they can gain a better understanding of the challenges their colleagues face.”

The program begins with a week-long workshop at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the Fellows participate in a series of interactive sessions designed to help them recognize universal leadership principles. Poynter Senior Faculty Kenny Irby will be teaching sessions for the group. The training topics include strategic and critical thinking, emotional intelligence, feedback, intrinsic motivation, conflict resolution, and collaboration.

The core training sessions will be led by Jill Geisler, who holds the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago. Geisler, whose leadership mantra is “helping others succeed,” is the author of “Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know.” For sixteen years, Geisler guided the leadership and management programs of The Poynter Institute. “This is my fourth opportunity to work with these journalists who have been carefully selected by The Media Project. Each year I marvel at their passion, wisdom, and resilience,” Geisler said.

TMP fellows will also explore the intersection of journalism and faith with nationally syndicated “On Religion” columnist Terry Mattingly, a senior fellow in media and religion at The King’s College in New York City and a board member of The Media Project.

The Media Project and its Coaching and Leadership Fellows program will become part of the John McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College Jan. 1, 2016. The institute is led by Paul Glader, an associate professor at King’s, a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter and magazine journalist. The Media Project will be renamed “The Global Media Project” as part of the McCandlish Phillip’s Institute and will expand its focus to include professional development and continuing education.

The fellowship requires participants to make a year-long commitment to explore, hone, and implement their new coaching and leadership skills. Fellows also agree to mentor two journalists working in their home country.

“It is necessary to raise our head above the day-to-day busyness so common for every journalist, slow down a bit, think about the people one works with and invest some time, thoughts and energy into their growth and development,” said 2014 fellow Juraj Kusnierik of Slovakia’s Týždeň Weekly. “The Media Project Coaching and Leadership Fellowship helped me to do that… I still enjoy writing and editing, but my focus has changed: I am trying to help two younger colleagues and I see them grow. They are doing very well, which brings me so much joy!“

About The Poynter Institute The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum in 7 languages, with more than 400 interactive courses and 325,000 registered users in more than 200 countries. Poynter’s website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world’s top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.

Contact: Caroline Comport, General Manager of The Media Project; 703-868-4801 U.S. cell; caroline@themediaproject.org

Here are the 2015 Coaching and Leadership Fellows

David Blevins

Ireland Correspondent, Sky News | Ireland

Francis Brewer Jr.

News Editor, United Methodist Radio | Liberia

Tito John Burgonio

Senior Reporter, Philippine Daily Inquirer | Philippines

William Bustos

Host, Vida Radio Network & Professor, La Sabana College | Colombia

Lucy Chattopadhyay

International Broadcaster, All India Radio | India

Marcos Deles

News Manager & Anchor, Far East Broadcasting Company | Philippines

Liu Dong

European Correspondent, People’s Daily | China

Helen Eni

Editorial Board, The Union Newspaper| Nigeria

Barbara Hough Roda

Executive Editor, LancasterOnline.com | United States

Edyth Kambalame

Features Editor, The Nation | Malawi

Comfort Mussa

Freelance Journalist, Global Press Institute | Cameroon

Anna Ntemiris

Editorial Board, Oberhessische Presse | Germany

Daniel Raus

Editor in Chief, Czech Radio Plus | Czech Republic

Beletu Sorsu

Senior Producer, BBC Media Action | Ethiopia

J. Sam Daniel Stalin

Bureau Chief, New Delhi Television Ltd | India

Iris Voellnagel

Reporter, First German Television (ARD) | Germany