In the spring, AHCJ held a webinar on breaking into narrative journalism featuring editors and a freelancer who offered tips on how to pitch your idea. In part II, we talked about how to get that project funded with grant or fellowship money. Representatives from organizations offering funding talked about what makes an application stand out, and a recipient of a prestigious fellowship offered his advice.
Barbara Mantel is AHCJ’s health beat leader for freelancing. She’s an award-winning journalist who has written about subjects such as how to find and keep an accountability partner, how to tap the rich resources at libraries and how to break into narrative journalism. Mantel began her journalism career as the economics reporter and then assistant managing editor of a business news program on ESPN television. She then moved to NPR as its economics and business correspondent and later served as the first senior editor, senior producer and director of the public radio program “Science Friday.” Mantel’s byline has appeared in a wide range of media outlets, including CQ Researcher, AARP, Undark, Next Avenue, Medical Economics, Healthline, NBCNews.com, Today.com, NPR and The New York Times.
Josh McGhee is an investigative reporter for MindSite News, covering the intersection of criminal justice and mental health with an emphasis on public records and data reporting. McGhee is a 2023-2024 Carter Center’s Mental Health Journalism Fellow.
Jacqueline Stenson is the manager of projects at the USC Center for Health Journalism. Stenson leads the Center’s outreach and recruitment for its Fellowships and other initiatives, which offers reporting grants of between $2,000 to $10,000. Stenson has worked as a health reporter and editor with multiple media outlets, and her freelance work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, NBC News, TODAY.com, Health, Self, Shape and more.
Eric Ferrero serves as Executive Director of the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Ferrero has worked closely with some of the nation’s leading investigative journalists to help them uncover high-impact stories, including those published or broadcast by The New Yorker, CBS News “60 Minutes,” the Washington Post, the New York Times and PBS “Frontline,” as well as in regional and specialty outlets.
