LSE JournalismAI Fellowship Programme

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) JournalismAI Fellowship Programme is a free online initiative that brings together journalists and technologists from media organisations worldwide to explore innovative solutions to improve journalism via the use of AI technologies. Each team will organise and develop its work independently during the six months, with guidance from the JournalismAI team and regular check-ins with the rest of the cohort. The application deadline is Friday, 21 April 2023 at 11:59 PM GMT.

About JournalismAI Fellowship Programme

JournalismAI Fellowship Programme is participant-driven. Each team will be provided with a coach/mentor, identified in coordination with the JournalismAI team, and will receive access to JournalismAI’s global network of experts, researchers, and innovators in the field of AI-journalism.

Over the six months, the teams will be guided through phases of definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing. The goal is to work together towards building AI-powered solutions that enhance reporting and storytelling.

How Does The Fellowship Program Work?

Pairs of colleagues – one person with an editorial/strategic role and the other one with a technical role – will be selected to take part in the programme.

Through a guided match-making process, each pair of fellows will team up with another pair from a different organisation to form a team.

Teams will choose which project they want to work on during the Fellowship. The project must focus on building an AI-powered solution that enhances the reporting capabilities of their newsrooms, innovating content and formats to better inform their audiences.

The JournalismAI Fellowship Programme is participant-driven. Each team will organise and develop its work independently during the six months, with guidance from the JournalismAI team and regular check-ins with the rest of the cohort.

Each team will be provided with a coach/mentor, identified in coordination with the JournalismAI team, and will receive access to JournalismAI’s global network of experts, researchers, and innovators in the field of AI-journalism.

Over the six months, the teams will be guided through phases of definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing. The goal is to work together towards building AI-powered solutions that enhance reporting and storytelling.

At the end of the programme, participants will present their work – and what they have learned from it – at the fourth edition of the JournalismAI Festival.

Who Is Eligible To Apply?

LSE invite applications from pairs of journalists and technologists working in news organisations who have experience working on products and/or stories that involve the use of AI technologies.

Fluency in English is compulsory.

This is not a training programme for journalists without experience working with AI technologies. If you are  fairly new to this field, you should consider applying for our JournalismAI Academy for Small Newsrooms or the JournalismAI Discovery. (Applications for both programmes will open soon!)

Application Process

Interested journalists should fill in this form to express their interest in participating in the programme. It’s a short application form, but note that you already have to fill it in with the colleague you plan to pair up with for the Fellowship.

Apply as soon as possible because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. The sooner you apply, the more time you will have for the match-making process (more on this soon), which will directly impact your chances of getting selected.

This initial application phase closes on Friday, 21 April, at 11:59 PM GMT.

In the form, you will need to share an idea for a project you’d like to work on during the programme. This is at the core of the match-making process, as you will have to find another pair of candidates with similar goals to team up with, and jointly submit your final Fellowship application by Wednesday, 17 May, at 11:59 PM GMT.

How To Form A Team?

To form a team, you have three options:

• Find another pair of candidates with a similar project idea and merge them together in your final application;
• Find another pair of candidates that like your project idea enough to discard theirs and agree to join you;
• Browse other candidates’ project ideas and find one that you like enough to discard your own idea and join them.

If you pass the first screening through the initial application, you will receive invitation to join a a Slack channel where you can meet other candidates and find who to partner with. Your initial application, including your project idea, will be visible to all other candidates – and you will be able to browse through everyone else’s submission.

The JournalismAI team will select the five best project ideas submitted by 17 May to take part in the Fellowship Programme.

For more information about the fellowship program, visit the LSE JournalismAI Fellowship Programme website.

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