The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is pleased to announce two-time TFAS alumnus Mark Sawyer ’24, ’24, as the recipient of the inaugural Journalism Excellence Fellowship at The Dispatch.
Sawyer first joined TFAS in 2024 at the European Journalism Institute in Prague, Czech Republic, which provided hands-on reporting experience while enhancing his understanding of fundamental issues related to religion reporting and journalism ethics. Later that year, he returned as a TFAS Media Accelerator Fellow in Washington, D.C., where in-depth discussions with industry experts helped him sharpen his journalistic craft, alongside fellow early-career journalists.
Reflecting on his time at the European Journalism Institute and the Media Accelerator Fellowship, Sawyer credited TFAS with providing the mentorship and ethical grounding that became an essential piece of his career.
“TFAS provided me not only with tools and training but also with a trusted network of peers and mentors who have challenged and encouraged me,” Sawyer said. “I now have a deeper understanding of the forces shaping modern journalism and a stronger foundation of values to guide me through the inevitable ethical, editorial and business dilemmas that arise in this work.”
Through the TFAS Journalism Excellence Fellowship, Sawyer will work with leading writers, reporters and media professionals at The Dispatch. The Fellowship is designed to give rising young journalists the opportunity to undertake important work and receive high-level training in reporting at prestigious news publications early in their careers.
Sawyer recently worked as an open-source investigator and intelligence analyst covering Eastern Europe, Africa and the United States. He has investigated coordinated Russian influence campaigns, online narratives affecting public trust in election integrity and threats against election officials. Previously, he designed and managed taxpayer-funded programs to support democracy in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Sawyer participated in Humanities DC’s Community Journalism Program and is a graduate of Wheaton College.
Sawyer joins The Dispatch in September and will participate in the Journalism Excellence Fellowship alongside Daniel Idfresne, who will work with The Boston Globe Opinion, and Ashley Dowdney ’24, ’25, who will work with The Washington Post Opinion.
Throughout the program, the Fellows will engage in TFAS’s educational and professional development opportunities alongside other participants of TFAS’s Center for Excellence in Journalism programs.
Ryan Wolfe, executive director of the TFAS Center for Excellence in Journalism, said the fellowship reflects a deliberate investment in journalism’s next generation.
“The Journalism Excellence Fellowship provides promising talent the ability to learn from top editors who prepare them to to do the hard work of investigative journalism,” Wolfe said. “The Fellowship will be a launching pad for journalists who will help restore the American people’s trust in the media.”
The new Fellowship builds on the success of the TFAS Center for Excellence in Journalism and its existing programs to advance the field of journalism, including the Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism, in partnership with The Wall Street Journal; the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship; the Student Journalism Association; the Media Accelerator Fellowship; and the Campus Transparency Fellowship.
TFAS journalism programs equip young journalists with the skills, mentorship and opportunities to raise the standard of American journalism. These programs are made possible by supporters grounded in the principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility and economic freedom. Support TFAS’s journalism programs today and help train the next generation of principled, skilled journalists.
The Fund for American Studies will host its 33rd Annual TFAS Journalism Forum + Awards Dinner in New York City on November 10. Supporter contributions enable TFAS to develop the next generation of excellent journalists through the TFAS Center for Excellence in Journalism.
Become a sponsor at this year’s event to help TFAS develop a pipeline of courageous journalists making an impact in newsrooms nationwide and are equipped with the tools to make a difference in their communities and throughout the world.