The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is pleased to announce the 2024-25 Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship recipients. The Fellows are Audrey Fahlberg of National Review, Carine Hajjar of The Boston Globe, Park MacDougald of Tablet Magazine, Emmet Penney of Compact Magazine, Rachel Roth Aldhizer, Hannah Rowan of Modern Age and Nic Rowan of The Lamp Magazine.
These seven journalists will spend one year researching and providing in-depth reporting on their chosen topics surrounding the principles of a free society.
This year’s cohort of outstanding journalists will dive into serious reporting on today’s most pressing issues. Fellows will explore topics including the shifting dynamics within the GOP, the threat of Iranian proxies in the Middle East and the influence of left-wing activists on democracy.
“Through this fellowship, I hope to shed new light on the current movers and shakers and the next rising stars who are shaping an ever-changing GOP,” said Audrey Fahlberg. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to travel the country and tell stories I wouldn’t otherwise be able to tell.”
The Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship is named after the late Robert D. Novak, renowned columnist, CNN broadcaster and reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. Since its founding in 1994, the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship has empowered more than 150 promising young journalists to partake in research and long-form content creation that would not have otherwise been possible for them. Novak Fellows have gone on to become leaders in journalism as Pulitzer Prize winners, leaders of national outlets and authors of bestselling books. Notable fellows include:senior political columnist at the Washington Examiner Tim Carney, Novak ’03, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Matthew Continetti, Novak ’08, and Reason editor-in-chief Katherine Mangu-Ward, Novak ’05.
“The latest class of Robert Novak Journalism Fellows is set to investigate some of the most critical issues facing our nation,” said Ryan Wolfe, director of the Center for Excellence in Journalism at TFAS. “These fellows continue the legacy of exceptional journalists who have left a lasting mark on the media landscape. I’m excited to see the outstanding and courageous reporting this talented group will put forward.”
The 2024-25 Robert Novak Journalism Fellows will be formally announced during the 31th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner on Nov. 12, 2024, at the Metropolitan Club in New York City. During the dinner, TFAS will also honor prominent leaders in journalism: Wall Street Journal Columnist and former Time editor, Lance Morrow, with the 2024 Thomas L. Phillips Career Achievement Award and Lexington columnist at The Economist and former Editorial Page editor at The New York Times, James Bennet, with the 2024 Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Courageous Journalism. Additionally, TFAS will present the 2024 Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism to Jillian Lederman and Luke Lyman.
For more information about the dinner and sponsorship opportunities, please visit TFAS.org/Jdinner24 or contact Jane Mack, Special Events Director, at jmack@TFAS.org.
Audrey Fahlberg
2024-25 John Farley Alumni Fund Fellowship Fellow
Project: Who’s Next? The Politicians, Policies and Personnel shaping a shifting GOP
Hometown: McLean, Virginia
Audrey Fahlberg is a political reporter for National Review, where she covers major trends in American politics on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. Prior to joining National Review in October 2023, Audrey was a campaign reporter at The Dispatch and a Bartley Fellow at the Wall Street Journal. Originally from McLean, Virginia, Audrey graduated from the University of Virginia with an interdisciplinary degree in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Carine Hajjar
Project: Iran and its Proxies: A Return to an Unstable Middle East
Hometown: Milton, Massachusetts
Carine Hajjar is an opinion writer and member of the Boston Globe’s Editorial Board, where she covers immigration, higher education, foreign policy, and the 2024 presidential election. She has also written for National Review and the Wall Street Journal opinion page, where she was The Fund for American Studies’ 2022-23 Joseph Rago Memorial Fellow for Excellence in Journalism. Carine graduated from Harvard College in 2021, where she studied government and economics and wrote a column about free speech on campus for the Crimson. She grew up in Massachusetts and lives between New York City and Boston.
Park MacDougald
Project: The NGO Borg: How Left-Wing Oligarchs, Operators, and Activists Are Undermining Our Democracy
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Park MacDougald is the senior writer at The Scroll, Tablet Magazine’s daily afternoon newsletter and a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Previously, he was an editor and staff writer at UnHerd, the Life & Arts editor at the Washington Examiner magazine and a staff editor at Foreign Affairs. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he was raised in Atlanta and now lives in New York.
Emmet Penney
Project: Blacked Out: America’s Coming Electricity Crisis
Hometown: Elmhurst, IL
Emmet Penney is a contributing editor at Compact Magazine and creator of the Nuclear Barbarians Substack and podcast. His work has appeared in Spectator World, American Affairs, Claremont Review of Books and elsewhere.
Rachel Roth Aldhizer
Project: Why Have Children: How a Utilitarian View of Children Created a Fertility Crisis
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Rachel Roth Aldhizer is an independent journalist covering disability and abortion policy, assisted reproductive technologies, and a theology of suffering. Her work has been featured in First Things, National Review, Public Discourse, Plough and others. Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Rachel is a graduate of Wake Forest University. She lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with her husband and four young children, one of whom is profoundly disabled.
Hannah Rowan
Project: Adjusting to Scale: Ozempic and America’s Weight-Loss Problem
Hometown: Worms, Nebraska
Hannah Rowan is managing editor of Modern Age. Her writing has appeared in publications including the Lamp magazine, the New Criterion, and the Wall Street Journal. She has worked in publishing and runs an editorial services business. A native Nebraskan, she is a graduate of Hillsdale College and lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and daughter.
Nic Rowan
Project: The New American Way of Death
Hometown: Washington, D.C.