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Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowships for Excellence in Journalism

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The Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowships for Excellence in Journalism provide a nine-month internship with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial team. These annual Fellowships are open to recent college and journalism school graduates and journalists with less than five years’ experience.

Illustration of Joseph Rago courtesy of The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones

These Fellowships are in honor and memory of Joseph Rago, a former editorial board member at The Wall Street Journal who passed away in 2017. Two Fellows are selected each year through an application process that is judged by senior editors at the Journal, senior leaders at The Fund for American Studies and the family of Joe Rago.

Rago Fellowship recipients are announced each year at the TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner. More than 200 prominent journalists and guests attend this annual event to celebrate the best in American journalism. Proceeds from the evening support the Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship and the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship programs.

THE OPPORTUNITY

2022-23 Rago Fellow Carine Hajjar accepts her award during a dinner in NYC. You can  learn more and watch a full video  of the event here.

The Rago Fellows receive a nine-month internship with the Opinion section of The Wall Street Journal, along with a salary of approximately $6,000 per month from The Fund for American Studies. The internship at The Wall Street Journal provides the opportunity for experience with many facets of the editorial craft, such as editing op-eds; writing stories under one’s own byline; writing as part of the Editorial Board; working with outside contributors at every stage of submission, from pitching to publication; contributing headlines and other story components; fact-checking and research; and more. The Fellows will write a brief report to TFAS each month describing their work and experiences.

The Rago Fellows will also take part in the annual dinner and retreat of the TFAS Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Program and will be included in that program’s extensive alumni network.

QUALIFICATIONS

These annual Fellowships are open to recent college and journalism school graduates and journalists with less than five years of professional experience. Applicants should have a commitment to pursuing a career in journalism and should already have some experience with writing or editing in a serious journalistic context, either in school or professionally. A demonstrated ability to multi-task and meet deadlines is critical for success. Applicants should be familiar with technology as it relates to journalism.

The best applicants will have a strong record of achievement and potential for future accomplishments. In addition to illustrating these qualities, the strength and depth of character demonstrated by candidates will be a strong consideration.


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Joseph Rago Fellowship News

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30th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner to Honor Brian C. Anderson and Benjamin Hall

TFAS supporters and friends are invited to the 30th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner on Nov. 14 at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.

Sierra McClain Selected as 2023 Joseph Rago Memorial Fellow for Excellence in Journalism

The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) and The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page are pleased to announce Sierra McClain as the 2023 recipient of the Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism. Sierra McClain grew up on a small ranch in Oregon’s…

29th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner Honors Courage and Prestige in Journalism

The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) was joined by donors, sponsors, alumni and friends at the 29th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner on Nov. 15, 2022 in New York. TFAS and guests celebrated the next generation of top-notch journalists, while honoring…

29th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner To Honor Courageous Leaders

On Nov. 3, TFAS supporters and friends gathered in person and joined online for the 28th Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner.

A Young Journalist’s Legacy, Five Years Later

This article by Roger Ream originally appeared in National Review. You can find the original article here. As we remember Joseph Rago, it’s important to strive for the kind of serious journalism that he produced in his tragically short career. “There is…

Carine Hajjar Selected as 2022 Joseph Rago Memorial Fellow for Excellence in Journalism

The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) and The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page are pleased to announce Carine Hajjar as the 2022 recipient of the Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism. Hajjar grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, and went…