Applications for the 2025-26 Media Accelerator Fellowship are now open. The deadline to apply is June 20, 2025.
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The Media Accelerator Fellowship is a new nine-month program designed for early-career journalists to step back from the daily news grind and strategically advance their careers. The fellowship’s curriculum helps young journalists identify and develop their beats, enhance their reporting and writing skills, and incorporate the principles of liberty into their work. Esteemed journalists and policy experts will serve as faculty, sharing their expertise to help Fellows excel in their career.
Program Structure
The Media Accelerator Fellowship combines networking, professional development and academic discussions. The 2025-26 curriculum will include:
- Monthly roundtables in Washington, D.C., with leading journalists and policy experts to help Fellows understand important areas of reporting they can specialize in.
- A fall weekend retreat in Annapolis, Maryland, focused on professional development, including sessions on the business of media, polling and statistics, source development, and media training.
- A spring weekend retreat in Richmond, Virginia, featuring intellectual and practical discussions of “Liberty and Responsibility in the Media.”
Fellowship Qualifications
All applicants must:
- Live in the Washington, D.C., area and are working journalists, writers, or editors.
- Commit to attending all fellowship events – including the monthly evening sessions (Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 p.m.) and the weekend fall and spring retreats.
- The Fellowship is designed for young professionals with up to seven years of work experience.
2025-26 Schedule
Welcome Dinner
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
6-8:30 p.m.
Fall Retreat
November 7-9, 2025
Annapolis, Maryland
Spring Retreat
April 10-12, 2026
Richmond, Virginia
Monthly Speaker Events
October 1, 2025
December 3, 2025
January 7, 2026
February 11, 2026
March 18, 2026
Closing Dinner
May 6, 2026