12 American Journalists Awarded Nieman Fellowships

Twelve American journalists have been appointed to the 59th class of Nieman Fellows at Harvard. They will be joined by a number of international journalists to be named later this month.

Established in 1938 through a bequest of Agnes Wahl Nieman in memory of her husband, Lucius, founder and publisher of The Milwaukee Journal, the Nieman Fellowships are the oldest midcareer fellowships for journalists in the world. They are awarded to working journalists of particular accomplishment and promise for an academic year of study in any part of the University. To date, nearly 1,000 American and international journalists have studied at Harvard as Nieman Fellows.

The new Nieman Fellows and their areas of interest are:

Robert Blau, 36, editor/reporter, Chicago Tribune. Will undertake an interdisciplinary survey of urban problems.

Lori Cohen, 39, producer/editor, WGBH-TV, Boston. Will study cultural, historic, and theoretical factors in economic development.

Mark Jaffe, 47, environment reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Will undertake a study of government, science, economics, and philosophy as they relate to environmental policies. His fellowship is financed by a grant awarded to the University in 1993 by the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation for study and research in areas related to the environment.

Laura King, 40, news editor for Asia, Associated Press Tokyo Bureau. Will study linguistics and translation of Asian languages.

Felicia R. Lee, 39, reporter, The New York Times. Will study American history, religion, and black culture.

Terri Lichstein, 35, producer, ABC News, PrimeTime Live. Will study history and politics of the Middle East and countries of the former Soviet Union.

Myra Ming, 41, senior news producer, KTTV, Los Angeles. Will study issues of newsroom management and urban affairs.

Richard Read, 38, international business writer, The Oregonian, Portland. Will study international politics, trade, and finance.

Deborah Seward, 39, news editor, Associated Press Moscow Bureau. Plans a program of study on issues of nuclear proliferation and nuclear energy damage to the environment.

Marjorie Valbrun, 33, staff writer, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Will examine factors in producing a culture of poverty.

Robert Vare, 50, articles editor, The New Yorker. Will study American history, economics, and politics.

Paige Williams, 29, reporter, The Charlotte Observer. Will study issues of race and social problems of youth.