2026 Center for Health Journalism Data Fellow

USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism

Los Angeles, Telecommute

Date Posted May 26, 2026
Industry Newspapers
Specialty Health/Science
Remote / Telecommute Hybrid
Job Status Not Specified
Salary $2,000 reporting stipend + 5 months of training

Description:

Deadline to apply: July 22, 2026 | In-person fellowship dates: October 6–9, 2026

Our Data Fellowship offers journalists an opportunity to transform their reporting by training them to “interview the data” as if it were a human source. They finish the five-month program equipped with the tools to find and obtain data and perform analyses that can yield new and important investigative insights. As part of the program, participating journalists receive one-on-one mentoring as they produce a major investigative or explanatory health reporting project or a series of individual data-driven health stories that focus on issues important to their communities around the country. 

This program offers training on data acquisition, cleaning, analysis and visualization led by some of the most skilled data reporters and journalism practitioners in the nation. They teach journalists how to “bulletproof” their data, ensuring accuracy in reporting. New program components focus on how to use AI in data journalism. Following the training week, Senior Fellows mentor reporters as they pair original data analysis with compelling narratives on long neglected or underexplored issues. 

Admitted Fellows receive: 

  • A $2,000 stipend to defray reporting costs
  • A multi-day, in-person training in beginner, intermediate or advanced Spreadsheets or RStudio
  • Five months of professional mentorship with some of the top data journalists in the country
  • Fellows also are eligible to apply for professional mentorship in engaged journalism and $1,000-$2,000 to support those creative efforts

Reporting themes we support

We embrace a broad view of health, which doesn’t just happen at doctors’ offices and hospitals. Health is shaped by our environment — our schools, our neighborhoods and our communities. We strive to admit Fellows whose work and interests for their collaboration with us reflect that. And woven through our work is a focus on how systemic inequities can shape life outcomes and child and family well-being. As participants in our program, journalists also learn how our model of impact reporting can lead to narrative and policy change.

To learn about the reporting themes we support for the National Track and California Track, please visit our Data Fellowship information pages: https://bit.ly/2026DataFellowship

Arrange a conversation: We encourage you to discuss your proposal with a member of our team. Please fill out this contact form and someone from our Center will reach out to you.

Apply

https://bit.ly/2026DataFellowship

When applying, mention you saw this opening listed at JournalismJobs.com.