We spoke with Jonathan Lin ’13 in the spring of 2013 to ask him how he got his fellowship, and how he’d advise English Majors to go about applying.
Q: What exactly is the Neil Isaacs and Frank Wright ’50 Fellowship in Investigative Journalism?
A: Each year Carleton pays one sophomore, junior, or senior student to intern at a news organization for ten weeks that summer, usually for outlets that produce investigative work, such as Center for Investigative Reporting or PBS Frontline. The fellowship is designed to familiarize Carleton students with the dynamic of investigative journalism and expose them to pitching ideas for stories, contributing research to articles, and assisting reporters.
Q: What interests you about investigative journalism?
A: I’ve always loved writing, especially articles and stories for literary magazines, publications, and newspapers. Having done many years of consistent reporting for The Carletonian—covering weekly convocation sessions—I had wanted to get a feel for being more proactive and learning the ropes of investigating, asking questions, and digging deeper into important current issues. Unfortunately I didn’t conduct as many interviews as I would have liked as a campus writer/reporter, and investigative journalism really seemed to offer and emphasize this skill. In addition, this year’s organization—the fellowship venue changes every couple of years—ProPublica was based in New York City, which was a major plus for me. I love the fast-paced dynamic, vibrancy, and energy of the city, and feel that there would be plenty to write stories on.
Q: What’s the application process?
A: In addition to the usual application materials such as an effective cover letter, writing samples, and resume, applicants are asked to submit an “explainer-type post.” These are similar to an extended FAQ about relevant topics like drones, gun control legislation, foreign aid to post-Mubarak Egypt, etc., focused around a narrative that walks readers through the issue at hand by proposing questions and then answering them. Why are drones so controversial? Has U.S. drone policy under the Obama administration changed?
Q: What sort of writing samples might one submit?
A: Definitely keep hold of previous clips you’ve written, and not just for The Carletonian, but other campus publications you may have written for (such as the Lens magazine). You may want to go back and review some of your earlier stories and refine them, especially given that investigative journalism is deeply interested in taking the details of important, yet visible events, and redeliver them in a more accessible and compelling fashion to the general public.
Q: You’re an English Major—well-versed in post-colonial theory and literary aesthetics and character development but maybe not so much in current affairs or international politics—so why would you be qualified for a journalism fellowship?
A: Good writing is essential for the investigative journalist, because your job is to reassemble an already visible topic so that readers see the essential, yet underreported elements. So you need to convey a lot of information in a short space, and to argue, substantiate, and reinforce the thesis—which is what Carleton English majors do multiple times for each course. Although the fellowship doesn’t prohibit students from sending academic essays for writing samples, I would encourage applicants to use clips of different formats—go write for the Lens magazine, and send in some of those articles!
Q: So your résumé wasn’t jam-packed with journalistic experience?
A: Not at all—in fact, I would say writing for The Carletonian was the only item directly related to journalism and reporting. My other experiences included writing remotely for institutes on topics such as technology policy, having internships in foreign policy analysis, assisting Carleton history professors with their research, and working for humanitarian aid non-profits. Play up relevant Carleton coursework in addition to a strong background in writing, such as strengths in quantitative reasoning, collaborative coursework, and presentation skills.
Q: What English classes prepared you well for the fellowship?
A: I would definitely say the two creative writing classes I took, both of them fictional prose-oriented workshops with Professor Greg Smith. In both those courses he really got us thinking about the nuts and bolts of storytelling, from structure to narrative voice to atmosphere to pace. In those workshops the focus was to critique and highlight what didn’t work in short pieces of fiction, and I feel that many of those skills and lessons can be transferred to journalism, particularly with the narrative consistency between the two types of writing. I would also definitely mention two Pierre Hecker courses—Shakespeare I and Christopher Marlowe/Revenge Tragedy—for requiring me to write Moodle posts that really stressed clean arguments, with surgical precision and economic detail. I think those will contribute in major ways for a career in journalism, given the need to communicate vital data with limited space and minimal time.
Q: Any classes you wish you’d taken?
A: Probably the Art of Storytelling, again to further hone the bare essentials of effective storytelling. Along with that I’d almost certainly take Intro to Rhetoric, Art of Oral Presentation, and Creative Non-Fiction to get familiar with alternative and advanced forms of getting one’s point across and conveying facts and information in a compelling way.