Being a Nieman Fellow also affords access to a rapidly growing e-mail network of alumni and current participants.

The Nieman Foundation was established in 1937 by Agnes Wahl Nieman, a Yale alumnus, in honor of her husband Lucius W. Nieman, founder of The Milwaukee Journal. Her goal was "to promote and elevate the standards of journalism and educate persons deemed especially qualified for journalism."

The Nieman program is available to any mid-career journalist who works full-time and has at least three years of experience. The application process includes a brief biography, a study proposal and a portfolio of recent work.

This year the Foundation received approximately 100 applications for each candidate category. Foundation Curator Bill Kovach attested to the consistent quality of each year's class of fellows, but said he was particularly confident in the new class's ability to carry the Nieman Foundation into the 21st century.

"I think the problems that we all complain about with journalism in this country have more to do with the way news organizations are organized than with the quality of the talent available," he said. "This year's class just reinforces that belief."