Frequently Asked Questions

At Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Diederich College of Communication. Fellows work from private offices in the O’Brien newsroom in historic Johnston Hall. Marquette is a Catholic and Jesuit institution near downtown Milwaukee. 

Staff-employed or independent journalists in the United States or its territories. Applicants should have at least five years of professional experience as an employee or freelancer, including print operations, radio, television, podcasts, online publications, wire services, and magazines of general public interest. In-depth reporting experience is preferred. There are no academic prerequisites. 

Marquette policies  foster a balanced workforce reflecting the principles of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action.

Journalists can apply starting on Dec. 1. Next year's application deadline is Jan. 30, 2026.

Finalists chosen by the O’Brien Director and staff are interviewed by the O’Brien Selection Committee in spring.  In April, O'Brien announces the four journalists who will be awarded Fellowships for the following academic year, which starts in August.  

 

No. That said, experience as a mentor, trainer, or instructor of young people, as well as a demonstrated interest in working with students, is preferred. 

No. Some applicants have advanced degrees, but there are no educational requirements for the Fellowship.

O’Brien supports rigorous, in-depth projects aimed at holding U.S. institutions accountable, revealing inequities, and proposing solutions. We prefer ground-breaking projects with the potential to trigger change and provide a platform to people impacted by injustice and entrenched problems. We favor projects that identify creative solutions to social problems.

Our fellows have probed issues such as climate change, the criminal justice system, racial injustice, mental illness, public safety and law enforcement, education, poverty, and maternal health. We seek stories that need the extra time and resources we provide, and that can incorporate Marquette student journalists into the work. See the Our Work and Our Students’ Work pages on our website for examples.

We expect an in-depth project that reflects nine months of full-time reporting. In the past this has meant a series of deeply reported stories. It could also mean a feature-length film, series of podcasts, or other multi-media projects. See the Our Work page on the O’Brien site. The form of the projects varies depending on the nature of the journalists’ work and the desires of their publishers.

Nine months, encompassing a full academic year from mid-August to mid-May.

Not at this time. The O’Brien Fellowship is open to stories of international interest, but is strongly focused on stories affecting U.S. audiences that can be reported primarily in the United States for a U.S.-based news outlet or outlets.

We prefer stories that have a national perspective, even if they are told mainly through one state, region, or locale. We look for ways to broaden local stories to investigate best practices and solutions tried in other states or countries.

We prefer that they do for the duration of the Fellowship, though we accept remote and hybrid applications.  Residential Fellows work out of private offices in the O’Brien newsroom on campus, and travel as needed for reporting. 

Upon request, O’Brien Director Jeffery Gerritt will give feedback to applicants as they consider and develop project ideas. Please reach out to obrienfellows@marquette.edu with questions.

The application calls for a project proposal, résumé, personal statement, summary biography, three letters of recommendation, work samples, and other information. You can access the online application form from the O’Brien Fellowship website.  

Applicants should closely follow the application format, answering in detail the questions in the order they appear. The entire proposal should consist of 1,250 to 2,000 words.

Not directly. We have, however, supported journalists who are researching and reporting material that is destined to end up in a book. Even then, applicants should make a strong case for publishing parts of their work in local and national media outlets in a timely fashion, apart from book-publishing deadlines.

Staff journalists will publish or broadcast their O’Brien work via their home news organizations. Indpendent journalists, with O'Brien's assistance, will secure their own publishing commitments. 

No. For staff-employed journalists, we expect top editors at their home publication to commit to support and publish the work, as well as continue to employ the reporter during the fellowship.

Independent journalists should outline how they plan to place their work and identify any relationships they have with publications. In some cases, independent journalists have secured a publishing commitment at the time of their application. We realize this is not the norm, but independent journalists are encouraged to seek at least preliminary indications of interest from potential publishers and provide contact information for them. Ideally, applicants will have relationships with publications or editors related to their story topics.

Applicants should seek recommendation letters from current and previous supervisors, journalism colleagues, young people they've worked with, and publishers willing to consider publishing their work at O'Brien. 

Yes. For the duration of the nine-month fellowship, applicants should consider this a full-time job and 100% commitment. Freelance work outside the Fellowship is allowed but on the Fellow's own time.

No, but Fellows should plan to finish most or all of their project work by the end of the Fellowship in May. Fellows should also aim to have at least part of their project published within three months after the Fellowship ends. 

Some Fellows publish as they go during the Fellowship, while others aim for one story or a series of stories to publish after the Fellowship ends. We prefer that Fellows publish sooner rather than later. We don't want them to get beat on a story. It also helps students to have published work on their resumes when they seek internships or jobs. 

Fellows will work with and help supervise two to three students who will assist them in research and reporting during the year. Ideally, a reporting partnership develops. Some students have received byline credit on stories and others have received credit lines.

Student tasks may include interviewing sources, preparing print or multimedia stories, securing and analyzing public documents, general research, suggesting story ideas, and promoting the work.

No. The work with students is a hybrid of an internship and an instructional setting akin to a news bureau. Fellows, with help from the Fellowship director, assign research and reporting tasks to students they mentor. Fellows work closely with student reporters, meeting weekly with them in the O’Brien newsroom or virtually. 

Fellows supervise and review student contributions, help arrange reporting trips, and help the director identify training needs. Fellows give students first-hand experience in public service journalism.

No. Student assignments are not graded, but the director and Fellow assign each student a letter grade at midterms and the semester.

No, but that kind of experience can help. Fellows receive training in working with students.

They may. In fact, this is encouraged, subject to health and safety considerations. Fellows may do some reporting trips solo and some with students. The O’Brien Fellowship pays student reporting travel expenses.

Fellows can get reimbursed, up to $4,500, for their reporting-related travel expenses. In addition, up to $4,500 per Fellow is set aside to cover any technology, research, training, and equipment expenses. Marquette reserves the right to shift funds between the travel and non-travel allowances. 

$75,000 for nine months.

Independent journalists are hired as temporary, full-time Marquette employees and receive their salary stipend in monthly payroll payments. Journalists who remain employed by a news organization continue to receive paychecks from their employer, either at their pre-Fellowship rate of pay, or the $75,000 O’Brien level, whichever is higher. (The $75,000 stipend increases their pay in some cases; in others, it covers a portion of their salary if their pre-existing pay exceeds the stipend.) O’Brien pays the news organizations in quarterly installments.

Staff journalists stay on their employer’s benefits. Independent journalists not employed by a news organization may choose Marquette-subsidized health insurance at employee rates. 

Moving allowances total up to $7,000 to help cover moving to-and-from Milwaukee. Separately, the Fellowship will pay up to $750 for an apartment hunting trip, if needed.

*Fellows from the Milwaukee metropolitan area are not eligible for a moving allowance.

O’Brien has a residency allowance, based on family requirements, for Fellows moving to the Milwaukee metropolitan area for the duration of the Fellowship. Fellows submit rent receipts from the rental property owner and get reimbursed.

• Up to $700 per month of rental occupancy for a single, married, or partnered Fellow. Maximum of $7,000.
• Up to $900 per month of rental occupancy for a Fellow with one child. Maximum of $9,000.
• Up to $1,000 per month of rental occupancy for a Fellow with two children. Maximum of $10,000.
• Up to $1,200 per month of rental occupancy for a Fellow with three or more children. Maximum of $12,000.

The committee consists of distinguished journalists, Marquette faculty, and alumni. For the current list of members, see our application page.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a founding partner of the Fellowship. The Journal Sentinel provides support and resources upon request to O’Brien Fellows who seek a journalistic partner, help with editing, data analysis, visuals, or other needs.