About the role
Tidewater Data Desk is a fictional data journalism and fact-checking unit. This sample listing illustrates a fellowship: a fixed-term, paid learning role in which a newer journalist works on real projects with experienced mentors.
Fellowships are a way to build skills and a portfolio. This one focuses on finding stories in public datasets and presenting them clearly.
What you will do
- Work on at least two data-driven projects over the year, from the first idea to publication.
- Learn to clean, analyse and visualise datasets with guidance from a mentor.
- Write short methodology notes so that readers can understand how figures were produced.
- Contribute to weekly data clinics where colleagues share problems and solutions.
- Present your pitch and your findings to the team and take feedback constructively.
- Build a portfolio of published work and a professional network.
What we are looking for
- Early-career experience in journalism, research or a related field.
- Comfort with spreadsheets and curiosity about numbers. Coding is taught on the job.
- A project pitch, in one page, describing a dataset and a question you would like to explore.
- A willingness to receive feedback and to work through mistakes.
- No specific degree required.
How the team works
Fellows are paired with a mentor and a second reader. The unit holds a short stand-up three times a week and a longer review at the end of each month. A training budget in this sample listing can be used for approved courses.
The fellowship is remote. Fellows are expected to be available during overlap hours but can arrange the rest of their day.
Pay and conditions
The illustrative stipend is $3,800 to $4,500 a month for a fixed twelve months. It is an invented figure for this launch edition and does not describe a real fellowship.
A real fellowship listing should explain whether the role is employment or a grant, whether benefits apply, who owns the work and what happens at the end. Applicants who need adjustments to the programme are welcome to discuss them.