The Journalists in Aging Fellows Program
The 2023 Program Application Deadline Has Passed.
Background
Dates and Location
Requirements
Dissemination
Stipend and Travel
Selection Process and Eligibility
Additional Information
Application Process
About GSA and the Journalists Network on Generations
Background
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Journalists Network on Generations are welcoming applications — from journalists who represent general-audience or ethnic/community news outlets in the U.S. and who are covering/wish to cover issues in aging — for the 14th year of the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program.
Support is provided by grants from Silver Century Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, Archstone Foundation, NIHCM Foundation, and a donation from John Migliaccio, PhD, MEd, FGSA. Stories resulting from the last 13 years are available on GSA's website.
By 2030, one-fifth of the country’s population will be age 65+, with the fastest growing segment being ethnic minorities. Older people will soon equal the number of children under 18 as the U.S. becomes an “every generation nation.” The effects of this demographic shift permeate every aspect of American life — with important social, economic, and health implications. As we age, we develop unique needs but also make unique contributions to society.
The media have largely ignored these emerging stories, and most communities are poorly informed about the challenges and opportunities of the longevity revolution. Ageism is pervasive. For 13 years, the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program has fueled coverage of crucial and sometimes complex issues at a time when most news organizations have no resources to assign a reporter to cover aging.
Further, the effects of COVID-19 will be with us for years — not only because of the tragic and mounting toll on older adults, but also as it widens existing cracks of age bias in America’s health and social infrastructure. Short- and long-term effects, ageism, nursing home workforce issues, the downsizing of older workers, ethnic and gender bias in healthcare and employment, the shifting nature of retirement, affordable housing, and the rise in older adult homelessness are all topics ripe for storytelling. Journalists will also need to track whether or not positive changes and opportunities emerge.
This program's goals are to educate journalists about issues in aging, better allowing them to spread a new awareness to general audiences and ethnic or targeted communities (such as LGBTQ, disability, or gender-focused groups); and to disseminate accurate information about new scientific findings, policy debates, innovations, and evidence-based solutions.
Additionally, the program is structured to build three bridges: to connect working reporters with experts in the field; to link journalists new to the complex issues of aging with experienced age-beat reporters; and ultimately to channel reporters’ enhanced knowledge — fortified by current research — to their communities, in their own languages.
Dates and Location
The selected fellows will attend GSA's 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting, which will take place from November 8 to 12 in Tampa, Florida. This conference represents a unique opportunity for reporters to expand and enrich their coverage of issues in aging. With more than 3,000 expected professionals in gerontology from multiple countries expected, the schedule will include hundreds of symposia, papers, and posters — all featuring new research on nearly every topic in aging. Reporters will find ideas for new stories and fresh angles on existing topics from Alzheimer’s disease to Social Security and Medicare to the latest biological discoveries, as well as COVID-19. (Some weeks prior to the conference, GSA will publish an interactive online meeting planner, which contains the full program schedule.)
Requirements
In the weeks prior to the start of the GSA meeting, there will be an initial online presentation/orientation conducted via Zoom. Onsite in Tampa, each fellow will then be expected to participate in a special daylong preconference session (Wednesday, November 8) and three days of general meeting sessions (Thursday, November 9, through Saturday, November 11). Fellows will also commit to completing one short-term story and one long-term in-depth project about any research-based aspect of aging. The latter must be summarized in a one-to-two page story pitch.
All articles must be published, broadcast, or posted through distributed or circulated news media entities rather than personal blogs, and will be required to include a note at the beginning or end crediting that it was written/produced with support from the fellowship. (Reporters will be provided text samples that may be adapted for different media.) The stories must reach an audience within the U.S.
Short-term story: Fellows must produce an initial story of no less than 500 words (or comparable broadcast length) about any research-based aspect of aging. Although reporters may draw from the vast number of peer-reviewed studies and expert presenters available to them at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, they are not required to cite any aspect of the conference, and may develop their story from other verifiable research sources. This piece must be completed no later than Sunday, December 31, 2023, and scheduled to be disseminated by Thursday, February 1, 2024. The story can be a news report, feature, or commentary/blog. Unlike the long-term project (see below), applicants need not propose a topic for the short-term story ahead of time, nor do they have to obtain advance approval from an editor/producer that the piece will be considered as an editorial assignment for publication or broadcast. The subject matter also need not be related to that of the long-term project. Selected fellows will be permitted to publish their short-term and long-term pieces through different media organizations, but it is still the Fellow's responsibility to see that the pieces are published in such a case. Therefore, applicants should indicate where they expect to place the short-term story if it will appear in a different news outlet than the long-term project.
Long-term project: Each fellow will submit a proposal (of one to two pages) outlining a major story or series that she or he intends to research and write. The story or series should be of the fellow's own design, documenting and explaining a pressing issue that older adults and their families or communities are facing.
The project deadline will be Monday, April 1, 2024, and it must be scheduled to be disseminated no later than Wednesday, May 1, 2024. As with the short-term project, the story or series need not be based on any aspect of the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, although reporters may choose to interview expert presenters or utilize articles published in GSA’s peer-reviewed journals.
Some preference will be given to application proposals on the impact of important news developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic and ethnic/racial equality, although the program remains open to story pitches related to the myriad ongoing under-reported stories of aging in America.
Fellowship applicants are invited to make proposals on a wide range of subjects, such as caregiving challenges; ageism; health care; dementia and its impact; intergenerational activities; immigration; healthy aging (including wellness and physical activity); safety education (e.g., falls and fall prevention); health disparities; elder abuse prevention; depression and social isolation; hunger; medication challenges; lifelong learning; art and creativity for older adults; aging in place; age-friendly communities; older-worker issues (e.g., career retraining and encore careers); civic engagement (mentoring, volunteering, or otherwise “giving back” to society); health care workforce issues and the ability of health professionals to deliver skilled geriatric care; the education and training of geriatric specialists in medicine, nursing, and social work; and models of health care delivery that integrate and improve services for older patients. Projects may, but are not required to, reflect at least one element of ethnic/racial population diversity. This may include the involvement of diverse experts or facts about an issue’s effect on such distinct groups based on their ethnicity, race, gender, geography, or sexual orientation.
Both staff journalists and freelancers who apply must submit an agreement by his or her editor/producer to accept the long-term project proposal as an editorial assignment for likely publication or broadcast. Those who also serve as the principal editor/producer of a news outlet are also welcome to apply. These journalists need not provide a separate editor/producer’s assurance, but they should make their dual role as writer and editor/producer clear in the proposal. For cases in which the original media outlet does not release a project story, the Fellow is obligated to place it in a comparable news or information medium.
Dissemination
The stories resulting from this fellowship will first be published by each journalist’s media organization(s). GSA and the Journalists Network on Generations will then have the option to cross-post the stories — with full credit and links back to the primary publisher — and make them available to nonprofit websites in aging or the network of ethnic media outlets.
Reporters proposing stories to be published or broadcast in a language other than English must agree to provide an English translation to GSA within two weeks of initial publication. For audio or video productions, fellows must provide images with either a separate audio narration or written article based on the story in English. Multimedia slide shows should be provided with image captions in English. (All such stories would be cross-posted by GSA or the program's nonprofit sponsors with links back to the story in the original language.)
Stipend and Travel
Each fellow will receive a stipend of $1,500, with $500 to be paid at the conclusion of the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting and the remaining $1,000 upon publication/airing of the long-term project. In addition, the program will arrange and pay for all flights and hotel bookings in Tampa. Qualifying local travel expenses (e.g., cab/rideshare, train, or bus fares) will be reimbursed.
Selection Process and Eligibility
The fellowship selection panel will include editorial professionals and experts in gerontology.
All staff and freelance journalists are eligible to apply except for past recipients of this fellowship.
Additional Information
For further details about how to submit an application, contact Program Co-Director and GSA Director of Communications Todd Kluss at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (202) 587-2839. For further details about fellowship requirements and potential stories, contact Program Co-Director and Journalists Network on Generations Program Coordinator Liz Seegert at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (516) 225-9636.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted in a single Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF file consisting of five components:
1. A cover letter containing:
- Applicant name
- Mailing address
- Office phone
- Mobile phone
- Employer (Freelancers must specify their length of affiliation with the outlet that will publish or broadcast the story.)
- Employer address
- Employer phone
- Employer’s circulation and audience demographic (Please indicate whether this media outlet serves a general audience or a specific ethnic or other minority community.)
2. A resume.
3. A one- to two-page story pitch describing the long-term project topic, how the subject will be researched and covered, the number of expected articles and their approximate length, relevance to the audience, and tentative publication date.
4. A letter or e-mail from an editor/producer agreeing to accept the long-term project proposal as an editorial assignment for likely publication or broadcast.
5. No more than three samples of published or broadcast journalistic work. For applicants submitting print samples, the full story text must be included in the application document. For applicants submitting broadcast samples, please include hyperlinks to these stories — either on a news organization’s website or a file sharing site such as filesanywhere.com — in the application document.
Applications that are not submitted in a single Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF file will not be reviewed. Please submit the file using a file name format of “LastnameFirstname.docx” or “LastnameFirstname.pdf.”
The 2023 Program Application Deadline Has Passed.
About GSA and the Journalists Network on Generations
GSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. GSA’s principal mission — and that of its 5,500 members — is to promote the study of aging and disseminate information to scientists, decision makers, and the general public. Founded in 1945, GSA is the driving force behind advancing innovation in aging — both domestically and internationally. Its members come from more than 50 countries. (For more information, see the organization's online fact sheet.) GSA is committed to ensuring a standard of transparency and high integrity; presenters at the Annual Scientific Meeting are required to clearly state any potential conflicts of interest that may arise, such as through commercially-based research grants.
The Journalists Network on Generations, founded in 1993, is based in San Francisco. It links to over 1,000 journalists, authors, and producers on issues in aging, and publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org).
