The Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship (CIDC) at the American University in Bulgaria has received a $456,256 grant from the America for Bulgaria Foundation to establish the Bulgaria International Journalism Fellowship (BIJF), a groundbreaking initiative aimed at telling stories of Bulgaria’s democratic journey to a global audience.
The 20-month project will bring together experienced journalists as senior fellows and emerging talent as junior fellows, to produce high-impact international reporting on Bulgaria’s democratic development, economic landscape, and social transformation.
Pulitzer award-winning journalist, Dean Starkman, is joining the CIDC as a Non-Resident Distinguished Fellow and will serve as the project’s Editorial Director. Starkman, author of The Watchdog That Didn’t Bark: The Financial Crisis and the Disappearance of Investigative Journalism (Columbia University Press, 2014), brings extensive international journalism experience, including at The Wall Street Journal, and will lead the fellowship’s editorial vision while mentoring both senior and junior fellows.
Dr. Jason Murphy, chair of the Journalism and Mass Communication department at AUBG, will join the project as Supervising Faculty. The CIDC will appoint a global advisory committee made up of media experts and analysts to support story selection, development, and placement.
The project aims to strengthen Bulgaria’s democratic development by promoting transparency and accountability through high-quality journalistic projects. Stories produced through the fellowship will target international audiences, helping to attract global attention to Bulgaria’s democratic journey and potential.
The fellowship will support:
- Three Senior Fellows (experienced Bulgarian journalists)
- Ten Junior Fellows (AUBG students)
- Comprehensive training and mentorship for participating fellows on international reporting techniques and global publication strategy
- Production of in-depth journalistic projects for international media outlets
- A robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework.
AUBG President, Dr. Margee Ensign expressed gratitude to the ABF for the award:
“We’re particularly excited about the opportunities this creates for AUBG students to make a global impact,” said Dr Ensign. “Working alongside professional journalists on international stories will provide invaluable real-world experience and career development opportunities for our students.”
Fellows will be selected through a competitive process and the first cohort will be in position in Spring 2025. Applications for Senior Fellow positions will open in November, with student fellow applications to follow.
“This fellowship represents a significant step forward in amplifying Bulgarian voices, perspectives, and stories on the global stage,” said Dr. Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob, CIDC Executive Director.
“By combining the expertise of seasoned journalists with the fresh inputs of AUBG students, we are constructing a unique model for nurturing journalistic excellence while promoting democratic resilience,” added Dr. Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob.
The BIJF is the CIDC’s second fellowship program. It complements the Christo Grozev Fellowship for Courageous Journalism launched during the summer, which aims to foster an empowered, globally connected cohort of investigative journalists equipped to confront disinformation, corruption and other threats to democracy through meticulous, fearless, and ethically grounded journalism.
The America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonpolitical American grant-making foundation working in partnership with Bulgarians to strengthen the country’s private sector and related democratic institutions.
Founded in 2022, the CIDC at AUBG addresses critical challenges at the intersection of information, democracy, and citizenship. Through pioneering initiatives, the CIDC aims to cultivate a global society resilient against mis- and disinformation. Leveraging AUBG’s rich academic resources and its vibrant, diverse community, the CIDC fosters international collaboration making significant contributions to the global discourse on democracy in the digital age.
