The Tarbell Fellowship is a one-year program for journalists and subject-matter experts interested in covering artificial intelligence

The Tarbell Fellowship is a one-year program for journalists interested in covering artificial intelligence. Fellows participate in a three-month remote training period, including a study group covering AI and journalism fundamentals and a weeklong in-person summit, and then work for nine months in a newsroom. In some cases, the placement can be extended for an additional year.

The Tarbell Fellowship is named in honor of Ida Tarbell who was a pioneering investigative journalist, best known for writing The History of the Standard Oil Company. This seminal series detailed the rise of Standard Oil and exposed its use of unfair and illegal practices, leading to the breakup of its monopoly. Just as Standard Oil operated in complexity that few understood, today’s AI industry operates in technical and policy complexity that can feel impenetrable. We need our generation’s Ida Tarbells to help society understand and navigate the most transformative technology of our time.

We only support fellows interested in covering artificial intelligence, but we don’t dictate which AI topics Tarbell Fellows cover or how they cover them. The specific assignments Tarbell Fellows pursue are up to our partner newsrooms and their editors.

Yes! Many successful candidates already have journalism experience, and those with more than seven years of full-time experience are eligible for positions as Senior Tarbell Fellows. These positions carry a higher stipend and will require an additional time commitment during the 9-week AI Journalism Fundamentals training period to assist with mentorship and workshops.

Yes! Many candidates who have gone on to successful fellowships did not have journalism experience. We will expect you to demonstrate strong AI subject matter expertise and perform well on our writing tests.

The Tarbell Fellowship matches fellows with our partner newsrooms for a nine-month placement as an AI reporter. During the last stage of the application process, Tarbell sets up interviews with news outlets and matches candidates based on their preferences, news organizations’ needs, and the composition of the overall cohort.

Yes. In addition to the in-person summit, you will interact with your cohort multiple times per week during the training period. Fellows will attend interactive learning sessions, speaker events and may also work together on assignments. We intend to foster a culture of collaboration and a thriving community of AI journalists.

A full list of Tarbell’s donors can be found here. Our selection process, and fellows’ editorial work, is entirely independent: donors do not have any involvement in selecting which fellows we fund, and do not review or influence the content, conclusions, or framing of any of the fellows’ stories. You can read more about our commitment to editorial independence here. If you’d like to support our work with a contribution of any amount, you can make a gift here or get in touch.

The fellowship is a 12-month program. Fellows will be selected in March 2027, and participate in the AI Journalism Fundamentals course from June to August, with the in-person summit in mid-August. Most placements will then run from September 2027 through May 2028.

Yes. Salaries for fellows range from $75,000 to $120,000, depending on years of professional experience and the cost of living in the city where your fellowship placement is located.

Salaries for senior fellows range from $115,000 to $135,000, depending on the cost of living in the city where your fellowship placement is located. Senior fellowships are awarded to our fellows with the strongest track records of prior achievement and at least 7 years of professional experience.

Yes, the fellowship is a full-time commitment from June 2027 through May 2028.

The fellowship is hybrid, with a combination of remote aspects and in-person components.

• The AI Journalism Fundamentals training period is conducted remotely and sessions will be held online.
• The Tarbell Summit will be held in person in August 2027. All fellows are expected to attend and we will fully cover travel and accommodation costs. The 2026 and 2025 summits were held in San Francisco.
• As of September 2026, our partner news rooms are based in the following cities: Cambridge, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C. We may add partner newsrooms in additional locations in the coming months. In-person, hybrid, and remote work policies are determined by our partner newsrooms, but we prefer fellows to work in person or hybrid wherever possible.

This fellowship is primarily geared towards applicants with the right to work in our partner newsrooms, which are based in the U.S., the U.K., and Hong Kong. While we aspire to sponsor visas when we can, this is uncommon and requires the approval of our partner outlets.

The summit is an intensive week of guest speakers and in-person workshops, with opportunities to network with professional journalists covering AI and meet experts in the field.

Yes, all travel and accommodation costs will be fully covered.

Most fellows will begin their placements in September 2027. However, we may sometimes accommodate earlier or later start dates in exceptional circumstances.

Applications for the 2027 cohort opened on Sep. 28, 2026 and will close on Nov. 22, 2026.​

All applicants should expect to be informed by the end of December about whether they have progressed to the second stage of the application process.

Fellows will be selected in March, 2027.

Fellows must be at least 18 years or older by the start date of the fellowship, June 7, 2027.

This fellowship is primarily geared towards applicants with the right to work in our partner newsrooms, which are based in the U.S., the U.K., and Hong Kong. While we aspire to sponsor visas when we can, we want to be transparent about the fact that this is uncommon and requires the approval of our partner outlets. 

No. For information on what we look for, see “Who we look for”.

No. Do not use AI to draft any part of your application. We use AI detectors to evaluate applications and will disqualify any applicants whose writing samples are AI-generated.

You may submit between one and three writing samples.

The combined total word count of your writing samples may not exceed 4,500 words.

If you submit a writing sample PDF with a combined total of more than 4,500 words, we will discard your application.

Yes. You can submit unpublished writing samples, provided they are journalistic pieces. In the past, several top candidates have produced writing samples for the purpose of their application, though this is not required.

No. We encourage candidates to submit their strongest work regardless of the topic. That being said, we encourage candidates producing writing samples for the purpose of this application to consider writing about AI or a related topic.

At least one of the writing samples you submit must be written in prose format, such as a news article, blog post, or essay. A script will not fulfill this requirement. However, provided you are submitting at least one prose piece, you may also submit a script as a second or third writing sample.

All applicants are automatically considered for the Senior Fellowship when they apply.

Generally, the applicant must have at least seven years experience relevant to AI or journalism and a track record of excellence, including in journalistic work. Senior fellows are chosen at Tarbell’s discretion.

Professionals with experience in other fields not directly related to AI or journalism may sometimes be considered for the Senior Fellowship if that experience is directly relevant to their placement.