The Vineyard Gazette, an award-winning newspaper based on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, is seeking applications from journalists with expertise in data visualization for a six-week fellowship on the Vineyard during the spring of 2017. 

The Martha's Vineyard Fellowship for Innovation in Journalism, created in association with the Noepe Center for the Literary Arts, will select a fellow who will work with reporters, editors and the Gazette's webmaster in the Vineyard Gazette newsroom on a specific project that draws on publicly available data sources to create a dynamic news page.  Once you are ready, click here to apply.

Goal of the Fellowship

The Gazette has created the fellowship to promote experimentation and to cultivate the use of technology and multimedia in a traditional newsroom setting. Now in its second year, the fellowship is designed to give the fellow the experience of working in a small community newsroom while introducing the newspaper staff to new ideas and skills. We are seeking a mature person interested in experiencing beautiful Martha’s Vineyard in the off-season, the desire to work as part of a newsroom team and the ability and skills to help produce compelling journalism.

Dates of the Fellowship

The fellowship is for the specific six-week period beginning Saturday, April 15, 2017 and ending Saturday, May 27, 2017. 

Eligible applicants must:·      

• Have at least three (3) years of experience in a professional journalism setting, or a combination of journalism training and experience.
• Have demonstrated skills in web design and data visualization. A degree or experience in computer science and an understanding of php and javascript is strongly preferred.
• Submit a full application, which includes (1) a letter of interest; (2) a current resume; (3) two references (one professional; one personal); and (4) not more than three representative samples of relevant work.
• A nonrefundable application fee of $25 must accompany all applications.
• Deadline for applications is February 15, 2017.

Letter of Interest Requirements

Applications must be accompanied by a letter of interest that:

• Explains your interest in the fellowship and the specific data visualization skills and experience you would bring to it.
• Describes what you hope to gain personally and professionally from the fellowship;  and
• Addresses your ability to work in a team setting, with examples of how you have worked collaboratively in the past.

Fellowship Terms:

The fellowship includes housing plus a stipend of $500 per week for the six-week term. The fellow will be provided with a private room and bath in the Noepe Center for the Literary Arts, a restored historic inn in Edgartown that serves as a residence for up to nine writers at a time. The fellow will be responsible for his/her own meals; the Noepe Center has a professionally- equipped, shared kitchen.

The fellow will be responsible for his/her own transportation to and from the Island. Access to a car for use while on the Island is required.

The fellow will work out of the newsroom at the Vineyard Gazette, located a short walk from the Noepe Center. The fellow will be expected to suspend major work on other projects for the duration of the fellowship.

If currently employed with another journalism organization, applicants may be asked to provide a letter from their employer confirming their understanding of the arrangement.

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About the Vineyard Gazette

The Vineyard Gazette (vineyardgazette.com) is an independently owned newspaper committed to excellence in community journalism. Founded in 1846, the weekly newspaper maintains a traditional print format — an oversized black-and-white broadsheet – and continues to be printed in the newspaper’s historic headquarters in downtown Edgartown.  Part of the Vineyard Gazette Media Group, which also publishes Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, the Vineyard Gazette also maintains an active digital media presence and is committed to innovation across platforms.

About the Noepe Center

The Noepe Center  (noepecenter.org) is a nonprofit organization seeking to advance the literary arts on Martha’s Vineyard. The center’s mission is to provide established and emerging writers with time and space to create, and the resources and community to support, encourage and inspire writers at all stages of their writing career. The name for the center (pronounced No-EH-pay) comes from the Wampanoag name for Martha’s Vineyard, which means land between the currents.

About Martha’s Vineyard

The island of Martha’s Vineyard is situated seven miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Ferries operate year-round from Woods Hole on Cape Cod to the main port of Vineyard Haven. The Island population, divided among six distinct towns, fluctuates from about 17,000 people in the winter to more than 100,000 in the busy summer season. Traditional pursuits of fishing and farming began to fade some years ago but are seeing a rebound through micro-movements devoted to sustainable living. Tourism remains a key driver of the economy.