Barrow named a Nieman Foundation for Journalism Fellow

Bill Barrow, a 2000 journalism graduate and Auburn Plainsman editor from 1999-2000, has been named a 2021-22 fellow by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, a center internationally recognized for its fellowships, publications and programs, has selected 22 Nieman Fellows from across the globe for a year of on-campus study. The journalists will focus their work on some of the most urgent issues facing the industry, ranging from racial justice to disinformation.

Bill Barrow is currently is a national political reporter based in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Associated Press. For his fellowship, Barrow will examine the intersection of movement and party politics in the U.S., focusing on the institutional structures and prevailing social dynamics that are reshaping Democratic and Republican alliances in the early 21st century.

The fellows forming the Nieman class of 2022 will begin their two semesters of studies this fall. They represent 10 countries, including the U.S., and the spectrum of media from young digital newsrooms to legacy newspapers. Their work has centered on areas of vital importance to journalism, from trust and far-right movements to innovations in audience growth and virtual reality. They cover politics, technology, race and child welfare, and work as investigative reporters, podcasters and data specialists. The class is especially rich in visual journalism expertise and includes photo and graphics editors, video producers, photographers and documentary filmmakers.

“Many of these journalists and the countries and communities they serve have faced historic challenges over the past year,” said Ann Marie Lipinski, Nieman Foundation curator. “They have much to teach and learn from each other and to offer and gain from Harvard. I am inspired by their commitment to sharpening journalism as a tool for revealing and bettering the world and can’t wait to welcome them to Cambridge.”