Farah Stockman of the Boston Globe receives $75,000 Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing

Home > SPJ News > Farah Stockman of the Boston Globe receives $75,000 Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing

8/15/2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8/15/14

Contacts:
Todd Gillman, Pulliam Editorial Fellowship Selection Chairman, (202) 661-8421, tgillman@dallasnews.com
Taylor Carlier, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (317) 920-4785, tcarlier@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — Farah Stockman, a columnist and editorial writer for the Boston Globe, has been awarded the Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing.

Presented by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the educational arm of the Society of Professional Journalists, the fellowship awards $75,000 each year to an outstanding editorial writer or columnist to help broaden his or her journalistic horizons and knowledge of the world. The award can be used to cover the cost of study, research and travel. The fellowship results in editorials and other writings, including books.

Stockman will use the fellowship to explore race relations in her city and beyond. Using Boston’s wrenching experience with busing as a starting point, she plans to look closely at the myriad impacts 40 years later, hoping to spark a national conversation about race relations in America today through stories, columns and a website created to invite ideas on how to navigate the currents.

“I believe the lessons of the past need to be explored, so we can chart a better future,” Stockman wrote in her fellowship application.

The panel of judges for the fellowship included Todd Gillman, Committee Chairman, former Sigma Delta Chi president and Washington Bureau Chief for The Dallas Morning News; Fred Brown, a former SPJ president and longtime Denver Post columnist; Sandra Shea, the editorial page editor for the Philadelphia Daily News and 2012 Pulliam Fellow; and Hugh Bailey, a Connecticut Post columnist and 2013 Pulliam Fellow.

The judges agreed that Stockman was the best choice out of the 46 entries. Bailey even went so far as to say that Stockman was “a clear choice” in a strong field of contenders.

“She's brilliant – a stellar writer and reporter with a deep curiosity,” said Gillman. “Her energy is apparent. We have no doubt that Farah will use this opportunity to offer valuable insights into race relations.”

Apart from the look at Boston’s experience with busing, Stockman plans to examine the way other communities handled school integration, and to offer recommendations for healing old communal wounds.

“Farah has the potential to turn out something quite stunning,” said Brown. "Two things particularly impressed me about her proposal: Her stunning writing ability, and that she wants to propose solutions, not just say what's wrong.”

Click here to learn more about the award and see a list of previous winners.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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