Knight-Wallace Fellowships are awarded to reporters, editors, photographers, producers, editorial writers and cartoonists, with at least five years of full-time, professional experience in the news media.
International travel is an important part of the fellowship, with annual trips to Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey.
The founding director was Ben L. Yablonky[3] (1910–1991),[4] a labor activist and University of Michigan journalism professor (as well as a former Nieman Fellow).
[7] In 1980, Graham B. Hovey (1916–2010),[8] a former New York Times journalist, succeeded Jablonky as program director,[9] serving until 1986.
In 1984, Eisendrath joined a committee (led by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation) to increase the program's endowment, which was gradually losing its NEH support under the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
[16] Eisendrath also recruited the assistance of renowned journalist (and University of Michigan alumnus) Mike Wallace, who became an active proponent of and financial donor to the program.
[17] Mike Wallace provided $1 million in matching funds,[18] and the program was renamed the Knight-Wallace Fellowship.
[21] A search committee led by journalist Ken Auletta and University of Michigan Engineering professor Thomas Zurbuchen selected his replacement.
[citation needed] The program began traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2000,[17] and added a component in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2009.
[26] Current Knight-Wallace board members include Jill Abramson, Jeff Fager, Charles Gibson (1974), Clarence Page, and Michele Norris.