April 2017: Paving the way for women journalists

One of the coolest things about our CAMP for me is meeting new women journalists – especially our fellows.

Each year, our fellowship committee selects a group of 10 to 14 women who might not otherwise be able to come to CAMP to receive these grants to attend.

This year we’re honored to add the Betsy Wade Legacy Fund Fellowship to the lineup, honoring the first woman copy editor at The New York Times. Wade and her women co-workers sued the Times in the 1970s for equal pay, and their settlement paved the way for better pay and advancement for the women who came after them.

Over the years we’ve welcomed a great lineup of women as JAWS fellows. I’ve had the honor of serving on our board of directors with many of these accomplished women, including Kira Zalan, Georgia Dawkins, Jessica Rettig, former JAWS president Lauren Whaley, Hilary Powell, Megan Kamerick and President-Elect Yumi Wilson.

And each year, I encourage women journalists I know to apply for a fellowship and get a chance to benefit from the life-changing relationships they’ll make at CAMP.

I hope you encourage women to apply too!

– Sandra Fish