2018 Fellows
Albin Aghamn: Reporter and editor at Sveriges Television (SVT), Sweden’s national public broadcaster in Stockholm, Sweden. Previously a journalist writing for Eskilstuna-Kuriren in the town of Eskilstuna from 2015 to 2016. Traveled extensively, including most recently to Albania and Turkey. Received a degree in social work from Linnaeus University and a degree in journalism from Stockholm University. Special interests: international affairs, US diplomacy, great power politics, and sports.
Aleksander Gurgul: News editor and journalist at the renowned Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza in Kraków since 2014. Previously a freelance journalist for the weekly magazine Tygodnik Powszechny, and earlier a news editor intern at the Lech Wałęsa Institute and intern at the Polish consulate in New York. Double master’s degree in journalism and American studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków; also studied journalism and social communication at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. Background as a reporter on the environment, architecture, urbanism, and social issues. Special interests: American national parks and nature conservation, the forestry industry and its environmental effects, and social and political life in America’s small towns.
Leo Mirani: News Editor of the Economist magazine in London since 2015. Previously tech reporter for the Quartz business news site, and earlier intern and reporter for the Economist in 2011-2012. Three-country master’s degree from Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK in 2010, with a background as a movie, cultural, and social reporter in his native Mumbai, where he also studied journalism and worked for the French news agency AFP. Special interest: America outside the big cities.
Frida Wallnor: Editorial writer at well-known Swedish business daily Dagens Industri in Stockholm since 2016, mostly covering international affairs and security policy. Previously global political analyst at the Japanese investment bank Nomura International in London and Swedbank Robur Asset Management in Stockholm. Background in the Swedish armed forces, with a master’s degree in political sciences which included six months at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC. Special interests: US security policy and the future of the Democratic party.
Stephanie Zakrisson: Producer and reporter at Sveriges Radio, Sweden’s public broadcaster. Produced in-depth international affairs show “Konflikt” since 2017. Reported extensively from the United Kingdom on Brexit, the future of the Northern Irish Peace Agreement, and the debate around abortion. Covered the Middle East as a stand-in correspondent in Cairo and Istanbul. Previously worked at Sweden’s TV4 News. Studied Middle East politics. Special interests: women’s rights, LGBT issues, as well as foreign policy.
2017 Fellows
Mareike Aden: Hamburg-based television, radio, and online reporter for German public broadcasting (NDR/ARD), with a focus on national and international politics. In 2016 covered the Brexit referendum and its aftermath in ARD’s London bureau, and reported on the U.S. election campaign from Florida while on an Arthur F. Burns Fellowship. From 2007 to 2014, Moscow-based correspondent for German media, covering Russia and other CIS countries. Reported extensively from Ukraine, covering the Maidan Revolution and the annexation of Crimea. Special interests: future of U.S. relations with the EU and Russia; politics in the U.S. Midwest and the Rust Belt, where voters played a vital role in President Donald J. Trump’s electoral victory; research into why Trump enjoyed such wide support in this region, and the degree of satisfaction among his voters in the early stages of his presidency.
Carina Bergfeldt: US correspondent for Swedish Television, based in Washington DC, since 2016. Previously Stockholm-based global correspondent and columnist for Aftonbladet, Sweden’s biggest newspaper, covering conflicts and disasters around the world, including the Boston Marathon bombing, threats to children in Afghanistan, and sexual violence in Burundi. Awarded the Great Journalism Award in the category “Storyteller of the Year” for her coverage of the massacre on Utøya, Norway, in 2011. Aims to study and perfect TV techniques.
Lidia Catalano: Multimedia journalist for Turin-based Italian daily newspaper, La Stampa, covering national and international issues such as education, migration, gender equality, the labor market and unemployment. Studied Communication and Journalism at the University of Turin, graduating in 2009. During Turin Olympic Winter Games in 2006 managed relations with national and international media outlets. Recently awarded the Igor Man prize of excellence in journalism for a report on the 60th anniversary of the mining tragedy at Marcinelle in Belgium in 1956. Special interests: social impact of the growth of alternative work arrangements (the “gig economy”), involving temporary, on-call, and contract workers, and independent contractors or freelancers.
Lukasz Dulniak: Warsaw-based social media and new projects manager at TVN24, the leading news channel in Poland, responsible for a network of over 70 social media channels. Sociology degree from University of Warsaw; now a PhD candidate researching the effects of web analytics on journalism. Editor of Global Dialogue magazine and digital journalism teacher. Special interests: the role of local media in American communities and transforming business models.
Thomas Frostberg: Senior business columnist for the major regional newspapers Sydsvenskan Dagbladet and Helsingborgs Dagblad, and 8till5.se (a B2B news site). Based in Malmö in Southern Sweden and also editor of the global development desk at Sweden’s largest national morning paper, the Stockholm-based Dagens Nyheter. Studied political science at Lund University and is active in volunteering at both local and international level. Special interests: with his knowledge and understanding of several different sectors (business, politics, and civil society) he has progressively focused his business reporting on such areas as sustainability, social entrepreneurship, social innovation, philanthropy, and impact investing.
Tonya Ruseva: International News Editor and anchor of prime time news for Bulgarian National Television. A journalist since 1999, she specializes in international news and has covered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency in Bulgaria. Graduated from Shumen University in Bulgaria with bachelor degrees in English philology and economics. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in international relations and security at Sofia University. Interests: to explore how different layers of American society are experiencing the Trump Administration, American social dynamics and political polarization, and US-European relations.
2016 Fellows
Nivette Dawod: Foreign news reporter at the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet, where she has worked since 2010. First foreign correspondent trainee at Swedish Radio, Sweden’s national public radio corporation, in 2015. Previously reporter for the local newspaper Jönköpings-Posten; reporter and editor for the former Swedish magazine Gringo. Started freelancing while attending Malmö University. Special interests: U.S. politics, with a focus on the “undecideds”, including what kind of world leader they seek, especially for foreign policy toward the Middle East and Europe. An Arabic speaker, with a Lebanese and Syrian background, she is particularly interested in the Middle East.
Joanna Skrzypiec: Warsaw-based radio and TV journalist specializing in foreign affairs and the global economy. Host of two shows on Wirtualna Polska Group, Poland’s largest Internet platform, conducting interviews with politicians and current affairs experts. Has hosted news bulletins and conducted foreign affairs interviews for TVN24 Business and World Television. As a member of the Polish Radio 1 foreign desk, spent several years covering the EU and the post-Soviet states, and also reported on ethnic minorities for Polish Television. Special interests: international relations and conflicts, security (particularly terrorism and cyber-terrorism) and human rights; U.S. relations with Europe (especially Poland), Russia, Iran and China; American domestic politics; and U.S. policy toward new Pacific and Atlantic trade agreements.
Bálint Ablonczy: Head of domestic and foreign political news for Heti Válasz, Hungary’s second largest weekly; editor-in-chief of Kommentár, a bimonthly review of history, culture and public affairs. Previously deputy-editor, then editor of domestic affairs, for Heti Válasz. Has written extensively on Hungarian politics and EU and foreign affairs; regular guest commentator on national TV and radio political programs. Won the Junior Príma prize (press category) in 2010. Special interests: relations between the U.S. and Europe, especially Central European countries; the place of faith and religion in America’s public life; and current trends in civil society.
2015 Fellows
Erika Bjerström: Widely-travelled, award-winning Swedish journalist and author; U.S. Correspondent in Washington DC for Swedish National Television, for which she has been a foreign correspondent, anchor, editor, and commentator since 1997. Previously science correspondent and senior news editor for Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s largest morning daily, and science correspondent for Swedish Broadcasting national news. Written books on Africa, the European Union, and European environmental politics; one of Sweden’s most popular speakers on African affairs, globalization, the EU, and climate change. Reported from about 90 countries around the world, including the whole of Europe. Special interest: her book, The New Africa, published in English in 2015 by South Africa University Press.
Daniel Persson: Investigative journalist for the local newspaper Kristianstadsbladet in Malmö, Sweden. Worked for numerous Swedish publications, including the national newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, and TT, the Swedish News Agency. Since 1999, has reported on everything from politics and crime to international sports and economics. Covered five Grand Slam tennis tournaments in Melbourne, Australia, and reported on court cases in Sweden and abroad. Special interests: the influence of the American labor movement in the 21st century, U.S. consumerism and how it affects the everyday lives of Americans.
Ann-Sofie Dahl: Copenhagen-based columnist and regular contributor to two leading Swedish newspapers, Svenska Dagbladet and Sydsvenska Dagbladet, and Børsen, Denmark’s leading financial daily. Frequently contributes to journals and magazines such as Neo and Axess in Stockholm and the prominent Danish daily Berlingske. A defense and international security expert, senior research fellow at the Center for Military Studies (CMS) in Copenhagen and adjunct fellow at CSIS. Co-founder of the Center for Political Studies, a Copenhagen think tank, has written several books on foreign and security policy; also consultancy work. Special interests: the future of U.S.-European relations, and the views of Americans outside Washington on the transatlantic alliance.
Romina Spina: Swiss-Italian journalist based in Italy, covering politics and business for the renowned Swiss daily newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Has also written for magazines, websites and international wire services, including the Associated Press; contributes to German academic publications. Special interests: the economy, globalization, international trade, human rights, and how the globalized economy affects ordinary Americans and their families.
Matthias Kolb: Reporter and a managing editor of the politics section for Süddeutsche.de, the news website of the Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading national newspapers. Writes about foreign policy, with a special focus on U.S. politics. After graduating from the Deutsche Journalistenschule (German Journalists School) and the University of Munich in 2006, he worked as a freelance reporter for Süddeutsche.de, the Berlin daily Berliner Zeitung, and the public broadcasting stations Deutschlandfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk. Special interests: the effects of new information technologies on the American media and society in general; the monitoring programs of U.S. intelligence agencies; and political, economic, and social trends in America.
2014 Fellows
Simon Book: Reporter for Handelsblatt, the largest business daily in Germany. Previously a news editor with the Financial Times Deutschland. Hugo Junkers prize for aviation journalism, November 2011. From October 2009 to October, 2011, FAZIT-Fellow with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Special interests: political, economic and social divisions in the United States.
Martin Brusewitz: Swedish freelance reporter based in Malmö; has worked for Sydsvenska Dagbladet, City Malmö, Expressen, Göteborgsposten, RES, Selamta, Republic Service, Konstvärlden, Lira, and Karavan. Has reported from a wide range of countries, including Ethiopia, Panama, Ghana, Australia, and Madagascar. Special interests: homelessness, American Muslims, education, social welfare, politics and the economy.
Therese Larsson Hultin: Chief foreign analyst at Svenska Dagbladet, one of Sweden’s top daily newspapers. Has been business news anchor on Sveriges Television; current affairs host on Sveriges Radio; presenter on the Sveriges Radio program “P1-Morgon,” the most popular broadcast show in Sweden; Berlin Correspondent for Focus Magazine; and host of a weekly Sunday show on TV8, “E24 Weekend med Therese Larsson.” Special interests: future of the Republican and Democratic parties, role of religion in American life, U.S. foreign policy, and the changing role of NATO.
Laurent Sierro: Journalist for the Swiss National News Agency (ATS), covering Swiss foreign policy and broader international news. Has covered several French presidential elections, and reported from the Middle East, Africa, and Ukraine among other international assignments. Previously a Swiss correspondent for the French weekly Courrier International; member of the Swiss Federation of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists. Special interests: evolution of federalism in the U.S. and the way Americans identify themselves at state level — including, for example, factors behind the recent rise of the Tea Party.
2013 Fellows
Alessia Cerantola: Journalist from the Venice region, contributing to the Italian daily newspaper Il Gazzettino and the weekly magazine Internazionale; blog writer for the national investigative newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano. Since 2010 her reports from Italy, Japan and South Korea have been published by newspapers and magazines including la Repubblica, Il Sole 24 Ore, Vanity Fair, the Italian news agency ANSA, and the European Journalism Centre Magazine; her videos have appeared on SkyTG24. Winner of five national awards and special mentions. Special interests: socio-economic structure of Japanese and Korean-American communities in the United States and how these communities have been affected by the economic crisis since 2008.
Matilda E. Hanson: News editor at Svenska Dagbladet, one of Sweden’s top daily newspapers. Previously covered EU politics at Sydsvenska Dagbladet; also worked for Sveriges Radio and Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s largest daily newspaper. Special interests: social and cultural differences between the United States and Sweden, journalism and mobile technology, and the American style of investigative journalism.
Jan Latala: Online editor at Gazeta Krakowska, a Polish daily in the Krakow region. Has worked with Internet news media since 2000 – first at a leading Polish website, Onet.pl, then at RMF FM, Poland’s most popular radio station. Special interests: impact of the Internet on local media and whether Internet-based media can fulfill all the functions of traditional journalism; U.S. foreign and global security policies, and how far their formation is influenced by the views of ordinary Americans.
Eradzh Nidoev: Producer for the first fully independent, liberal Russian TV channel, Dozhd (TVRain), and freelance reporter for the English language newspaper The Moscow Times. In December 2011, part of a team covering political demonstrations against the Russian legislative election process. Previously a sports writer at Russia Today; graduate of the Journalism School at Moscow State University. PhD in American media digital strategies. Special interests: digital and electronic journalism and the American style of investigative reporting.
Malin Olofsson: Reporter for Sveriges Radio, Sweden’s national radio network, focusing on the environment, climate change, and sustainability. Has won numerous national awards, including “The Great Journalism Prize of Sweden – 2011.” Listed in 2011 as one of the 100 most important people in Sweden in the discussion of environmental issues and the food debate. Special interests: effects of moves toward a more sustainable society on American transportation, with particular focus on the oil debate.
Simon Kruse Rasmussen: Moscow Correspondent of the leading Danish daily Berlingske, covering Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Has reported on Russia and Eastern Europe since 2004, previously with the DR-Danish Broadcasting Corporation, and as a freelance journalist for a range of Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and German media. Journalist Fellow with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, 2012. Studied at the European University in Saint Petersburg, the University of Aarhus, and the Danish School of Journalism. Special Interests: U.S.-Russian relations and the American approach to foreign reporting.
2012 Fellows
Catalina Arévalo: Reporter in the environmental department of Agencia EFE, the leading Spanish language news agency and fourth largest news agency in the world. Special interests: climate change, energy, water, sustainable diversity, “green” jobs, biodiversity; U.S. political, sociocultural, economic, and environmental topics.
Annika Berge: Reporter for Sweden’s largest consumer magazine, Råd&Rön. On the fiftieth anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s address to congress on consumer rights, Annika investigated how these rights hold up in a globalized market. Special interests: how the threats of climate change, economic turmoil, and the introduction of new technologies have changed the activities of consumer organizations.
Marianne Björklund: Economic correspondent for Dagens Nyheter, the daily newspaper with the largest circulation in Sweden. Special interests: relations between the United States and China, implications of China’s rise, attitudes of everyday Americans on trade and political issues, and U.S. culture in general.
Thomas Frank: Reporter for Kleine Zeitung, Austria’s second largest daily, the monthly news magazine Datum, and the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. Special interests: democracy in America, race and class in the South, the effects of the economic crisis, U.S. foreign policy, urban renewal, and literary journalism.
Corinna Kreiler: Online news editor at Financial Times Deutschland, with a background in economics. Special interests: how the long arm of the financial sector affects the average American, the impact of the national debt crisis on everyday Americans, issues relating to unemployment.
Cristina Lai Men: Award-winning Lisbon-based senior reporter for TSF Rádio Noticias, Portugal’s leading national news and current affairs radio station. Worked for TSF since 1995, covering social, political, cultural, and foreign affairs. Special interests: social and political issues, including immigrants’ involvement in politics, social responses to unemployment and its effects on families, the elderly, and the retired, and Medicare.
Hans L. Olofsson: Reporter for Norrländska Socialdemokraten and Expressen, the second largest newspaper in Sweden. Native of the mining town of Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city. Special interests: parallels with U.S. mining communities, and lesser-known regions of the United States.
Chris Smyth: Health correspondent at The Times of London. Special interests: changing social attitudes of evangelicals, fragmentation of the news media, and what the health care debate reveals about the nature of American society.
2011 Fellows
Susanna Baltscheffsky: Environmental editor at Svenska Dagbladet, one of Sweden’s top national dailies, since 1995. Special interests: U.S. attitudes to climate change, renewable energy technologies, nature conservation, and environmental research.
Zhanna Bezpiatchuk: Reporter and junior editor at The Ukrainian Week in Kiev. Special interests: the U.S.-Eastern European partnership, energy efficiency and policy, e-government, and cultural organizations that promote the arts both inside and outside government.
Beata Biel: Journalist, documentarian, and TV producer based in Krakow, Poland. Special interests: the future of investigative reporting on U.S. television, the social influence of “eco-celebrities,” and views of contemporary Poland among Polish-American Jews.
Annabel Dillig: Editor and reporter at NEON, a Munich-based monthly magazine aimed at Germans aged between 20 and 35, with nearly one million readers. Special interests: economic and social issues including energy, higher education, obesity, the status of Native Americans, and the working poor.
Laura Dixon: Reporter with The Times of London. Special interests: the changing relationship between the U.S. and its Latino inhabitants, border issues, including community relations, drug policy, and immigration.
Martin Kotynek: Environment editor at Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading daily newspapers, from to 2010 to 2012; later promoted to the be the paper’s page two editor (“topic of the day”). Subsequently an investigative editor at Die Zeit, Germany’s most widely read weekly, based in Berlin; Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, and a judge for the Online News Association’s Online Journalism Awards.
Sonia Mancini: Rome-based reporter at the private TV channel La7 Telecom Italia Media, Italy’s third major network. Reservist in the Italian army and former spokeswoman for the NATO Training Mission-Iraq. Special interests: the management of crises and natural disasters in both the public and the private sectors.
Felix Zeltner: Freelance journalist based in Munich. Researched ethnic influences on U.S. music for the Franco-German ARTE cultural TV channel. Reports appeared on the award-winning blog, Tonspur, (German for soundtrack.) Special interests: immigration, the future of the media, “green tourism,” and America’s economic problems.
2010 Fellows
Andreas Cervenka: Reporter and columnist with Svenska Dagbladet in Stockholm. Special interests: the recession of 2008 and 2009, the impact of new policies on the U.S. economy and the American way of life, the relationship between the states and the federal government.
Mark Doyle: Editor of The World This Week at The Economist in London. Has taught American government at Oxford University. Special interests Americans’ attitudes to politics, including the economy and Obamacare, the effects of social networking on political parties and issues.
Mette Dyrskjøt: Political reporter for Børsen, a financial newspaper based in Copenhagen. Has covered international climate summits in Bangkok, Bonn, Poznan, and Copenhagen. Special interests: climate change, energy, and environmental politics, economics, research and innovation.
Ann-Kathrin Eckardt: Reporter for Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading newspapers. Subsequently moved to NEON magazine. Studied politics in France and Italy and previously worked in Brussels. Has written extensively on politics, foreign affairs, and societal issues. Special interests: America’s growing environmentalism, immigration and the integration of new immigrants, and the U.S. health system.
Josef el Mahdi: Staff reporter for Svenska Dagbladet, one of Sweden’s top daily newspapers, based in Stockholm. Special interests: immigration, the status of Arab-Americans in U.S. society, and new journalistic techniques such as crowd sourcing.
Johanna Petersson: Business reporter for Dagens Nyheter in Stockholm. Special interests: the effects of the federal stimulus package at state level, conditions in rural states compared with large cities, and the role of religion in U.S. society.
Christina Siganidou: Senior editor of European and foreign affairs at ERT3 television in Thessaloníki, Greece, the largest regional channel in Greece and the only one that broadcasts nationally. Special interests: current affairs and foreign policy, environmental, social, and consumer issues.
Dario Thuburn: Business reporter and editor with Agence France-Presse in Paris. Subsequently posted to Rome. Special interests: effects of the economic crisis on ordinary Americans, unemployment, immigration, health care, and American traditions of local reporting.
2009 Fellows
Tomasz Ulanowski: Kraków-based science writer and editor for Gazeta Wyborcza, one of the most influential daily newspapers in Poland. Has written extensively on topics such as rising sea levels, warming temperatures in the Arctic, and reactions to climate change. Special interests: the environment and earth and space science.
Michael Winiarski: Foreign correspondent for Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter. Previously, the newspaper’s Middle East correspondent, he subsequently became Washington correspondent.
2008 Fellows
Ina Krauss: German radio journalist with Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich, one of Germany’s biggest public broadcasting organizations. Wide experience of broadcasting as a reporter and presenter. Special interests: social policy, immigration, American society in general, and U.S. politics.
Evita Neefs: European affairs specialist for the leading Belgian daily De Standaard, which she joined in 1981. Moved from domestic politics desk to foreign desk. Then foreign editor and senior writer on international affairs. Has covered American politics from Belgium since 1996, both for her newspaper and as a radio commentator. Special interests: American politics and U.S.-European relations.