Here’s what some of our participants have said about their experiences.
"One of the most valuable insights I’ve had through the Journalist in Residence program is by watching how MBA students at the Booth school - and future business leaders - are trained to evaluate conflicting business imperatives, reflect on questions of ethics and even manage reputational crises. That’s incredibly fascinating to me, as a business journalist, and I hope this will help me better understand decision-making inside the boardroom when I’m covering my next stories."
Tanya Thomas, JIR ’22
“This program is an intensive education in some of the concepts behind stories that we cover daily as journalists. I’m coming away from this experience with knowledge and ideas gleaned from conversations with Nobel Prize–winners and former top policymakers, as well as with some great new friends and colleagues from our cohort of journalists.”
Stephen Carroll, JIR ’19
"Transformational. That would be my answer if somebody would ask me to describe the Journalist in Residence Program at Stigler Center in one word. In 12 weeks of that mid-career program we had an opportunity to assess our past careers and to learn a lot of new knowledge and insights for the future. Having a privilege to study with MBA students under world's top professors at Chicago Booth really sharpens and deepens understanding of current events in the world, prevailing trends and helps anticipate a future."
Blaž Zgaga, JIR ’21
“Luigi taught me a new word, peggiocrazia, the political opposite of meritocracy, based on patronage and favoritism instead. Guy introduced us to cases describing media capture, media bias, and the business of media. I highly recommend the fellowship to any journalist interested in exploring the potential for big business to corrupt politics and, in particular, the media.”
Francine McKenna, JIR ’17
“The Stigler fellowship is a tremendous opportunity for all journalists interested in deepening their studies of the political economy. Participants have access to the best minds on campus through classes they audit, as well as seminars organized especially for the group. I found the program’s flexible format perfect for my needs, giving me both structure and support to take advantage of the university’s resources, and the freedom to pursue my specific interests.”
Jacob Schlesinger, JIR ’18
“I've never participated in a program as uniquely immersive as Stigler - I was not only learning from my professors in classes, but from fellow cohort members, Booth staff, and university experts. I gained a new perspective covering politics and the market forces at work in the government offices that I cover, and also got the rare opportunity to step back from the daily journalism hustle to reassess the way I approach my reporting. Programs like Stigler are essential for working journalists like me to better hold decision makers accountable and explain to our readers how economic policies affect them.”
A.D. Quig, JIR ’22
“There are few professional development experiences like the JIR program. I can’t think of a better way to sharpen your thinking, about whatever aspects of business, finance, and the political economy you cover, than to go deep into foundational economic research and to learn from those shaping the field. Plus, spring in Chicago was a great backdrop for reflecting on my career, discussing the future of journalism, and getting to know my amazing cohort.”
Nicole Torres, JIR ’19
“Spending 12 weeks at the Booth School of Business was a rare and valuable opportunity to delve more deeply into economic and business trends, through top quality graduate courses and exposure to some of the world’s leading business professors. Studying alongside the MBA students was also an opportunity to see first-hand how the next generation of business leaders view the world. I’d strongly recommend the Stigler Journalists in Residence Program to any business, financial or political journalist.”
Adam Creighton, JIR ’19
“The three months I spent here were deeply intellectually stimulating, and offered unique perspectives on some of the biggest problems facing the world today. I learnt just as much from listening to the experiences of my peers, all of whom were highly accomplished journalists from all over the world. This program will doubtless hold me in good stead for the rest of my professional career. I strongly recommend it.”
Saptarishi Dutta, JIR ’19
“The Stigler Centre's JIR program provides a rare and fantastic opportunity for journalists to step out of their newsrooms and learn about the business world from a more on-the-ground perspective...The seminars arranged for the group were also highly stimulating and offered new insights into the media industry and many other interesting fields."
Nian Liu, JIR ’21
“The Stigler Center’s Journalists in Residence Program is a wonderful experience. It offers fascinating insight into economics and business education, and the opportunity to learn from and engage in stimulating debate with both the university’s brilliant faculty and fellow students. It’s also great fun.”
Alexandra Fattal, JIR ’17
“The Stigler Center asks the right questions, and its diverse faculty give a lot of different answers. And believe me, it is an incredible experience to read a book or a paper and just knock on the door of the author to have a conversation about it! I had a great time both on and off campus (Chicago is a breathtaking city), and it opened my mind to a new way of thinking about economy, finance, and politics. I can’t think of a better way to spend 12 weeks of my life.”
Daniel Matamala, JIR ’18
“The Journalists in Residence Program is an excellent fellowship for business journalists. It gave me the opportunity to interact with and learn from some of the best minds in the world of economics and finance. It also gave me a different perspective about the most pressing issues of our times, and changed the way I approach my stories. I had the most amazing time there with my fellow journalists.”
Megha Mandavia, JIR ’18
