Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation Announce AFPP Fellow

The AFPP fellowships bring journalists from around the world to the U.S. for a six month program which includes training at the Missouri School of Journalism as well as working on the staff of a major newsroom.

Gulam Jeelani comes here from the main office of the Hindustan Times in New Delhi, India.

As part of the national news team, he covers politics, development and socio-economic issues such as housing for the poor. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in mass communication at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh, where Frank F. Islam and Debbie Driesman are also benefactors.

Frank Islam states, “We decided to support the AFPP fellowship because as immigrants to the United States we realize what a critical role the free press plays in this great democracy and what a contribution journalists make to advancing the cause of a free society. We chose Gulam, from my motherland of India, to be our fellow because his background indicates that he has the interests and capabilities to refine his craft here and to make an even bigger impact on the Indian democracy when he returns home.”

“I am truly honored to be the Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Fellow for 2018,” Jelani says. “It will enable me to gain a first-hand understanding and expertise in the ways of American journalism. I will use that to enhance my reporting in India and to share what I have learned with my colleagues at the Hindustan Times.”

Six other journalists from countries such as Ukraine, Sudan, Jordan and Mexico will be joining Jeelani in the AFPP program this year. In addition, six journalists from Macedonia will participate in a shortened version of the program.

“We are pleased to be associated with the incredibly important work of Alfred Friendly Press Partners,” adds Frank Islam. “Freedom of the press requires constant vigilance and care. It’s a precious gift given to us by previous generations. It must be nurtured and sustained both in our country and throughout the world.”

The AFPP fellowships carry on the legacy of Alfred Friendly and his desire for greater international understanding and cooperation. He was managing editor of the Washington Post.

Friendly was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the 1967 Arab-Israeli Six Day War for the Post. His reporting about the war included eyewitness accounts and revealed Soviet military participation in the conflict.

This marks AFPP’s 34th year and 2018 is the 50th anniversary of Friendly’s receipt of the Pulitzer Prize.