PAW Updates: A New Fellow, Partner, and Publishing Schedule
With the start of the academic year, PAW welcomes not only a new reporting fellow, but also a new partner.
Ngan Chiem ’23 joins the staff as the third young alum to serve in the yearlong fellowship, and we are pleased the Program in Journalism will sponsor what is now the JRN x PAW Reporting Fellowship.
This partnership not only secures the fellowship’s future, but also creates a direct pathway for journalism students to gain experience with PAW as freelance writers and reporting fellows.
It is exactly the kind of professional pipeline that Eliza Griswold ’95 has sought to expand since becoming director of the Program in Journalism in August 2024.
In that time, the number of students graduating with a journalism minor has doubled, reaching 24 this spring, while opportunities for those students have expanded as well. Griswold launched a mentorship program that allows students to work as research assistants for former Ferris Professors — accomplished journalists who spend a semester in residence at Princeton — and established internships with several organizations, including nonprofit newsrooms in New Jersey.
It’s a win-win: A project by Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News last year ranked New Jersey 49th in the country for journalists per capita, but now Princeton students are helping to fill the gap.
Likewise, the JRN-PAW partnership is a natural fit for both organizations, and we hope you’ll see more journalism students contributing to PAW in the future.
“There is tremendous energy and enthusiasm among our students who would like to study journalism,” Griswold said. “What’s really exciting is that we can take their talent and enthusiasm into the world to meet some of the great challenges and needs facing journalism in our time.”
Ngan (“Non,” or “Ngân”) did not minor in journalism, but she attended the Princeton Summer Journalism Program (SJP) as a high school student from Pennsauken, New Jersey, served as SJP coordinator in 2020, and worked for The Daily Princetonian throughout her undergraduate studies.
Born in Sóc Trăng, Vietnam, Ngan majored in politics and earned a certificate in creative writing. Before joining PAW, she worked as program coordinator for the Princeton in Africa fellowship.
“Writing has always been on my mind, and I wanted to return to that craft as a working professional,” she said. “Not only as a student and alumna, but also as a former affiliate staff member, I have a nuanced understanding of Princeton.
“I’m hoping to write stories that resonate with my cohort, younger graduates of Princeton. I want to make PAW something they see ownership in.”
There is also news about a change to our publishing schedule. Beginning with this academic year, PAW will publish 10 print issues (plus a Reunions guide) instead of 11 by combining the January and February issues into a single edition that will arrive in mailboxes in mid-January.
The change comes in response to ongoing budget reductions from the University and rising production costs. While reducing the number of print issues was a difficult decision, we are confident this step will keep PAW on solid footing for the foreseeable future.
Even with one fewer issue, our commitment remains the same. We will continue to cover the University, campus life, and the alumni community with the same energy and ambition, including more articles online between issues. You can visit paw.princeton.edu or check out our email newsletters to keep up with our ongoing coverage.
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