Founder of local reporter directory Shoeleather wins Knight Visiting Nieman fellowship at Harvard

Sarah Baird

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University has named Sarah Baird, the founder of local reporter directory Shoeleather, as one of its 2019 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellows.

The nine fellows, who come from as far away as Istanbul and South Africa, will work at Harvard on projects designed to advance journalism in an innovative way. Baird's project "will explore how to build community and resource-sharing among independent journalists as a means of combating the negative impacts—both local and national—of parachute journalism across the United States," the announcement says. "Her goal is to create a toolkit that will serve the community of freelance journalists working outside of traditional media centers."

Baird, a Kentucky-based freelance journalist, told The Rural Blog that Shoeleather has received an overwhelming response since its launch in November 2018, and that she is "thrilled to have the opportunity to explore new ways of community-building and resource-sharing among independent journalists as a means of combating the negative impacts of parachute journalism, and in turn, provide even more resources for the Shoeleather community."

The fellowship is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.