ANN ARBOR—The Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship program at the University of Michigan has named 13 American and six international journalists for the academic year 2016-17. This is the 43rd class to receive the fellowships.

“There is a 28-year age span between the fellows in the class of 2017, touching the extremes of what we mean by mid-career fellowship,” said Charles Eisendrath, the program’s director. “But above all, we look for capacity for personal and professional growth regardless of age, and the successful candidates share it equally.”

While on leave from regular duties, Knight-Wallace Fellows pursue customized studies and attend twice-weekly seminars. The program’s headquarters is Wallace House, a gift from the late newsman Mike Wallace and his wife, Mary.

The program at Wallace House includes training in narrative writing and multi-platform journalism. International news tours to Turkey and Brazil are also an integral part of the program.

Knight-Wallace Fellows receive a stipend of $70,000 for the eight-month academic year, plus full tuition and health insurance. The program is entirely funded through endowment gifts by foundations, news organizations and individuals committed to improving the quality of information reaching the public.

Fellows and their study projects are:

Anna Clark, freelance writer, Detroit. Common Good: How chronic underfunding of American cities imperil residents.

Nicholas Deshais, staff writer and city hall reporter, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.). How driving less will change our cities.

Deirdre Falvey, senior features commissioning editor, The Irish Times. Blending oral history and art for long-form journalism.

John Goetz, editor and investigator, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, NDR (Berlin). How racism laid the groundwork for establishing the “new” Germany in the early 1990s.

Sonya Green, news and public affairs director, 91.3 KBCS (Seattle, Wash.). The impact of white privilege on how news is covered.

Leana Hosea, reporter and producer, BBC. Clean water issues in the U.S.: Comparing the African American and Native American experience.

Michael Kessler, freelance writer, (LA Magazine). Media and police bias in missing-persons cases.

Jin Kim, staff writer, The Chosun Ilbo (Seoul). The past, present and future of the global automobile industry.

Arno Kopecky, freelance writer and author, Vancouver, Canada. Re-imagining growth for a finite planet.

Josh Kramer, freelance cartoonist. Creating a style guide for journalistic and nonfiction comics.

Amy Maestas, senior editor, The Durango Herald. The future for hyper-local newspapers.

Brian Mockenhaupt, contributing editor, Outside Magazine. Veterans’ alienation and the struggle to re-assimilate after war.

Bastian Obermayer, deputy head of the investigative unit, Süddeutsche Zeitung (Munich). Understanding the global menace from tax havens.

Gustavo Patu, business reporter, Folha de São Paulo. Tax systems and budgetary processes in developing countries.

Austin Ramzy, Asia correspondent, International New York Times. Myanmar’s dramatic democratization in an increasingly authoritarian Southeast Asia.

Laurent Richard, investigative reporter, Premières Lignes Télévision (Paris). Defeating censorship with collaborative journalism.

Stephen Sawchuk, associate editor, Education Week. How policy contributes to K-12 educational inequality.

Delece Smith-Barrow, reporter, U.S. News & World Report. Why few underrepresented minorities thrive as professors.

Erica Westly, freelance writer and author (Reuters). The history of swimming instruction and drowning prevention.

James Wright, deputy editor for metro and business news, The Las Vegas Review-Journal. How mega-donors in U.S. politics influence U.S. foreign policy.

The selection committee included outgoing Director Charles Eisendrath (KWF alumnus ’75) and incoming Director Lynette Clemetson (KWF alumna ’10), John Costa (KWF alumnus ’93; president, Western Communications; and editor-in-chief, The Bulletin, Bend, Ore.), Ford Fessenden (KWF alumnus ’90; graphics editor, The New York Times), Kate Linebaugh (KWF alumna ’08; reporter, The Wall Street Journal), Bobbi Low (U-M professor), Birgit Rieck (KWF associate director), Carl Simon (U-M professor), Yvonne Simons (KWF alumna ’03; assistant news director at CBS 13, Sacramento, Calif.), and Doug Tribou (KWF alumnus ’16; reporter and producer at “Only a Game,” NPR/WBUR).