NPF Names 15 Journalists for Widening the Pipeline 2026 Class
Journalists of Color Come Together for Year-Long Fellowship
Updated Fri Jan 02, 2026

The National Press Foundation is pleased to welcome 15 journalists from across the country to its 2026 Widening the Pipeline Fellowship, designed to support journalists of color staying in – and leading – the newsrooms of tomorrow.

These talented journalists represent local, national, public media and non-profit news outlets and bring with them a wealth of experiences.

Widening the Pipeline was established to address the ongoing challenge of diversifying American newsrooms. Journalists of color comprise less than 25% of newsroom staff, and their percentage in leadership roles is even smaller.

This cohort of Widening the Pipeline fellows will follow in the footsteps of the 2025, 2024 and 2022-2023 classes in traveling to Washington, D.C., for two in-person trainings and participating in monthly virtual sessions.

After online orientation in January, the new class of Widening the Pipeline fellows will travel to Washington, D.C., in March 2026 for in-person training and to attend the National Press Foundation’s Annual Journalism Awards Dinner. In monthly virtual sessions, the fellows will hear from a range of speakers who will provide insights and guidance about how to strengthen their skills, navigate their career paths and benefit from peer and mentoring support. The journalists will be matched with experienced journalism mentors who will serve as advisers during the year-long program.

If you would like to be a mentor to one of these incredible journalists, please contact program lead Rachel Jones rjones@nationalpress.org.

The 2026 Widening the Pipeline fellows are: 

Marion Apio | City Pride Magazine | California

Alexia Aston | The Oklahoman | Oklahoma

Paris Barraza | USA Today Network | California

Auzzy Byrdsell | Boston Globe | Massachusetts

Mia Casas | KUNM-FM | New Mexico

Subhanjana Das | Sahan Journal | Minnesota

Anissa Durham | Word In Black | Arizona

Nick El Hajj | Des Moines Register | Iowa

Simeon Gates | Mississippi Today | Mississippi

Shaniece Holmes Brown | Hearst Connecticut Media Group | Connecticut

Kyeland Jackson | Minnesota Star Tribune | Minnesota

Nadia Lathan | CalMatters | California

Mia Maldonado | Oregon Capital Chronicle | Oregon

Alex Nguyen | The Texas Tribune | Texas

Jalen Williams | Detroit Free Press | Michigan

This fellowship is funded in part by the John C. and Ethel C. Eklund Scholarship Fund. NPF is solely responsible for the content.
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