GPSW alum and BuzzFeed News staff reporter Zahra Hirji was named a 2018 Ida B. Wells Fellow. Dedicated to promoting diversity in journalism by helping to create a pipeline of investigative reporters of color, the Ida B. Wells Fellowship provides select mid-career journalists of color with $12,000 plus funds to cover travel and out-of-pocket costs to report on hard-hitting investigative stories. Fellows also receive intensive editorial feedback, legal counsel, research resources, assistance with story placement and publicity, and mentoring along with admission to a customized data boot camp through the National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting and admission to the Investigative Reporters & Editors conference.

Zahra Hirji is a staff reporter at BuzzFeed News who covers energy and climate change. She will spend her fellowship reporting on worker safety and discrimination.