Is it legit?
April 27, 2022 5:15 PM Subscribe
I just got an invite to apply to a fellowship program. I've never gotten one before, and although, when I click on all of the links, it goes to the named journalism school, I don't know why or why now.
Do these kind of letters go out as part of a mass mailing marketing push, or are real people behind them? And if they are legitimate, is it as simple as asking the contact, why me? I've been in this field for decades. Don't these programs target students or people with not many years of experience?
Do these kind of letters go out as part of a mass mailing marketing push, or are real people behind them? And if they are legitimate, is it as simple as asking the contact, why me? I've been in this field for decades. Don't these programs target students or people with not many years of experience?
I have no experience in the field of journalism and you only share minimal details, but your post made me immediately think of this NY Times article about a mysterious scam targeting Indian, women journalists.
posted by brookeb at 9:02 PM on April 27, 2022
posted by brookeb at 9:02 PM on April 27, 2022
If you didn't apply for the fellowship, you should be skeptical.
I once received an email that I had been accepted to a graduate school followed by several emails from actual faculty welcoming me to the program, some of them even referencing work I had done. Coincidentally, I was in the process of applying to several schools, but I hadn't applied to that school. It turns out, someone with the same name and a gmail address that only differed by one letter had applied. Not only did someone in admissions get the email address wrong, but several professors had lazily googled the name before writing and found details about my background instead of this other person.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:44 AM on April 28, 2022
I once received an email that I had been accepted to a graduate school followed by several emails from actual faculty welcoming me to the program, some of them even referencing work I had done. Coincidentally, I was in the process of applying to several schools, but I hadn't applied to that school. It turns out, someone with the same name and a gmail address that only differed by one letter had applied. Not only did someone in admissions get the email address wrong, but several professors had lazily googled the name before writing and found details about my background instead of this other person.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:44 AM on April 28, 2022
Yes, red flags! Google Nidhi Razdan for an example of a senior journalist getting very publically hoodwinked.
posted by athirstforsalt at 8:49 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by athirstforsalt at 8:49 AM on April 28, 2022
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But I didn't expect any of them to invite people by name.
posted by NotLost at 8:20 PM on April 27, 2022