M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction alumna Kelly Carr ’06 has received the first ever Spotlight Investigative Journalism Fellowship, an award of up to $100,000 from The Boston Globe for journalists to work on in-depth reporting projects.
“Being named one of the first Spotlight Fellows is a tremendous honor,” Carr said. “It’s humbling to be associated with one of the nation’s top investigative teams. It’s also incredibly inspiring to know what the team accomplished in the past. The history of Spotlight helps us understand what is possible when investigative journalism is supported, deemed necessary, and tackled as a team. I’m inspired to see organizations supporting the necessary work of investigative journalists. I hope more will do so.”
Carr is a freelance investigative reporter. She was a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists team that wrote the influential “Luxembourg Leaks” reports in 2014.
As a recipient, Carr will collaborate with investigative reporters and editors from The Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Spotlight Team, the team of reporters detailed in the Oscar-winning film Spotlight.
“This honor meant that we would almost immediately have a tremendous amount of support and resources to pursue work that we have tackled with virtually no funding,” Carr said. “Instead of working on a freelance island, we were now going to be working our story with some of the country’s smartest investigative reporters. What could be more thrilling than that?”
The fellowship is also sponsored by Open Road Films, Participant Media, and First Look Media, which each played a role in the film’s creation and release.