The Right Kind of Journalism
Can you imagine having William F. Buckley Jr. as your mentor?
Scores of accomplished writers, from Matthew Continetti and James Panero to Kathryn Jean Lopez and Rich Lowry, can attest to the impact WFB had on their early careers. Bill believed in the importance of engaging young people. He was known to take time out of his busy schedule to teach, challenge, and inspire the next generation of journalists. In his words, “Students must be encouraged to recognize and honor truth and to reject and battle its opposite.”
Likewise, my wife Betsy and I have dedicated much of our lives to helping young people. It is a cause near and dear to our hearts, and why I’m proud to serve as a trustee of National Review Institute, an organization that carries on Buckley’s legacy by making substantive investments in tomorrow’s thought leaders. This giving season, I hope you will join me in supporting NRI’s efforts to engage the next generation.
Through its journalism fellowships for recent college graduates, the Institute provides meaningful opportunities and professional training for aspiring journalists to write for National Review and to learn from the very best in the field — those who persuade readers with hard-hitting intellectual arguments, the Buckley way.
Previous participants in the Institute’s fellowship programs have gone on to successful careers in the media. Some names with which you might be familiar: Jillian Melchior, a former Thomas L. Rhodes fellow (2014–2016), is a writer for The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page and Alexandra DeSanctis, a former WFB fellow in political journalism (2016–2018), was hired by National Review as a staff writer following her term.
At an important time such as this one, it is heartening to know that NRI is doing its part to ensure that Buckley’s legacy of principled conviction, honesty, and courage lives on.
NRI is also launching a new initiative, the WFB Communicators Program, to teach the dying art of civility and diplomatic persuasion to college students in the communication arts. Despite the challenges of 2020, NRI is doubling down on efforts to engage and train young people so they have the tools and intellectual ammunition necessary to perpetuate the case for freedom for years to come.
This giving season, I hope you too will be inspired by Bill Buckley’s legacy and join me in supporting NRI’s efforts to invest in the next generation. All donations are fully tax-deductible and go towards NRI’s educational and outreach programs.
Thank you for supporting this important cause.