The fellowship recognizes the work of the late Richard S. Holden, a giant in the world of news editing, and his dedication to promoting diversity. Hundreds of professional editors owe their starts to his work at The Wall Street Journal in New York and in Asia for nearly two decades. Then, at the Dow Jones News Fund, Rich spent 22 years engaged in selecting and training hundreds more for internships he arranged in news editing, financial journalism, and digital media. He followed through with his dedication as a mentor and instructor for aspiring journalists of color at summer programs of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Rich was a lifetime member of ACES and a longtime member of the board of the ACES Education Fund, the organization’s fundraising and scholarship arm. He was one of the first industry leaders to join ACES after its inception in 1997 as the American Copy Editors Society. Through its scholarship programs, ACES has helped more than 100 young editors to complete their college studies and advance into the professional ranks of the news industry, corporate and nonprofit editing, academia, book publishing, and other fields.
The ACES Education Fund and the Dow Jones News Fund have agreed to underwrite the initial cohort of Holden Fellows while developing a longer-term funding plan. Individual donors are encouraged to contribute.