Five journalism graduate students from American University School of Communication (AU SOC) are off to Bergen, Norway as part of a new investigative journalism exchange program. “I’m most looking forward to meeting new people and getting an international perspective on investigative journalism,” said Nicole Wiley, one of the SOC participants. 

The Bridging Investigative Journalism (BRIJ) fellowship, initiated by the Nordic Press Center in Washington, D.C., and supported by the Norwegian government, connects SOC and the University of Bergen’s Center for Investigative Journalism (SUJO). Located at the Media City in Bergen, SUJO offers Master’s and an Executive Master’s program in investigative journalism. Since 2020, SUJO has been a part of the Global Investigative Journalism Network. 

The exchange partners students from both universities to learn investigative reporting on the ground with expert guidance from both SUJO and the Investigative Reporting Workshop at SOC. 

Kate Hapgood, a fellow at the Center for Public Integrity and one of the SOC students headed to Bergen, said, “I am looking forward to learning about techniques other countries might use and how we might cooperate.” 

The five students chosen for the program, (see bios below group photo), have been paired with investigative journalism students from the University of Bergen. BRIJ Norwegian students Ingrid Borvik, Elisabeth Teige, Emil Nordpoll, Julian Mellingsæter, and Stian Tonning came to Washington, D.C. for three weeks in October and in addition to attending classes, networking with SOC students and squeezing in some sightseeing, they were also hosted by SOC Dean Leena Jayaswal for a breakfast reception where they were able to mingle with SOC faculty and staff. 

SOC BRIJ Fellows

Alex Angle: Angle is a multimedia journalist with experience reporting, anchoring and producing in Arkansas and Missouri. At KNWA in Northwest Arkansas, Angle worked her way up to become an anchor where she oversaw the news operations on the weekends. She has a passion for reporting on politics and interned with Meet the Press. She has reported on breaking news stories that include an EF-3 tornado that devastated Northwest Arkansas and the trial of reality star Josh Duggar. She led her newsroom’s coverage of a violent arrest that made national headlines.  

Nick Fogleman: Before attending SOC’s journalism Master’s program, Fogelman graduated from College of Charleston where he earned a BA in political science with a minor in philosophy. He specialized in foreign policy, global conflicts and international relations aimed at a wide geographical area of study. He is seeking a career that combines his passion for politics and journalism. Fogelman hopes to use his background in politics to create impactful international reporting. He was a member of the National Political Science Honor Society. His interests have taken him to over 15 countries across five continents and to every state in the continental US. 

Kate Hapgood: Before starting her Master’s of Journalism and Public Affairs at AU, and joining the Center for Public Integrity as a fellow, Hapgood reported on government accountability. As an undergraduate at Boston University, she covered local policing in Newton, Massachusetts for the Boston Globe, developed an immigration and asylum beat at Civil Service World in London, reported on the Massachusetts Statehouse for MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Massachusetts and local government for the Alexandria Times in Virginia. 

Mirika Rayaprolu: Before becoming a graduate journalism student at AU, Rayaprolu was a freelance reporter and a political researcher for Young People for Politics in Mumbai, India. Some of her published work includes reports on the Bombay dock explosion of 1944, a study on female radicalizations by ISIS in the U.K. and an analysis of online fan clubs of the Columbine High School shooters. Her video production work includes Bombay Groove, a documentary on Mumbai’s underground hip-hop scene. Her interests lie in covering reproductive freedom, immigration and workers’ rights. Rayaprolu is originally from Mumbai, moved to Dallas in 2022 and currently resides in Washington. 

Nicole Wiley: Wiley’s MA in Journalism and Public Affairs will be her second degree from AU; she graduated with her BA in International Studies in 2022, receiving an Undergraduate Translation Certificate in German and was awarded the Jack Child Translation Award. Her background in other fields gives her a unique perspective as she works toward becoming an investigative journalist in the national security space. She has interned at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance and two Congressional offices.