The GlobalPost and The Open Hands Initiative picked 17 talented young journalists from Egypt and the U.S. to collaborate on how best to report on a democracy in transition in Egypt. The “Covering a Revolution” Fellows are fully-funded to develop a “Special Report” for the GlobalPost on the impact of the revolution. The Fellows arrived in Egypt on October 10 and hit the ground running.

According to GlobalPost, Merrit Kennedy, a graduate student in human rights law, was swept into helping National Public Radio as a translator and fixer but is now covering the story. Another Fellow, Mohamed Abdelfattah, then a young videographer for Al Ahram online, was accused by police of  ”chanting against Mubarak.”

The fellowship began with a three-day workshop with leading Egyptian political analysts, human rights workers and veteran journalists, who briefed the Fellows and provided them background on field reporting in Cairo and across Egypt. Fellows will be covering events like the emergence of new political parties, the reform of the police force accused of widespread abuses, and the role of the internet and social networking in the revolution.

The Fellows will produce a multi-part series for the GlobalPost as well as a blog, which will document the activities of the team.