Nieman Foundation Curator Robert Giles To Retire

UPDATED 11:49 P.M.

Robert H. Giles, who has spent the last 10 years as curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, will retire at the end of the academic year.

Giles, whose career in print journalism spanned more than 50 years, served as a mentor to the members of the Nieman Fellowship Program—a mid-career, year-long program at the Foundation that invites at least 12 domestic and 12 international journalists each year.

“Under Bob’s leadership, the Nieman Foundation has responded effectively to a rapidly changing media landscape by creating new programs that helped fellows and other practicing journalists understand their changing roles,” said University Provost Steven E. Hyman in a released statement.

Under Giles, the Nieman Foundation started the Nieman Journalism Lab to gauge how journalism can survive in the age of the Internet. Two years since its launch, the site has received more than 2.4 million page views.

“I will miss the opportunity to help lead the Foundation in a way that continues to make it a vital resource for journalists everywhere—not just the Fellows—who use our website,” Giles said.

Reflecting on his time at Harvard, Giles said that he will miss the “intellectual spirit” of the University and the “openness that is such a character quality of Harvard.”

“The most important thing about the Nieman Foundation is what Harvard is able to offer the fellows,” Giles added. “It’s the opportunity to learn. I

believe that journalists need to continue to learn about the very complicated subjects that they are reporting on.”

Giles, 77, said he is in good health and was able to set the terms of his retirement with the University.

According to a press release, Hyman will lead the search for a new Nieman curator.

Upon leaving his post, Giles said he will likely do what most Nieman Fellows do—“take courses at Harvard, go to lectures and concerts, read.”

He also said his future will continue to involve journalism.

“I’m a journalist in my soul, and I hope that I’m not through with journalism,” Giles said. “I hope that there will be some opportunities for me to stay connected with journalism through the coming years.”

This July, Giles spoke out on behalf of an incoming Nieman Fellow who was denied a visa to study in the United States.

The issue garnered the attention of national media, and with the support of the Foundation and several journalism organizations throughout the country, the Nieman Fellow—Colombian investigative journalist Hollman Morris Rincon—was able to secure a visa for entry and participate in the 2010-2011 Nieman class.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.