The Markle Foundation is committing $1 million for two years to establish the Markle Fellows program in conjunction with the New America Foundation. The program will support writers doing work on information technology and society issues.

John Simons, who was most recently the technology policy reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and David Friedman, an economics writer, commentator and attorney, are the first two fellows. Simons began his one-year term on Jan. 3, and Friedman begins his one-year term on March 1.

The Markle grant will support four fellows in the first year and five in the second. The Markle Fellows are part of the fellowship program operated by the New America Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute based in Washington, D.C.

We are delighted to be able to create an environment in which the next generation of thought-leaders can do focused thinking, writing and analysis about the pressing issues surrounding information technology and society, says Zoe Baird, president of the Markle Foundation.

The Markle Foundation is a private nonprofit established in 1927 and has focused on communications media. Since 1998 the foundation has used its resources to ensuring that emerging technologies improve people's lives and on promoting the development of communications industries that meet public needs.