Twelve international journalists who have reported on issues ranging from Mexican social concerns to the treatment of Saudi Arabian troops in Afghanistan have been named Nieman Fellows for the 2000-2001 academic year, the Nieman Foundation announced yesterday.

"All of these reporters are making a difference in countries where it is sometimes very difficult to do so," said Bill Kovach, curator for the Nieman Foundation.

Along with the twelve U.S. journalists who were named earlier this month, they will form the 63rd class of Nieman Fellows.

The Nieman Fellowship program, the oldest of its kind, was established in 1938 to allow mid-career journalists who demonstrate accomplishment and promise to study for a year in any part of Harvard.

Stefanie Friedhoff, a German freelance journalist based in Cambridge, said she hopes to enhance her skills as a science writer by taking History of Science classes as a new Nieman Fellow. Friedhoff said she is delighted to have the chance to work in an intercultural environment.

"What I hope to gain is not only connections but also a better understanding of what [scientific discoveries] mean for the reader," she said.

Andreas Harsono, a current international Nieman Fellow from Indonesia, said the experience has enabled him to grow as a journalist.

"Here we learn to be not only a better journalist, but also a better human being," he wrote in an e-mail message. "We learn from Bill Kovach, a senior guru, we learn from Harvard professors, we learn from street musicians, we learn from our colleagues."