Fazil Khan, image provided by Hechinger. Courtesy Sheridan Wall
HARLEM, N.Y.
A new internship for a data journalism student at Columbia University will honor the legacy of reporter Fazil Khan, who died earlier this year in a Harlem fire.
Khan, 27, was a data journalist for The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit that covers education nationwide. The organization has launched a fund to raise money for an internship for a student who wants to follow in Khan’s footsteps.
During his roughly 18 months at the nonprofit, Khan’s work made a big impact, according to editor Sarah Butrymowicz. Khan believed that one of the goals of journalism is to make the world a better place, she said.
“He was sweet, very kind, always loved helping people, he was patient and ambitious,” said Butrymowicz.
After Khan’s death on Feb. 23, his friends and family launched a fundraiser to help cover the costs related to his memorial services. It raised over $20,000. Organizers said whatever remained would be donated to causes and organizations Khan supported, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Islamic life centers in New York.
The separate internship fund started by The Hechinger Report is designed to support a student who wants to pursue the kind of work Khan loved to do.
Khan moved to New York from New Delhi, India in the fall of 2020 to pursue a masters in data journalism at Columbia University. During that time, he reported on children in New York who had lost parents and guardians to the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other stories.
Khan successfully applied for a data reporter job at The Hechinger Report in the summer of 2022. Within two weeks, he had taken ownership of an enterprise project that analyzed how attendance suspensions in Arizona could derail students’ academic progress, the nonprofit said.
“He loved his job, although he did hate it at times,” said Butrymowicz. Khan was adept at wrestling data into comprehensive reporting, even when it could be frustrating, she noted.
Butrymowicz had been on the phone with Khan the morning of Feb. 23, discussing his upcoming projects and ideas, which he was eager to put into motion, she said.
The fire that claimed his life broke out around 2 p.m., according to the Fire Department. It started on the third floor, where several lithium batteries for e-bikes were charging, the FDNY said. When the fire erupted, whoever had been in the apartment with the batteries ran out without closing the door, the department said.
Khan, who lived on a different floor, was killed by the fire. At least 17 other people were injured in the blaze, the FDNY said.
Several area residents who witnessed the fire described a chaotic scene, with heavy smoke and flames and people desperate to escape the burning building, including one person who had to leap from a higher floor.
In establishing an internship in Khan’s name, to do the type of reporting he loved, the goal will be to honor his legacy as a journalist dedicated to exploring injustice, The Hechinger Report said.
Series: Community
