Nonprofit program helps hire emerging journalists to fill
newsroom gaps across the country
NEW
YORK, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- Report for America is pleased to announce that it will
place nearly 60 reporters and photojournalists in new positions at
local newsrooms across the country this summer.
"Here, journalists find not just a job but
a calling—a chance to make a profound difference where it matters
most," said Earl Johnson, Report for
America's vice president of recruitment and alumni
engagement.
These new corps members join dozens more who will continue
reporting on undercovered communities and topics for their second
or third year in the national service program. Report for America
has now matched more than 650 journalists with local newspapers,
public radio stations, digital platforms, and television outlets,
since its launch in 2017.
"Report for America extends a welcoming hand to journalists from
diverse backgrounds, encouraging them to add their experience,
perspective, and talent to local newsrooms nationwide. These
storytellers help ensure that under-covered communities and issues
receive the attention they deserve," said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and
alumni engagement at Report for America. "Here, journalists find
not just a job but a calling—a chance to make a profound difference
where it matters most."
The corps remains diverse—nearly half are journalists of color
and more than half are women. Report for America believes that by
helping its partner newsrooms better reflect their communities,
they can strengthen trust in local media. Almost a third of the
corps members will boost coverage of rural communities, and a
quarter will provide reporting on communities of color.
The corps members will begin their assignments in July and
report on several beats including the environment, local
government, and health. Among them, 11 are taking on new positions
as part of an expanded Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk.
Seven will provide statehouse coverage for The Associated Press in
time for election season.
New this year is a partnership with a collaborative in
North Carolina, led by The
Assembly, which will bring a strong new local news cohort to the
state with reporters at five outlets: The Assembly, IndyWeek,
CityView Today, Blue Ridge Public Radio, and WHQR. Beyond working
together, the collaboration will extend opportunities for training
and event participation with other Report for America newsrooms in
the state.
The reporting corps, new and returning, will work across a
variety of newsrooms and mediums:
- Newspapers: 34%
- Digital only: 31%
- Radio: 22%
- News service: 8%
- Television: 4%
- Magazines: 1%
While many of the incoming corps members have produced
award-winning work in prior newsrooms, Report for America
collaborates with top journalists and journalism organizations to
provide training opportunities that will help sharpen their skills,
enrich their craft, and build resilience. Additionally, Report for
America's regional managers — deeply experienced, award-winning
journalists — are assigned to support every corps member and
partner newsroom.
"Today's newsrooms have become so lean that it can be difficult
for them to provide the mentorship and support that early-career
journalists are looking for," said Rachel
Rohr, vice president of program development at Report for
America. "By sharing resources and creating opportunities for peer
networking, we can strengthen their reporting and well-being."
Report for America also leverages an innovative three-to-one
regional funding match model, paying up to half of a corps member's
salary, while its local sustainability team trains newsroom
partners to raise the other half from local funders. This approach
promotes collaborative investment in local journalism, increasing
the chances of sustaining local reporting, for the community, by
the community.
Report for America's work is made possible by the Knight
Foundation, Google News Initiative, Microsoft, Spring Point
Partners, Vere Initiatives, Joyce Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, Walton Family Foundation in partnership with the
Missouri School of Journalism, The Hearthland Foundation, The Just
Trust, Posner Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, Henry
Luce Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Peter and Carmen
Lucia Buck Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Foundation, the
Commonwealth Fund, Tow Foundation, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation,
W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Park
Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and other leading philanthropic
partners.
To learn more about Report for America and its efforts to
strengthen communities through public service journalism, please
visit http://www.reportforamerica.org.
About us: Report for America is a national service program that
places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report
on under-covered topics and communities across the United States and its territories. By
creating a new, sustainable model for journalism, Report for
America provides people with the information they need to improve
their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and
restore trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of
The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism
organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground
up.
Media Contact
Sam Kille, Report for America,
(631) 354-9190, skille@reportforamerica.org,
www.reportforamerica.org
Twitter Facebook
View original
content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/report-for-america-welcomes-newest-corps-members-injects-hope-for-the-future-of-local-news-302125497.html
SOURCE Report for America