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Report for America opens newsroom applications, expands the opportunity to hire more journalists in underserved markets

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Gulban

Gulban

National service program recruits talented, diverse reporters; helps fund salaries

Report for America announced on July 10 that applications are now open for news organizations interested in partnering to host emerging and experienced journalists in their newsrooms for up to three years, beginning next summer.

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Report for America is a national service program that places talented journalists— corps members—into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Through the program, host newsrooms receive:

● Diverse, talented slate of candidates to choose from

● Subsidized salary support for up to three years

● Local fundraising coaching and resources, including the opportunity for fiscal sponsorship to accept donations

● Extra training and mentoring for journalists

“We understand the challenges today’s newsrooms face, not only finding talented journalists but also providing the mentorship and support they might seek,” said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and alumni engagement at Report for America. “By partnering with Report for America, local newsrooms are better positioned to cover important issues, diversify their newsrooms, and grow sustainable, local support within their communities.”

While all local news organizations are eligible to apply, Report for America looks to expand its reach into rural areas, as well as newsrooms owned or led by journalists of color. Prospective newsrooms must identify specific gaps in coverage in the community, drawing attention to under-covered communities or issues.

Beats to consider can include but are not limited to healthcare, education, communities of color, immigration, economic development, local government, religion, obituaries, military and veteran affairs, or even sports reporting.

Since the Report for America program started, three reporters have served in Arkansas: Catherine Nolte covered food insecurity and poverty in Fort Smith for the Southwest Times Record, Anna Pope covered booming growth and its effects on northwest Arkansas for KUAF 91.3 FM public radio in Fayetteville, and My Ly is currently on the health and poverty beat for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock.

Report for America will hold online information sessions for interested newsrooms throughout the application period. The application process can be started at reportforamerica.submittable.com/submit/266686/ 2024-2025-rfa-host-newsroom-application. The application deadline is Sept. 18, 2023, and newsrooms will be publicly announced in December. More information about how the program works can be found at reportforamerica.org/news-rooms/

To learn more visit reportforamerica.org or send an email to recruitment@reportforamerica.org.

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