Model Community News Fellowships Act
NOTE: The three existing public fellowship programs hosted at universities were created with legislative budget line items, leaving program design and eligibility decisions up to the program administrators. The following model legislative language creates an option for policymakers to define fellowship program goals in statute and to task a state agency with competitively selecting the program administrator via request for proposal, similar to how California selected a third-party philanthropic foundation to administer the state’s Civic Media Program.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “[STATE] Community News Fellowships Act.”
SECTION 2. FINDINGS.
The legislature finds that:
A. [STATE] benefits from robust local news services that provide valuable, trusted information to communities, which limits corruption, encourages citizen participation, and reduces costs for local government and the taxpayers who fund it;
B. The number of working local journalists and news outlets in this state has declined substantially, leaving many communities without needed coverage; and
C. A community news fellowships program that places journalists in local news outlets can expand essential community coverage while developing the state’s local news workforce and strengthening local news outlets.
SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
A. “Administrator” means the entity selected or designated under this Act to operate the Program.
B. “Designated Agency” means the [DEPARTMENT] designated to oversee the Administrator’s performance under this Act.
C. “Program” means the [STATE] Community News Fellowships Program established under this Act.
D. “Fund” means the [STATE] Community News Fellowships Fund created under this Act.
E. “Fellow” means a person selected by the Administrator and placed with a Host News Organization under this Act.
F. “Host News Organization” means a local news organization within the state selected by the Administrator to host one or more Fellows.
SECTION 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.
A. There is established the [STATE] Community News Fellowships Program, to be operated by the Administrator under the oversight of the Designated Agency in accordance with this Act.
B. There is created in the [STATE TREASURY] a dedicated, non-reverting account designated the [STATE] Community News Fellowships Fund.
C. The Fund may receive income from the following sources:
(1) Appropriations by the Legislature;
(2) Gifts, grants, and contributions from private persons, foundations, and other non-state sources, accepted under the process established by this Act; and
(3) Interest and other income earned on Fund balances.
D. The Administrator may make expenditures from the Fund, without regard to fiscal year, for Fellow compensation and benefits; training, technical assistance, and other program support for Fellows and Host News Organizations; program evaluation; and administrative costs.
E. Unexpended balances in the Fund at the close of any fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund and shall remain available to the Program. The Administrator may hold a reserve within the Fund sufficient to honor fellowship terms and multi-year contributions that extend across fiscal years.
SECTION 5. SELECTION OF ADMINISTRATOR.
A. Within 90 days of the effective date of this Act, the Designated Agency shall issue a competitive request for proposals to select the Administrator.
B. Eligible respondents are:
(1) A public college or university in [STATE]; or
(2) A nonprofit organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with demonstrated relevant experience in journalism education, journalism support, or workforce development.
C. The Designated Agency shall evaluate proposals on the following:
(1) Demonstrated relationships with, and understanding of, news organizations, editors, and journalism support organizations in [STATE];
(2) Organizational capacity to recruit and select Fellows and Host News Organizations, coordinate matching and placement, and support Fellows and Host News Organizations through the fellowship term;
(3) A pre-launch plan satisfying Program Requirements set out in Section 4 of this Act;
(4) A staffing plan; and
(5) An evaluation plan with measurable outcomes.
SECTION 6. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.
A. Each fellowship shall be for a term of at least 24 months.
B. The Administrator shall select Fellows and Host News Organizations through separate competitive processes under published criteria.
C. The Administrator shall establish written readiness standards for Host News Organizations, which include but are not limited to:
(1) A written description of the coverage gap or beat the Fellow will address with demonstrated need for that beat within the news organization’s coverage area; and
(2) An identified editor or supervisor responsible for the Fellow’s day-to-day work.
D. The Administrator shall complete a planning period of not less than 120 days before placing the first Fellow, including news organization outreach, development of operational documentation, and establishment of payroll and benefits arrangements.
E. The Administrator shall provide, directly or through a qualified contractor, structured training, coaching, and mentorship for Fellows throughout the fellowship term, including onboarding, peer cohort convenings, and access to experienced coaches independent of the Host News Organization.
[MODULE: COST-SHARING AND FUNDRAISING SUPPORT]
Note: A program with a goal of longer-term job growth should require news organizations to contribute some part of the fellow’s compensation. We recommend that the contribution is phased in over time, towards the goal of fully supporting the position post-fellowship without facing a large cliff. For example, Report for America news organizations pay 50% of a corps member’s compensation in year one, 66% in year two, and 80% in year three. Washington state is moving to this model as they merge with RFA in the next fellowship class. California requires news organizations to pay a flat contribution of $5,000, $15,000 or $25,000 toward the salary, based on their staff size.
When there is a news outlet match, the program should provide technical assistance to news organizations. When paired with a news organization contribution requirement (see paragraph G), the fundraising and revenue development support is especially important. Without it, many news outlets are unlikely to be able to host a fellow, let alone permanently hire one after a placement ends.
F. The Administrator shall offer to Host News Organizations, directly or through a qualified contractor, technical assistance including fundraising and revenue development, workflow and technology adoption, and supervisory training for editors.
G. Each Host News Organization shall contribute toward the compensation of any Fellow hosted by its organization as follows:
(1) [XX] percent of the Fellow’s total compensation and benefits in the first year of a fellowship term; and
(2) [XX] percent of the Fellow’s total compensation and benefits in the second year of a fellowship term.
(3) The Administrator may adjust or waive the required match for a Host News Organization with five or fewer employees.
[END MODULE]
SECTION 7. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE.
A. Neither the State, the Designated Agency, the Administrator, nor any officer, employee, or agent thereof may exercise editorial control over journalism produced by Fellows or Host News Organizations under this Act.
B. No money in the Fund may be expended on a basis that conditions eligibility or continued participation on the viewpoint, political orientation, or editorial perspective of any Fellow or Host News Organization, or on the content of any specific work product, except that Fellows may be designated to focus on particular beats, regions, or fellowship tracks in their work.
C. Nothing in this section limits content-neutral standards of journalistic practice, including conflicts of interest disclosure and corrections policies.
SECTION 8. PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS.
A. The Administrator may solicit, and the Fund may accept, gifts, grants, and in-kind contributions from private persons, foundations, universities, press associations, and other non-state sources, including contributions designated for particular beats, regions, or fellowship tracks consistent with Section 7 of this Act.
B. Contributions under this section may include in-kind support, including training, mentorship, and professional expertise.
SECTION 9. REPORTING AND EVALUATION.
A. Not later than [DATE] each year, the Administrator shall submit to the Designated Agency, and publish on a public website, a report that includes but is not limited to:
(1) Placements made, by Host News Organization and by community served;
(2) Total expenditures, disaggregated by Fellow compensation, program supports, program evaluation, and administrative costs; and
(3) Private contributions received under Section 8, by source category and designated purpose.
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