Placing Local Reporters Where Communities Need Them Most
Photo Courtesy of California Local News Fellowship
Several states have created programs that place publicly funded journalists directly into local newsrooms for one to two years. They often are called “fellowship” programs because they are term-limited, managed by university journalism programs and have an emphasis on career development.
These programs, loosely modeled after the popular nonprofit fellowship program Report for America, directly increase local news capacity by placing journalists in local newsrooms and funding their salaries. The university-based programs select the fellows and decide on placements in collaboration with participating local news organizations. Editing and management of the reporters is done by the local news organizations, with some educational, career development, and peer support curriculum provided by the fellowship program.
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- California Local News Fellowship: Administered by the University of California, Berkeley School of Journalism. Some 75 fellows are now in the field. Over the past few years, 111 fellows in 110 newsrooms have produced more than 10,000 stories. With private foundation support, the program is expanding to offer fellowships in health journalist and editor positions.
- Murrow News Fellowship: Administered by the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. This program has placed 16 journalists per year in 22 news organizations since 2023. They produce an average of 30 stories a week. In partnership with Report for America, the program aims to place a reporter in each of Washington State’s 39 counties by 2029.
- New Mexico Local News Fellowship and Internship: Administered by the New Mexico Local News Fund and the University of New Mexico, with some state funding. The 2025-26 cohort includes 9 fellows and 11 interns working across New Mexico.