Local newsrooms will be getting a boost next year with a new initiative Report for America (RFA) gearing up to place 1,000 journalists in local newsrooms for a year. RFA will pay 50 percent of the reporter’s salary, the newsroom 25 percent and local donors the remaining 25. Provided with mentoring and training, the hope is that the new reporters will focus on issues of real importance to the local community and revitalize the profession. (The Poynter Institute, September 18, 2017, by Kristen Hare)
One of the RFA founders is Charles Sennott of the GroundTruth Project, a non-profit dedicated to supporting young journalists with an emphasis on social justice. When RFA gets off the ground, Sennott hopes to dedicate a GroundTruth website to stories generated by RFA reporters on community issues and their experiences in reporting. (NiemanLab, September 19, 2017, by Laura Hazard Owen)
Local news outlets have suffered recently from the disappearance of ad dollars which has led to layoffs and shrinking coverage. RFA is a bold move to address the crisis. (Columbia Journalism Review, September 19, 2017, by Pete Vernon)