Sustainability Through Philanthropy and Digital Innovation
Local Media Association and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association recently partnered to present the first statewide Lab for Journalism Funding for publishers in Pennsylvania. The lab helped news organizations develop and execute strategies to fund essential local journalism via philanthropy.
Twelve PNA members were selected for the inaugural class that included large and small newsrooms serving diverse communities across Pennsylvania who are united in their focus on civic journalism. The participating organizations included the Bucks County Herald (Doylestown), Eagle Printing Company (Butler), The Indiana Gazette, The Latrobe Bulletin, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, PublicSource (Pittsburgh), SPIRIT Media Group, Inc. (Glenolden), TheBurg (Harrisburg), The Daily Collegian (State College), The York Dispatch, Times Leader Media Group (Wilkes-Barre), WITF and The Steinman Institute for Civic Engagement (Harrisburg).
The four-month intensive lab concluded in September 2024. Read more here.
Diversity and Equity in the Newsroom
PNA is partnering with the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation to create a paid, 12-week fellowship program for journalists of color who are students or recent graduates from schools of higher education that have accredited journalism programs. This coalition will select and fund 12 fellows per year and place them in news organizations throughout Pennsylvania.
We will also work with Pennsylvania colleges and universities to help identify strong candidates for the fellowships. Fellows will have a mentor from NABJ or PBMF to provide support and guidance during the internship in order to make the experience as productive as possible.
PNA will collaborate with its member news organizations, NABJ and PBMF to match fellows with newsrooms based on geography, interests and needs.
The preferred outcome of each fellowship is the transition to full-time, permanent employment at the news organization. If that is not possible, we believe the high-profile program will make the fellow a first-class candidate for positions at other news organizations throughout the commonwealth.
PNA is working in unison with its partners to find funding and sponsors for this worthy effort. If you are interested in supporting this fellowship program, contact PNA.
News Media Literacy in the Classroom and Beyond
People have access to myriad forms of news and information across many platforms. It is often difficult for news consumers to determine what is verified fact versus what is intentional falsehood. For our news organizations to be successful, we must operate in a society that is able to distinguish unbiased journalism from slanted rhetoric.
PNA is taking a leadership role in this growing crisis, which is not just a threat to honest news reporting, but to democracy itself. Partnering with the News Literacy Project in Washington, D.C., PNA is working to include news literacy curriculum in Pennsylvania public schools and make training available to adults as well.
If you are interested in this issue and would like to help sponsor or fund these efforts, please contact PNA.
