Communication & Journalism's Local News Fellowship searching for future journalists
November 11, 2022 - Savannah Peat
It’s the latest, breaking news for some that the UNM Communication and Journalism (C&J) Department is setting the stage properly for future journalists. Yet for the minds behind the UNM-based Local News Fellowship, it’s a story they’ve been following since 2019.
“This program has been shockingly successful at solving a historic problem in our industry,” reporter and fellowship manager Gwyneth Doland said. “A huge amount of learning to do this job is done on the job.”
Doland and C&J Professor Michael Marcotte spearhead the fellowship with the generous support of the New Mexico Local News fund to offer a select handful of students the chance to gain hands-on experience in the world of media right when they graduate.
“We are crafting a pathway from school to career,” Marcotte said. “That bridge is not as simple as you think.”
That financial assistance, which began with $100,000 starting in 2020, allows each of these students to embrace their passion while earning just under a starting salary in journalism.
Each student makes $26,000, with additional grants going towards the local newsrooms that sponsor them for nine months.
“Employers today don't have the resources and flexibility that they used to have and invest in training people on the job,” Doland said. “There's this disconnect between students straight out of college and where they need to be, so we are solving the problem.”
Full information at UNM Newsroom
