ProPublica Emerging Reporters Program 2020-2021 for College Students of Color in the U.S. ($9,000 stipend)

Deadline: August 20, 2020

Are you a college student of color interested in doing great journalism? ProPublica wants to help. Apply for the ProPublica Emerging Reporters Program 2020 for College Students of Color in the U.S.

The Emerging Reporters Program provides a $9,000 stipend, along with mentoring and trips to the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting conference and ProPublica’s New York office (or, this year, virtual programming!), for five students each year who work or want to work at college journalism outlets: newspapers, websites, radio stations or TV stations. This year’s program will run from September to June, with mentors and program participants in contact by phone and email.

About the Program

People of color are underrepresented in America’s newsrooms. A survey by the American Society of News Editors suggests that people of color make up just a quarter of U.S. newsrooms — and that itself is only among newsrooms that chose to respond to the survey. Often, those numbers are even smaller in newsrooms focused on investigative reporting.

ProPublica has a vested interest in developing more minority journalists. Their mission is to shine a light on abuses of power, producing stories of moral force that provoke change. There are currently few reporters of color who specialize in investigations. Without their voices and points of view, there is every reason to believe that important stories are being overlooked. ProPublica believe the best way to bring about meaningful change is to take a holistic approach, tackling the obstacles to entering careers in journalism — especially investigative journalism. These include financial barriers and limited access to early-career opportunities. That is what this program aims to address.

Eligibility

• Open to U.S. residents;
• All students who will be juniors or seniors in college this academic year are eligible to apply, and African Americans, Latinos and other people of color are especially encouraged to do so.
• The Emerging Reporters Program is specifically designed for those who might find investigative journalism inaccessible.
• Participants are expected to take a full course load during the 2020-21 school year.
• Applicants must also demonstrate financial need. The purpose of the stipends is to make college journalism accessible to students for whom it would otherwise be economically out of reach.

Application

For the mentorship, the program director will take into account the interests expressed in your application to match you with one of their great journalists for the year.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit ProPublica.