California Local News Fellowship Video 2026
The California Local News Fellowship is a statewide program that embeds emerging journalists into newsrooms across California, aiming to bolster local reporting at a time when community news outlets face severe financial strain. Funded by public money, it is the nation’s largest fellowship of its kind, placing fellows in both rural towns and major cities. The initiative prioritizes diversity, ensuring newsroom staff mirror the state’s multicultural demographics, and has already produced award‑winning coverage of wildfires, immigration enforcement actions, and other pressing issues. As Sacramento Observer reporter Wamina K noted, the fellowship allowed her to ‘come back home’ and tell stories that ‘best represent us.’ On‑the‑ground reporting from Aladena’s wildfire devastation and a Border Patrol raid illustrated how fellows are delivering stories that might otherwise go untold. By strengthening local newsrooms, the program not only preserves a vital democratic function but also offers a replicable model for other states seeking to protect community journalism in an era of media consolidation.
2025 Investigative Reporting Program Video
UC Berkeley’s Journalism Department has launched the Investigative Reporting Program, a hands‑on experiment that places students in active, power‑holding investigations immediately upon enrollment. The curriculum pairs classroom instruction with real‑world reporting assignments, allowing learners to produce publishable stories while still...
Matthew Naythons: Light In Dark Places
The evening event at UC Berkeley’s Logan Media Center celebrated the release of Matthew Naythons’ new monograph, “Light in Dark Places,” and a concurrent photo exhibition. Hosted by veteran photographer Ken Light, the gathering highlighted the university’s commitment to preserving...
California Local News Fellowship
California’s local news ecosystem faces severe financial strain, prompting the launch of the California Local News Fellowship. The publicly funded program embeds emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state, from rural towns to major metros, to produce reporting that reflects...