DEADLINE: Opening Doors Initiative for BIPOC Journalism Students

Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) received a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support "Opening Doors," a new program designed to increase diversity in public media newsrooms. The grant will fund a two-year initiative that will provide skills training, mentorship, and paid internships to ten talented BIPOC journalism students (junior or senior) with a specific focus on science, health and economics reporting. 

The "Opening Doors" program will include: 

• Intensive Leadership Training: A two-day leadership retreat for selected students held in conjunction with #PMJA2025 in Kansas City, featuring workshops on critical thinking, communication skills, and navigating the public media landscape, with additional training on the unique challenges and opportunities of science, health, and economics reporting. Students will attend the full conference, providing valuable networking opportunities with public media professionals. 
• Mentorship Program: Pairing students with experienced public media professionals experienced in science, health, and economics reporting for guidance and support throughout their career development. 
• Paid Internships: Securing paid internships at public radio stations across the country, providing students with hands-on experience in covering science, health, and economic issues at the local level. PMJA will provide subsidies to stations to support these paid internships.  

Program outreach begins in February 2025 and will culminate in the placement of ten BIPOC journalism students in paid internships at public radio stations across the country during the 2025/2026 academic year. 

Deadline: Mar 23, 2025

More information.