Next Generation Newsroom will receive $100,000 from The Pittsburgh Foundation, the third local grant for the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University in support of its teaching newsroom set to launch in the fall.
Pittsburgh Foundation President and CEO Lisa Schroeder said the sharp decline in professionally-produced local journalism and lack of access to vital information is diminishing the quality of life in communities across the country.
“Daily news that is trusted and probing of our institutions is essential to the health of our American democracy,” she said.
Schroeder said the Next Generation Newsroom “takes an important step in addressing the crisis by building on innovations that have worked — the Pittsburgh Media Partnership and the McKeesport Community Newsroom — while practicing journalism that holds all of us accountable and provides opportunities for young journalists from diverse backgrounds.”
The Next Generation Newsroom is a teaching program designed to support local news outlets and early-career journalists. Stories developed from the Newsroom will be shared across the 29 members of the Center’s Pittsburgh Media Partnership, which has a combined reach of 6 million.
The Center for Media Innovation previously announced a $250,000 grant from The Heinz Endowments and $25,000 from the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh.
“This money will go directly to the infrastructure, programming and content that is designed to benefit the entire media ecosystem,” said Andrew Conte, Assistant Vice President and Managing Director of the Center for Media Innovation. “This is critical work for communities at a time when local journalism needs more support than ever to remain visible and relevant.”
Next Generation Newsroom will launch during Newsapalooza, a celebration of local news, set for Sept. 26-28. Learn more and get tickets through the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
To learn more about The Pittsburgh Foundation's support of Next Generation Newsroom, see the news release.