What is Community Journalism?
Community journalism provides community members with the skills, knowledge and resources to share their personal experiences and viewpoints on the issues of their lives and those around them. Encouraging democracy and an informed citizenry, Community Journalism combines the professionalism and far-reaching network of traditional media with the internal knowledge and connections of local communities, to make research, interviewing, and reporting more accessible and collaborative. From identifying underreported stories to shaping how they are told, participants produce local news that better informs the public, strengthens their neighborhoods and bolsters civic participation.
The Work of the HumanitiesDC Community Journalism Program
The Community Journalism program is an initiative that offers DC community members the opportunity to learn the skills and access the resources needed to report and publish their own stories through a journalistic medium. Launching in Fall 2023, the program incorporates participation in a Journalism 101 workshop series, reporting on a story alongside local professional journalists and access to other media literacy materials. The program aims to help DC residents identify, report and produce the stories that matter most to their communities and the city as a whole. HumanitiesDC will work to connect the final projects produced by the Community Journalism program with local media outlets for publication and all stories produced by the program will be showcased through a HumanitiesDC media outlet.
Applications Close: August 28, 2023
Applicants will hear from the program coordinator in the coming weeks. Beginning in September, this free 12-week training program will include six workshops. In between workshop sessions, program participants will build on the skills they are learning in the classroom by reporting on a story alongside local professional journalists.
Please reach out to our Community Journalism Program Coordinator at dbkelleher@humanitiesdc.org with any questions.