Society of Professional Journalists is hiring: California Local News Fellowship

California Local News Fellowship - School of Journalism

Position Overview

Position Title : California Local News Fellow

Salary Range : The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. Fellow salaries will start at either $60,000 or $65,000 depending on work and educational experience. All fellows will receive benefits from the University of California.

Percent Time : Full-time

Anticipated Start : September 2025

Position Duration : The fellowship will start in early September 2025 and will run for two years, ending in August 2027.

Application Window

Open Date : January 22, 2025

Next Review Date : Wednesday, Feb 5, 2025 at 11 : 59pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final Date : Friday, Feb 21, 2025 at 11 : 59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

The California Local News Fellowship program is a multi-year, state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting in California. The fellowship is open to digital, print, audio, photo and multimedia journalists. We're looking for candidates with relevant experience as much as formal education. We welcome applications from graduates of two-year, four-year and graduate-level journalism programs as well as people who have not attended journalism education programs but have a high school diploma or GED and at least three years of newsroom experience. Successful applicants will demonstrate core reporting skills, a commitment to a career in journalism, and interest in accountability reporting in underserved communities. The program will place approximately 40 fellows in partner newsrooms throughout the state for two-year, full-time reporting positions beginning in September 2025. Fellows will receive robust training and mentoring from the program to augment their newsroom experience.

The fellowship program partners with newsrooms throughout the state that are seeking to meet their communities' information needs with original local news coverage. We prioritize news organizations operating in underserved communities, including for-profit, nonprofit, public media, and community and ethnic media outlets. Once newsrooms and fellows are selected into the program, they are paired through a matching process that seeks to meet the needs of individual newsrooms and interests of fellows.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications (required at time of application) : High school diploma or GED (or equivalent international degree).

Additional Qualifications (required at time of start) : Applicants must meet one of the following criteria to be considered :

• High school diploma or GED (or equivalent international degree) plus at least 3 years newsroom experience, OR
• 2-year associate's degree (or equivalent international degree) plus at least 1 year newsroom experience, OR
• BA or MA (or equivalent international degree) in journalism with experience in student publications, summer internships or equivalent, OR
• BA or MA (or equivalent international degree) in a subject other than journalism plus at least 1 year newsroom experience.

Fellows should have five or fewer years of professional journalism experience before joining the program.

Preferred Qualifications : Ideal candidates will have experience working in local news, either professionally or through a journalism education program, and will submit clips that illustrate a variety of reporting genres and skills. In certain cases, when matching fellows with newsrooms, the ability to report in a language other than English and / or proficiency in specialized journalistic skills (audio, video, data, etc.) will be preferred. California residents will be given preference and international candidates with authorization to work in the US are eligible to participate.

Application Requirements

Document Requirements

Reference Requirements : Please include your references in the supplemental application form.

Job Location : California (various locations)

To apply, visit this link

About UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

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Salary : $60,000 - $65,000