Alumni Association of NJIT’s Post

The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY is going tuition-free, its namesake Craig Newmark and the school's dean, Graciela Mochkofsky, told Axios. It will be the first journalism graduate school to offer a tuition-free program — a move intended to help widen opportunities for journalists from more diverse backgrounds. "If we're serious about the future of trustworthy journalism as democracy's immune system, we've got to create ways to make the pipeline and product more resilient to economics and shifting moods. Endowments help do that," Newmark said. Newmark, who founded Craigslist, is committing an additional $10 million to the school's endowment, on top of a $20 million contribution he made in 2019. The school will use that funding, in addition to another, smaller endowment for scholarships, to cover tuition for 50% of students next year. The school is raising money to expand its fund to $60 million by 2026 — enough to cover tuition for all students. Tuition for a full masters degree at the school is $18,609 for New York State residents and $38,739 for the non-residents. The school has been incrementally offering free tuition, beginning two years ago, Mochkofsky said. This year, 25% of students will be covered. Next year, 50% will be covered. The big picture: The news industry has been reeling from a post-pandemic slowdown in the ad market, leading to a record number of layoffs and cost-cutting measures. Staff reductions have led to fewer mentorship and training opportunities, making education more vital for young reporters, Mochkofsky said. "Maybe in the past, journalism schools weren't as necessary because you got trained by mentors and editors. The industry now is so resourced starved — that's not available to people anymore."

Students play an important role in journalism. Public colleges, universities, high schools, and even some middle schools have student publications. But we need more. Today, there are about 1,600 college newspapers in the United States. The numbers are much lower for high schools and much, much lower for middle schools. College newspapers and student publications are the epitome of community news. They provide local news about the school community for students, staff, faculty and local audiences. I am working with Spotlight Media Labs, Inc. and Strong Mind Strong Body Foundation to increase the power of student journalism. Spotlight is working to increase access to student community news with SpotlighNews. Over 100 college newspapers are on Spotlight. We will be adding more college, high school, and middle school publications. So more people can access community news. Strong Mind Strong Body is working to increase the number of schools that have student publications. I am leading the development of youth journalism programs at middle schools and high schools. So more communities have access to community news. Our first middle school publication is Ella Baker News at Ella Baker School in Minneapolis. We will be adding more. Youth are an important part of our communities. And they are our future. They are our future leaders and changemakers. They also are the future of journalism and sustainable local news. #jounalism #localnews #community #news

Here is my presentation in EL 106 Campus Journalism Chapter 1 Foundational Concepts in Journalism for my students' reference.

Exclusive: CUNY journalism program goes tuition-free - It will be the first journalism graduate school to offer a tuition-free program — a move intended to help widen opportunities for journalists from more diverse backgrounds. Did you see the news thanks to Sara Fischer? Why it matters: It will be the first journalism graduate school to offer a tuition-free program — a move intended to help widen opportunities for journalists from more diverse backgrounds. https://lnkd.in/gQBMJi3n

When establishing a youth journalism club, class or summer program, make sure it will be engaging to young people. Center what they want to write about, and ask what they’d rather not cover. Read more tips here:

A strong social media skill set is just as important as writing skills for journalists to succeed in the news media industry. Read about the importance of social media in journalism in my new blog post with insights shared from "Mobile and Social Media Journalism: A Practical Guide for Multimedia Journalism" by Anthony Adornato. https://wix.to/hfvrsz4 #newblogpost

The Importance of Traditional Journalism Education in the Digital Age Discover the value of a traditional journalism education in today's digital landscape. With countless sources vying for attention, learn how to determine credibility and make informed choices. Make an impact as a critical consumer of information. #JournalismEducation #MediaLiteracy #CredibleSources #DigitalInformation #CriticalThinking #MediaConsumption #JournalismSkills #MediaLiteracyMatters #InformationEvaluation #JournalismTraining

"Thrilled to share my latest accomplishment: a Certificate of Completion for 'Introduction to Digital Journalism' modules 1-5, sponsored by the Meta Journalism Project and facilitated by Reuters. This milestone is a testament to my dedication to enhancing my skills in the dynamic field of digital journalism. #DigitalJournalism #ContinuedLearning #Reuters #MetaJournalismProject #CertificateOfCompletion"

📰 Extra, Extra! 📰 The Exponent, BW's 111-year-old student newspaper, is soaring to new heights with national journalism honors. Learn more about our student journalists and their extraordinary recognition! Written by Akasha Wilberg '24

Looking for truth-seekers in a world full of alternative facts. With the ad market contracting and newsrooms getting gutted, journalism finally gets some good news. CUNY becomes the first journalism graduate school to offer a tuition-free program. In a world full of turmoil, it's not exactly breaking news to see how the decline of journalism and the rise of misinformation and political divisiveness are related. Journalism, investigative reporting and editorial content play major roles in educating the world. Yet over the past decade, the U.S. has lost one-third of its newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2005. And to make things worse, audiences are shrinking for several older types of news media such as local TV stations, most newspapers and public radio even as they grow for newer platforms like podcasts, as well as for a few specific media brands. The move at CUNY is aimed at helping to widen opportunities for journalists from more diverse backgrounds, which is the key. One-fifth of U.S. residents now live in news deserts, where residents have very limited access to credible and comprehensive news and information. And for cynics of journalism, you can't argue with that fact that we're now seeing increased political polarization, political corruption and outlets that spread misinformation. The crisis in news reporting isn't an exaggeration, it's an existential threat. It's also an underappreciated aspect of our fast-eroding democracy https://lnkd.in/gCanbBzc #journalism #cuny #students #university #education #news #newsrooms #democracy