Early-career journalists invited to apply for California Local News Fellowships

The application process opens today for early-career journalists to apply to the California Local News Fellowship, a new state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local reporting, with a focus on underserved communities. The two-year, full-time fellowship will place journalists who have up to five years of experience in newsrooms around the state.

The program is open to digital, print, video, audio, photo and multimedia journalists. We’re looking for candidates with relevant experience as much as formal education. Successful applicants will demonstrate core reporting skills, a commitment to a career in journalism, and interest in reporting in underserved communities.

The application period for the 2023-2025 fellowship cohort opens March 1 and closes at 11:59 p.m. March 26.

Fellows will be selected and matched with newsrooms based on their reporting interests, skills and experience. The selection process will be led by the fellowship staff and advisory board, which is made up of journalism educators and newsroom leaders from around the state.

The fellowship will start in early September 2023 and run through August 2025; fellows are expected to complete the full two-year program. There may be a possibility of renewal for a third year in some cases.

• Fellows will be employed through the University of California and will receive starting salaries of $60,000-$65,000, based on education and work experience, plus benefits.
• Fellows must be legally able to work in the U.S.
• Fellows will be expected to live full-time in the communities where they will be reporting. If newsroom placement requires a move, the program will provide reimbursement of up to $2,000 for approved relocation expenses.
• Fellows will receive robust training, mentoring and support throughout the fellowship program.
• Fellows will work full-time in their host newsrooms and will be managed by their on-site newsroom supervisor with support from the fellowship staff.
• If applicants are not accepted this year, they are welcome to apply again in 2024 and/or 2025.

Key Dates
March 1: Application opens
March 26: Application closes
April 25: Selection decisions
May 26: Fellow / newsroom matching complete
June: Fellow offer letters delivered and signed
Early September: Orientation and start date

Please note: The fellowship application is a two-step process:

Step 1: Complete and submit the application on the fellowship webpage. There you will tell us about your journalism background and fellowship preferences.

Step 2: Complete and submit the fellow application on UC’s AP Recruit portal. There you will upload your resume (or a simple list of your educational and work experience), the names of three references (two of which must be journalistic), and confirmation that you have completed the online application on the fellowship webpage.

We will offer two Q&A sessions with fellowship program staff to answer any questions about the fellowship or the application process.

Register for the Q&A sessions here:
March 15 at 10 a.m.: https://berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvceutqjwvG9JCjc4eocuOsHOsXuSW8TwC
March 22 at 2 p.m.: https://berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vfu6oqzIuHNRIRLv9vdYORHxzMiXGPdix