The Media School at Indiana University Bloomington will launch the Indiana Newsroom, a new learning lab aimed at expanding local news coverage in southern Indiana. The initiative is supported by a two-year, $300,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County.
The Indiana Newsroom will use a content-sharing model to connect student journalists with professional and student news organizations. Up to 15 student reporters per semester will work under the guidance of a new faculty member whose position is funded by the grant. The program will be based in Franklin Hall on the Bloomington campus.
Suzannah Evans Comfort, associate professor in The Media School, helped secure the grant and described its purpose: “An important goal of this initiative is to expand the capacity for reporting that’s already being done by student and professional media organizations in our region,” Comfort said. “We’re looking to develop coverage on communities and issues that haven’t received as much news attention simply because of the limited resources facing our local news organizations. We’ve felt for some time that there was a stronger role for The Media School to play in supporting our local news landscape, and students are going to gain valuable hands-on experience that will make them better-prepared journalists when they graduate.”
Initial partnerships include Indiana Public Media, which operates WFIU and WTIU. Mike Arnold, executive director of integrated public media, stated: “As a service of Indiana University, WFIU and WTIU have a long-standing mission to connect our community with the information and resources that improve Hoosier lives. This partnership with the Indiana Newsroom expands that mission, giving us the capacity to dig deeper into the stories affecting southern Indiana through the fresh eyes of student journalists. We are excited to see what this becomes as more partners are involved in this project.”
Other news organizations may join as the program grows.
Tina Peterson, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, emphasized access to information: “At the heart of the Community Foundation is a vision for a vibrant Monroe County where every individual has the opportunity to thrive. Access to trusted information is vital for residents to feel connected and empowered to participate in civic decisions that shape their daily lives. Strengthening local news is central to that work, which is why the foundation has been working in multiple ways to support a more resilient and collaborative local news ecosystem.
“Through this partnership with Indiana University, we’re not only expanding coverage across the Indiana Uplands region; we’re also helping build a stronger pipeline of journalists equipped with the skills and experiences necessary to report thoughtfully on local communities throughout their careers.”
The grant will fund student pay, travel expenses, and hiring a visiting professor who will serve as founding director of the lab. Students enter through a three-credit community journalism course before becoming eligible for paid positions during their second semester.
Indiana University Bloomington serves as both an economic contributor and cultural hub within Indiana. Its historic limestone campus welcomes students from all 50 states and over 150 countries while focusing on research, creativity, innovation, and higher education advancement (https://bloomington.iu.edu/).
