Thread by @GOAnand

Big news for journalism in the Golden State: Governor Gavin Newsom just signed a budget bill that includes $25 million to help Berkeley Journalism serve local journalism around the state. 1/

So far as we know, it’s the largest infusion of state-level funds into local journalism ever (fact check please!) Here’s the announcement:
journalism.berkeley.edu/state-funds-be…  2/

We’ve got three reasons for taking this on: 1: we all see the world through the prism of our own lived experiences. So, who our storytellers are matters. If we don’t have a diverse group of people becoming journalists, then we miss stories that matter. 3/

This is core to Berkeley Journalism’s mission: removing the economic barriers for journalists who have historically been excluded from the industry. It’s why 1/4 of our new class are 1st-gen college students, and nearly 60% are from communities underrepresented in journalism. 4/

Problem is that J-School students take on a ton of debt (disproportionately carried by women and students of color) and then go into a profession that’s not exactly known for great pay. TL DR: it’s a great time to be a journalist. It’s a terrible time to get paid for it. 5/

These state funds will deliver meaningful financial support – up to $50,000 annually for three years – to help Berkeley Journalism graduates and other programs get started in the profession. 6/

2: California is no stranger to the massive changes in the business of journalism – especially for local and ethnic media outfits that report on, with, and for underserved and historically underrepresented communities across the state. 7/

When local news dries up, corruption and disinformation flood the zone. Democracy is in trouble. We need to put journalism to work to protect it. That’s what this project aims to do by putting talented early career journalists into local news organizations around the state. 8/

3: This may re-set the debate about the role of the public sector in journalism. Private philanthropy can only do so much, and billionaire owners aren’t a solution. How states and communities can support journalism as a public good needs to be at the center of our thinking. 9/

California’s $25 million puts this question on the table. And Berkeley Journalism is honored to be assigned the job of making it succeed. 10/

We’re just getting started on this project. We want the first cohort of fellows in place by the summer of 2023. We’ll be recruiting a project team to run the thing, and an advisory board that’ll help us design it.  11/

We’ll be sharing information about the project as we put it in place, and we’d love your thoughts/suggestions/feedback.  You can sign up to receive these updates here. 
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…  12/end