Training and Mentoring
Report for America corps members receive an initial training in June to prepare them for the year ahead, plus continued training and mentoring throughout their term of service.
Report for America collaborates with top journalists and journalism organizations to provide training opportunities that help corps members sharpen their skills, enrich their craft and build resilience.
Rock-star journalists demystify their craft
“Like spending an hour with Woodward and Bernstein in 1975. Incredible.”
Feedback on an off-the-record Q&A with investigative reporter Julie K. Brown of the Miami Herald, who broke the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal
Top beat reporters lead in-depth training
“This might be my favorite RFA training I’ve done so far! They had very practical advice for source-building and ethics. As someone who doesn’t report on police on a regular basis, but is looking at an intersection on my beat for a project, their advice was super accessible.”
Feedback on a session about covering police, led by Jamiles Lartey and Simone Weichselbaum of The Marshall Project
Experts facilitate practical and empowering workshops
“I loved this, thank you! My takeaway will be the opportunity to both confront the struggles and trauma of this work and to also acknowledge the solutions and healthy coping mechanisms at my disposal.”
Feedback on a session about building resilience, led by Dr. Elana Newman of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
In addition, Report for America provides targeted support. First-year corps members take part in an initial training and orientation in June to prepare for the year ahead. Third-year corps members take part in a leadership program to help them lead from wherever they are within an organization.
In addition to training sessions and workshops, corps members have access to free memberships to a list of leading journalism organizations, a supportive community of Report for America corps members and staff, and rich online archive of training videos and tip sheets.
Mentoring
Corps members are paired with a mentor who is uniquely positioned to help them excel in their roles and who will provide support and encouragement throughout the year.
Our mentors are veteran, award-winning journalists from print, broadcast, digital, non-profit news and academia. They represent a diverse group in every aspect of the word and we are proud to have them supporting journalism and the next generation of journalists.
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If you take advantage of all of the wonderful perks of the program, like trainings, mentorship, a nationwide network of peers, etc., your experience will be so much more meaningful.
— Samantha Max, Corps Member with WPLN
Become a Mentor
We want each of our corps members to benefit from the wisdom and guidance of an experienced mentor. In some cases, it will be someone who has covered the same beat as the Report for America corps member. In other cases it might be someone who has comparable career experience. And in other cases it might be someone who is in the same state or region as the reporter. We’re asking mentors to make a commitment of at least four calls or meetings.
The Power of a Network
One of the best resources corps members have is their fellow corps members. If one corps member has a question, there’s a good chance another has the answer.
Corps members are connected through an online community where they can ask questions, share stories, and create their own groups and virtual events. Peer support is helpful not only for reporting, it’s also a key to mental well-being and resilience.
After corps members graduate, they can stay connected through our alumni groups on Slack, LinkedIn and Facebook, and through our Alumni Directory.
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I’m tapped into this network of mentors and allies and people that I can also lend my experience to, in a way that I’ve never been before.
— Jackie Botts, corps member with CalMatters