Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is supporting public media leaders as they navigate newsroom coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The work is an extension of the Cronkite School’s Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative, a two-year program funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to provide comprehensive leadership training for the next generation of public media leaders. By the end of 2020, a total of 100 leaders from 43 states will have participated in this in-depth development program.
The initiative, which is guided by Julia Wallace,Cronkite’s Frank Russell Chair in the Business of Journalism and former editor-in-chief of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, trains participants on how to lead public media into the future.
The goal of the program is to build a network of public media leaders who can share successes, solve problems and build collaborations – skills that are more necessary than ever during a time of crisis.
“Before the coronavirus pandemic, the media landscape was already rapidly changing,” Wallace said. “Now, more than ever, communities are turning to public media stations for coverage about coronavirus issues happening in their own backyards. With our help, fellows are leading organizations to establish even deeper connections with their audiences by providing the type of service journalism needed right now.”
Since the beginning of April, fellows from across the country have participated in bi-weekly virtual discussions focusing on topics such as how to keep their staffs safe, strategic planning and ways to engage online audiences. In addition to the webinars, fellows collaborate virtually through Slack, a communication platform, or during weekly calls led by their EILI coaches.
The following public media outlets are participating in the EILI initiative:
Alabama Public Radio
Alaska Public Media
American Public Media
Arizona Public Media
Boise Public Radio
Capital Public Radio
Colorado Public Radio
Community Idea Stations/WCVE News
Connecticut Public Radio
Daily News, MPR News
Detroit Public Media
ERA North Texas/Texas News Hub
GPB
Hawaii Public Radio
Houston Public Media
ideastream
Indiana Public Broadcasting Collaboration
Iowa Public Radio
Iowa Public Television
KCUR
KERA
KJZZ
KNKX
KPCC + LAist
KQED
KQED Radio
KTOO & Alaska’s Energy Desk
KUAR-FM (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)
KUER/NPR Utah
KUNC
KUNR Public Radio
KUOW
KUT
KUT – The Texas Standard
KYCir
KYUK
Louisville Public Media
Maine Public
Michigan Radio
Milwaukee PBS
Mississippi Public Broadcasting
MPR
Nashville Public Radio
Nashville Public Television
Native America Calling
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications
NET Radio/TV
New England Public Media
New Hampshire Public Radio
NJTV News
North Country Public Radio
NPR
Ohio Valley ReSource/Louisville Public Media
Oregon Public Broadcasting
PBS FRONTLINE
PBS39/WLVT
Reveal
Rocky Mountain Public Media
Sharing America/St. Louis Public Radio
South Carolina ETV
South Dakota Public Broadcasting
St. Louis Public Radio
The World
Twin Cities PBS
Vermont Public Radio
WABE Radio
WAMU
WAMU 88.5
WBEZ 91.5 Chicago Media Group
WBFO
WBMH
WBUR
WESA
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
WFAE 90.7 FM
WFYI
WHRO
WHYY
Wisconsin Public Radio
WNIN
WNYC
WPLN
WPSU
WSHU Public Radio
WTTW
WUNC
WUSF Public Media
WUWM
WXXI Public Broadcasting
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.
About the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The Cronkite School at Arizona State University is one of the nation’s premier professional journalism programs and is home to Arizona PBS, the largest media outlet operated by a journalism school in the world. The school’s mission is to prepare the next generation of journalists and communications professionals while also taking responsibility for the fundamental news and information needs of the community through an innovative journalistic “teaching hospital.” In more than a dozen professional immersion programs, students create professional content under the guidance of faculty with deep industry experience and experiment with new ways of creating and delivering news and information. The school is located on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus in the heart of the nation’s 11th largest media market.