Medill announces new Local News Initiative Fellowships for journalism graduate students
$5,000 scholarships, partnerships with news outlets will be available
EVANSTON, ILL. -- Today Medill announced Local News Initiative Fellowships for graduate journalism students interested in pursuing research and studies relating to new business models in local journalism.
Students enrolled in Medill’s journalism master’s program and selected for the fellowships will be placed with Chicago-area news outlets that are clients of the Local News Accelerator. During their fourth quarter, they will work full-time on custom-designed projects that fit their academic and professional interests. These will be a blend of consumer and competitive research and analysis, content strategy, business strategy and product development. Students will finish their project by delivering a case study that can become a primary showpiece in their professional portfolios.
The Medill Local News Initiative is an innovative research and development project aimed at providing greater understanding of how digital audiences engage with local news and finding new approaches to bolster local news business models.
“Local news is essential to the health of our democracy and the Medill Local News Initiative is providing critical support to the industry,” said Mackenzie Warren, interim executive director of the Medill Local News Initiative. “We are delighted Medill graduate journalism students will be able to provide their talents to support local news outlets while gaining career experience.”
Students selected for the fellowships will participate in the Medill Media Innovation & Leadership Academy. This weeklong executive education program has been a springboard for many of the top executives in the Chicago journalism ecosystem. Fellows will learn MBA-level problem-solving frameworks, and will be networking with industry executives.
Fellows will be selected based on the content of their application to the Medill Master of Science in journalism program. Applicants who would like to be considered should highlight their interest in local journalism.
Students applying to start Fall 2026 will be eligible.