Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk wins $100,000 grant from Press Forward
The first round of Press Forward’s campaign to strengthen local newsrooms received more than 900 applications nationwide
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Oct. 16, 2024) — The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, based at the Missouri School of Journalism, has won a $100,000 grant in the first round of funding from Press Forward, a national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news.
More than 900 newsrooms nationwide applied for the funds, and 205 were selected. The funds will provide general operating support to newsrooms that are reaching underserved communities and addressing gaps in coverage. The Desk, in providing its reporting free of charge to news organizations through a network of reporters and partner newsrooms, offers local environmental journalism that can otherwise be hard to come by in rural communities.
“For people living in the largest watershed in the country, local reporting about land and water is too often missing,” said Sara Shipley Hiles, executive director of the Desk and a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism. “For them, ‘news desert’ takes on a new meaning. Our job is to turn those deserts into oases where fact-based, locally-informed coverage of the environment is readily available.”
The grant is part of Press Forward’s $500 million investment to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news and scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. It comes on the heels of an expansion of the Desk earlier this year, with 11 new journalists and newsrooms joining the ranks of the Report for America corps members who report for the Desk in 10 states. It also follows a recent award in which School of Journalism students contributing to the Desk took first place in a national Online News Association contest.
For people living in the largest watershed in the country, local reporting about land and water is too often missing. For them, ‘news desert’ takes on a new meaning. Our job is to turn those deserts into oases where fact-based, locally-informed coverage of the environment is readily available.
Sara Shipley Hiles, executive director of the Desk and a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism
The awards reflect the Desk’s capacity for stories of all sizes, including large-scale, collaborative reporting projects in which local perspectives are woven into a compelling whole.
“The Desk is helping communities engage with the news and build science literacy in ways that just aren’t possible when their region isn’t part of the conversation, and this grant helps carry that work forward,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “Importantly, these journalists are also gaining valuable experience in environmental reporting, deepening the industry’s pool of talent.”
Currently, the Desk works with 15 partner newsrooms hosting Report for America corps members. Its journalists have produced more than 1,200 stories published in outlets ranging from rural community media to national outlets. One of the Desk’s newsrooms, NPR-member station KBIA-FM, is also part of the School of Journalism’s Missouri News Network of professional news organizations.
To keep up with the latest from the Desk, subscribe to the weekly newsletter. Editors can sign up to republish its content for free. To learn more about the grant recipients, visit Press Forward’s website.
About the Ag & Water Desk
The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is a collaborative network of journalists focused on increasing coverage of agriculture, water and other environmental issues surrounding one of the world’s major river systems. Founded in 2021, this award-winning independent initiative is based at the Missouri School of Journalism in partnership with Report for America and the Society of Environmental Journalists, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. Newsrooms can run the Ag & Water Desk’s stories for free and the public can subscribe to a weekly newsletter and donate to the Desk.
About Press Forward
Press Forward is a national movement to strengthen our democracy by revitalizing local news and information. A coalition of funders is investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and to scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. For more, visit pressforward.news.
About the Missouri School of Journalism
As the world’s first journalism school, founded in 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism brings unparalleled breadth and depth to the study and practice of journalism. With more than 2,000 students in programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, the J-School pioneered hands-on education through the “Missouri Method.” Today the school’s real-world newsrooms and agencies include the Columbia Missourian newspaper; Vox Magazine; KBIA, an NPR-affiliate radio station; KOMU, an NBC-affiliate TV station, and the AdZou and Mojo Ad advertising agencies. The J School’s 24,000+ alumni include some of the best journalists and communicators working in newsrooms, agencies and companies worldwide.
Updated: October 16, 2024