Report for America announced today the placement of 78 journalists in newsrooms across the country, including a corps member who will be joining the Johnson County Post to cover K-12 education here.
Margaret Mellott, who has been contributing to the Post on a freelance basis for the past several months, will begin her new role as our full-time, Report for America-supported education reporter in July.
Report for America selected the Post as a host newsroom from hundreds of applicant news organizations across the country in a competitive process. Through the program, Report for America will cover half of the corps member’s salary in the first year, 30% in the second year and 25% in the third year.
Under the terms of the agreement, the host news organization must ask its readers to make donations to cover the remainder of the reporter’s pay.
Mellott and the other incoming journalists bring Report for America’s current, active reporter corps to 200, with 122 continuing their service into their second or third year. The organization’s latest effort to strengthen local news in communities across the country comes at a time when many newsrooms face growing financial and reporting challenges.
“These journalists represent hope: a new generation committed to local news reporting that helps people better understand their communities and one another,” said Kim Kleman, executive director at Report for America. “Our model is designed not only to place talented reporters where they are needed most, but also to deepen community trust and build a more sustainable future for local news.”
Bringing consistent coverage to a foundational piece of Johnson County’s success
It’s no overstatement to say that strong public schools have been the foundation of Johnson County’s unique success story. Starting with national recognition as early as the 1960s, Johnson County’s school districts built a well-earned reputation for exceptional quality, setting a high standard for public education.
That reputation rightly endures — but to ensure it continues, the community must understand the unique challenges and potential approaches to addressing them that Johnson County’s six public districts are facing.
“From shifting demographics to the growing role of technology in the classroom, the past 20 years have been a time of tremendous change for public education in Johnson County,” said Post Publisher Jay Senter. “Thanks to Report for America, we can now dedicate the resources to fully covering K-12 education here, providing in-depth, consistent reporting on the policies, challenges and successes shaping our districts — important coverage about these tremendous community assets that’s simply not being produced right now.”
Have questions about education in Johnson County you’d like answered? Have an idea for a story related to K-12 schools we should consider? Let us know!
Since 2017, Report for America has placed more than 800 journalists
The incoming journalists, including Mellott, bring Report for America’s current, active reporter corps to 200, with 122 continuing their service into their second or third year.
“Our model is built around a simple but powerful idea: when you invest in journalists, you invest in stronger communities,” said Jason Blakeney, director of corps and newsroom excellence at Report for America. “We support corps members with training, mentorship and professional development while helping newsroom partners build long-term sustainability around local reporting. The result is journalism that serves communities now while helping strengthen the future of local news.”
With this incoming cohort, Report for America will have matched more than 800 journalists with local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms and television outlets across the country since its launch in 2017.
To learn more about Report for America and its efforts to rewrite the story of local news one community at a time, please visit www.reportforamerica.org.
How you can help support K-12 reporting in Johnson County
Johnson County Post readers have already donated nearly $10,000 to our fundraising campaign seeking the $30,000 we need to raise for the Post’s share of our Report for America corps member’s compensation.
If you think it’s important to have an independent news organization bringing the community consistent, reliable coverage of K-12 schools, we’re asking you to consider joining the hundreds of readers who have already donated to the Post.
Your donation of any amount will go directly to producing K-12 education reporting that will help our communities understand and navigate the challenges facing our schools.
