Description

Louisiana State University (LSU)’s Manship School of Mass Communication has for some time employed advanced journalism students in covering the Louisiana state house. But the information needs of Louisiana residents go far beyond the politicking in Baton Rouge. LSU has forged an alliance among eight colleges and universities across the state to address these needs. Each participating institution will partner with a local news organization to supplement its news coverage. Student reporters, working under the supervision of faculty, will be paid to cover under-served communities in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and rural parishes in all regions of the state. They will also work with local news organizations to develop digital strategies that may contribute to their longer-term survival. The participants include HBCUs and private and public universities. Luce funding will help to launch the initiative. We have partnered with the MacArthur Foundation in this effort; LSU plans to raise additional funding locally to reach the target for the first two years of operations.