Description

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is home to one of the leading schools of journalism in the country serving African-American students. It is also located in one of the regions where news deserts are most prevalent. It is in such news deserts that mis- and dis-information can thrive and democratic participation can falter. FAMU has sought to address this problem in its own city – Tallahassee – by launching a student-staffed news bureau that covers the Florida state house. It proposes to develop a more ambitious plan to leverage university resources to “water” news deserts in Florida and neighboring states. This grant – combined with financial support from the MacArthur Foundation and the Scripps-Howard Foundation – will fund a planning process led by FAMU dean Mira Lowe and involving representatives from other HBCUs, minority-serving institutions, and like-minded organizations in the region.