May 28, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
To make sure journalism continues to serve as democracy’s watchdog while the newspaper industry makes difficult changes, an organization similar to Teach for America is needed to recruit, train, and deploy a new generation of reporters, writes Ken Doctor, the former managing editor of St. Paul’s Pioneer Press, in Minnesota.
On his blog about journalism, Content Bridges, he suggests that big foundations establish a “News Corps” that would support 1,000 young reporters, who would earn $35,000 a year.
“That’s a tab of $35-million a year, a paltry sum by many measures and one that could be funded by a consortium of foundations to keep it free of government taint. News organizations, start-up and legacy, could apply for positions, promising mentorship, learning, and engagement,” he writes.
The group would seek to get college graduates as excited about journalism as Teach for America has about public education.
“Let’s re-kindle the fire,” Mr. Doctor writes, “knowing that a thousand flashlights poking into near and far corners of our communities is a good and timely thing.”
What do you think? Would a News Corps help revitalize the news industry? Would it be a worthwhile project for grant makers?
