California Local News Fellowship

The California Local News Fellowship, a state-funded initiative housed at UC Berkeley, is accepting applications from California newsrooms for its fourth cohort. The program aims to strengthen local reporting across the state, with a focus on underserved communities.

Fellowship Opportunities

  • Reporting Fellows: Open to new and returning host newsrooms whose prior fellows finish by September 2026.

  • Editing Fellows: A new one-year pilot in partnership with the Maynard Institute, focused on developing early-career editors. Open to all newsrooms, including those currently hosting a reporting fellow.

Eligibility & Criteria
Newsrooms should:

  • Produce consistent, original local reporting

  • Understand and serve their communities’ information needs

  • Follow professional journalistic ethics

  • Demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion

  • Provide a clear plan for incorporating and supporting a fellow

Opportunity offered by:

UC Berkeley School of Journalism

UC Berkeley is one of the greatest public universities in the world, a center of innovation and a destination for thought leaders in politics, science, the arts – all areas…
Online application form
Contact for application information
Opportunity type

Fellowship

Location(s) where available

California

Areas of focus

Local Journalism

Applications accepted starting:
November 18, 2025
Application deadline:
December 15, 2025
This is a recurring opportunity