News-media news: Future Journalists of America in Oregon; Community Newspaper Week in Nebraska; a job posting . . .

Senior Adri Jolie: “FJA has given me the opportunity

to become a better journalist and to find self-expression

while self-reflecting on the type of media I consume.” 

High-school students in central Oregon have completed their first year in the Future Journalists of America program hosted by The Bulletin in Bend and created by the Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism, a nonprofit founded by EO Media Group, the newspaper's parent company. "The nonprofit’s mission is to stem the decline in Oregon journalism through innovative programming and advocacy," the Bulletin's Jody Lawrence-Turner reports. The teens "learned how to practice quality journalism in rural and metro newsrooms," and gained media literacy through lessons provided by The News Literacy Project, "and designed and launched a digital publication where they’ve published dozens of stories and podcasts," the Bulletin reports. "The two-year program not only inspires youth to pursue a career in journalism, it’s also a path to increasing newsroom diversity and sharing skills for sustaining a digital publication. It demonstrates journalism is evolving to adapt to the digital age, not dying, and there are multiple paths to a career in journalism." The three graduating seniors in the program will study journalism in college. Of the 16 active in the program, four were students of color.

This is Community Newspaper Week in Nebraska, and the McCook Gazette took the opportunity to remind its readers why local journalism is important: "Newspapers provide small communities with a dedicated source of local news, promote community engagement and unity, preserve local history, support local businesses, and ensure that information reaches all residents. Their role in keeping communities informed, connected, and empowered cannot be overstated."

The bipartisan Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying (PRESS) Act has been reintroduced in Congress, CNN reports: "The legislation, which passed the House last year but did not get a vote in the Senate, would safeguard journalists in two important ways. First, it would prevent the government from compelling reporters from being forced to disclose their sources. Second, it would ensure that important data held by a third party, such as a phone or internet company, cannot be seized without notice and providing the ability to challenge the move in court."

Foothills Forum, the foundation that supports reporting at the Rappahannock News in northern Virginia, is seeking a full-time general-assignment reporter, "which will be a significant addition to their current small group of part-time contributors," News Publisher Dennis Brack tells The Rural Blog. Click here for the job posting. Here's a profile of the weekly's new editor.