Groups launch HBCU Media Collective to promote newsroom diversity

The HBCU Media Collective will place enrolled students in Dow Jones newsrooms from May 19–27, 2023, providing hands-on exposure to help them develop their financial reporting abilities and acquire practical experience. 

Journalism experts have established the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Media Collective as part of their mission to enhance newsroom diversity.

The HBCU Media Collective, a compelling talent incubator also aimed to encourage financial literacy, is a collaborative effort announced between Dow Jones, the global news and business information supplier, and the Columbia Journalism School.

Dr. Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, expressed excitement at working with Dow Jones to provide a transformative experience to a remarkable group of students.

“We’re investing in and training diverse talent to elevate and safeguard the strength of a free press that can build trust among all communities,” Cobb said. “I cannot overstate the importance of this experience to support journalism education, financial acumen, and to build a strong pipeline of diverse talent for news organizations.”

The initiative will place enrolled students in Dow Jones newsrooms from May 19–27, 2023, providing rigorous training and hands-on exposure to help them develop their financial reporting abilities and acquire practical experience working with experienced journalists and leaders at The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and Barron’s in New York. 

Nine aspiring journalists are part of the inaugural cohort, hand-selected by deans or professors from Morehouse and Spelman colleges and Dillard, Howard, Morgan State University, and Texas Southern universities.

“This program reinforces the excellence we strive for in our journalism,”  said Brent Jones, SVP of Training, Culture & Community at Dow Jones, “and the importance of collaboration with external partners who can help us identify exceptional, diverse talent for training and mentoring opportunities.”

The HBCU Media Collective also offers on-site instruction and training with eminent Columbia Journalism School professors to expand students’ comprehension of how financial journalism intersects with sports, politics and culture.

Trust Fellows, an internal professional advancement program; Lehman Journo-Tech Fellows, which integrates data tools and nontraditional journalists in the news-gathering process; and WSJ Finance Reporting Fellowships for early-career journalists are a few additional initiatives by Dow Jones as part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

“We’re eager to see the short- and long-term gains from this exchange of learning and how stories written through the coverage lens of business, finance, and economics can make a difference,” Jones added, “especially in marginalized communities.”

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