Help Journalism Students Bridge News Gaps in Rural Alabama

You’ve probably heard of food deserts—areas with limited access to affordable, nutritious food—but you may not have heard of a news desert. These are communities with limited access to the credible, comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level.

Research has shown that when local news disappears or is diminished, it can have wide-ranging, negative impacts on a community. There are already several Alabama counties that have limited or no local news coverage, and the list is growing. 

Auburn University can help fill some of that void by sending our energetic and enthusiastic journalism students to areas that desperately need community news reporting. Working with the PACERS Rural Community News Network, we would like to fund a semester-long internship so one (or more) of our students can immerse themselves in a specific community and produce regular, impactful reporting.

The funds raised will go toward transportation and/or housing, technology and other necessary expenses. Students will publish their stories on The Auburn Advance, a new digital platform that can be shared through other media outlets and local news platforms when available while still giving them credit.  

This program will not only provide students valuable experience honing their reporting, editing and photography skills, but benefit these communities experiencing a shortage of news coverage. 

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Funds raised in excess of a project’s goal will be used to meet the immediate and emerging needs of said project at the discretion of the sponsoring unit.