The largest publicly-funded news fellowship in the nation is a lifeline.

image of girl looking off into the distance in front of colorful mural

Fellow Mariana Duran. Photo by Pablo Unzueta.

When our democratic institutions are in peril, local journalism provides a lifeline — to accountability and integrity, to shared facts and shared community, to stories that move and connect us.

The California Local News Fellowship program — launched with state funding in 2023 — is infusing local journalism with critical reporting resources across the state. Fellows are reporting on under-represented communities from Humboldt to the Imperial Valley, and in urban, suburban and rural communities in between. And they are having an impact, producing thousands of stories every year that would otherwise not be told.

Please take a moment to view the full impact report here.

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Program Outcomes & Indicators

We have partnered with independent evaluators Impact Architects to conduct comprehensive annual surveys and produce occasional case studies to evaluate the program's impact on newsrooms, fellows and, most importantly, the communities they serve.

2024 Program Assessment

This assessment explores short-term outcomes and examines how the fellowship influences fellows’ professional growth, newsroom sustainability, and the long-term vitality of local news in California.

Read the full report here.

2025 Program Assessment

Coming soon!

Case Studies

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Pablo Orihuela - Fresnoland

Pablo Orihuela was a housing reporter at Fresnoland, where he spent nearly a year covering efforts to keep a mobile home park open and affordable for its residents.

Read the Orihuela/Fresnoland case study.

Kori Suzuki - KPBS

Three San Diego fellows, working at KPBS, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint and inewsource, expanded the region’s coverage of underserved communities.

Read the KPBS/San Diego case study.

Los Angeles Wildfires

In January 2025, wildfires raged through Los Angeles county. Six fellows who covered the fires share their experiences, including how they worked together across newsrooms.

Read the LA Wildfires case study.

Rural Impact

Coming soon!

The Fellowship is a Win - Win - Win!

Fellows are benefiting

89.5% of fellows report that the fellowship has helped them grow as a journalist.

80% of fellows report that the fellowship has made them more likely to remain a journalist.

Newsrooms are benefiting

92.3% of newsroom respondents report that the relationship between their organization and the communities they serve is stronger because of their fellow.

84.6% of newsroom respondents report greater trust with communities.

Communities are benefiting

80.8% of newsroom respondents say that underserved communities have more access to local news.

77% of newsroom respondents report that they do more public service journalism as a result of having a fellow.