Strategic Initiative
Workforce Development Pipeline

FUTURE JOURNALISTS OF AMERICA™ 
In partnership with Central Oregon Community College, FORJ is developing a scalable two-year Community Journalism Credential designed for students and adult learners across Oregon.

ombined with the Future Journalists of America™ program, expanded internships, mentorship, and rural newsroom placements, this initiative creates clear, structured pathways from high school to college to employment in community-based news organizations.

Over time, this workforce strategy is designed to help replant news deserts by developing locally rooted journalists in communities with limited or declining coverage.

By strengthening local talent pipelines and supporting publisher capacity simultaneously, FORJ is building the conditions necessary for independent rural and small-town journalism to endure and expand.