Wage


Bridging the News Gap: A New Fellowship to Cover Education, Workforce, and the Innovation Economy
Driven by the AI boom and sweeping federal industrial policies, massive public and private investments are fundamentally reshaping American communities, education systems, and the workforce. Yet, as these profound economic shifts accelerate, the local journalism required to document them is rapidly disappearing—leaving voters and communities without crucial information about how these changes impact their daily lives. To bridge this critical gap, New America and the nonprofit newsroom Work Shift have partnered to launch the "Future of Work Reporting Fellowship," an initiative designed to fund and support local journalists covering the intersection of regional economies, technological shifts, and workforce education.
The Double Threat: Tech Booms and Dwindling Local News. Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, the fallout from the pandemic, and the enactment of major industrial policies under both the Biden and Trump administrations, unprecedented capital has flowed into tech-driven economic development across the United States. These investments are actively restructuring public education, labor markets, and regional economies. However, the media's capacity to cover this transformation is in steep decline.
According to the Poynter Institute, the U.S. has lost roughly 75% of its local journalists per 100,000 residents since the early 2000s. This collapse in place-based reporting arrives just as public debates over AI and advanced technologies take center stage in political campaigns. This dual crisis—vanishing local news colliding with breakneck technological disruption—creates a massive blind spot for policymakers, business leaders, and everyday families trying to navigate the future of work.
A New Initiative for Place-Based Reporting. To combat this trend, the Future of Work and Innovation Economy initiative at the think tank New America is teaming up with Work Shift to launch the Future of Work Reporting Fellowship. The program aims to shore up local journalism capacity at the critical crossroads of workforce education, technological innovation, and regional economic shifts.
The institutions at the heart of these changes are vast and varied. They include K-12 schools, universities, community colleges, libraries, national laboratories, industry associations, workforce development boards, labor unions, economic development agencies, and grassroots community groups.
The fellowship is designed to equip place-based reporters, freelancers, and multimedia storytellers with essential funding, professional development, and a collaborative community of practice.
Project Scope and Community Impact Fellows will produce reporting aimed at the general public, with a specific focus on education administrators, local policymakers, and industry leaders in regions where tech-based economic development is actively intersecting with education.
Potential story angles include:
  • Federal & Local Impact: Tracking the implementation of federal industrial policy investments from agencies such as the Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Agriculture, as well as the NIH, DARPA, and the NSF.
  • Innovation Hubs: Examining the state of communities situated near national laboratories or ManufacturingUSA Institutes.
  • The Philanthropy Boom: Investigating how a forthcoming "third wave of philanthropy," fueled by the AI boom, is reshaping technology-driven change at the local level.
Format, Deliverables, and Deadlines: The fellowship encourages in-depth, long-form journalism. Fellows may work in any medium—including prose, audio documentaries, video features, or photo essays—provided the final project takes the form of a special in-depth article, a multimedia package, or a serialized series. All completed projects must be published by the conclusion of the fellowship period in August 2027.
How to Apply New America and Work Shift are currently accepting applications for the inaugural Future of Work Reporting Fellowship cohort. The deadline to apply is July 24, 2026, with the selected awardees to be announced in the fall.