PMJA Editor Corps Gets $45K Boost from CPB

Public Media Journalists Association project provides editing help

May 20, 2021

(May 20, 2021) -- The Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) Editor Corps is accepting new requests for editing help from public media newsrooms through an additional $45,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The program, launched by PMJA last year, provides critical pop-up editing help to public media newsrooms facing significant burdens, including small and rural newsrooms.

“The PMJA Editor Corps has provided emergency assistance to public media newsrooms that have been working around the clock to provide trusted and much-needed news and information during this pandemic,” said Kathy Merritt, CPB senior vice president, journalism, radio, and community service grant services. “CPB is pleased to support this program, which provides immediate help where it is most urgent.”

PMJA launched the Editor Corps in April 2020, first as an emergency response to stations facing significant burdens during the coronavirus pandemic. For more than a year, PMJA has worked with experienced public media editors to provide pandemic-related guidance. It has also expanded to include assistance for special projects, elections coverage, and other breaking news. Editors, who are assigned daily to stations requesting assistance, are paid directly by the Editor Corps and are provided at no cost to the public media stations.

“PMJA is thrilled that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has agreed to continue funding what we see as a critical need in the system,” said Christine Paige Diers, Interim Executive Director of PMJA. “To date, we’ve provided more than 1,500 hours of editorial assistance to a wide variety of stations across the country and have received excellent feedback from both editors serving in the Corps and from stations that have used the service.”

Funding for the project was originally provided by PMJA Conference sponsors, who agreed to have their sponsorship dollars re-directed to this program after PMJA canceled its 2020 conference. That initial funding was provided by NPR, PRX, CPB and the Knight Foundation. In July 2020, CPB committed an additional $60,000 to the program.

PMJA membership is not required to request an editor. Editors are assigned based on individual availability and funding. While every effort is made to fulfill requests, PMJA may need to prioritize requests. In that event, priority is given to stations demonstrating the most urgent need, particularly small and rural stations. To find out more, go to https://www.pmja.org/post/pmja-editor-corps-faq.

About the Public Media Journalists Association
Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) (formerly known as PRNDI) is a three-decades-old organization that continues to serve all journalists in the public media system from news directors to managing editors to reporters and digital content producers. In 2018, PMJA formed a sister 501(c)(3) organization: the Public Media Journalism Foundation (PMJF). Through long-standing relationships with local radio stations, networks, and others who serve and work in the public media system, PMJA and PMJF are uniquely positioned to provide training and other services to the more than 100 public radio member stations, which employ the 1,100 journalists working in public media nationwide.

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmediaFacebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates. 

Categories: CPB Funding, Journalism