Reynolds Journalism Institute

The 82nd Pictures of the Year competition is accepting entries through Jan. 12, 2025. In addition to a wide range of categories, including photographer of the year and international photographer of the year, POY will also feature topical categories for coverage of the U.S. presidential election and Olympic sports. “So many impactful photographs come from daily reporting on the issues and events that matter to people,” said Marie D. De Jesús, director of POY and its sister competition for college students, College Photographer of the Year. “It’s important for photojournalists to know that they don’t need to be on a special assignment to take award-worthy photos. There are opportunities to ‘show truth with a camera’ everywhere.” Sponsored by Nikon, the competition will be the first under the leadership of De Jesús, who joined RJI as POY director earlier this year, and it will also be the first to leverage RJI’s positioning at the Missouri School of Journalism with an innovative mentorship program.

Job opening: Reynolds Journalism Institute Learning Center Project Manager This position will lead a collaborative project to create, launch and operate a comprehensive service to help local news organizations learn about and deploy digital tools and applications that will generate revenue, create efficiencies and grow audiences. The service will have three levels: do-it-yourself content, free consulting by journalism student ambassadors, and coding and more complex technology work offered on a discounted, fractional services model by RJI partner, the Local Media Consortium. This position is funded for three years by the Knight Foundation and, depending on the success of the project, could be converted to a full-time position in RJI. To learn more, click the link below, scroll to Academic & Staff Positions and click the appropriate link under Staff positions. Search for job ID 54227.

2025 prediction: "Journalists explain legislative procedure" by Nik Usher. From Nieman Journalism Lab's Predictions for Journalism series. Usher is an associate professor in communication at the University of San Diego and a 2014-2015 RJI Fellow.

RJI has been impact-oriented since opening its doors in 2008, but this year set a new standard for delivering practical resources to community newsrooms and the broader industry. Here is a look back at some of 2024’s highlights.

Early career journalists enter newsrooms with robust reporting, writing, and multimedia skills, but they often lack the workplace skills — setting up meetings, communicating professionally, pitching ideas — required to assimilate into an organization with ease. Rachel Schallom Lobdell is working with RJI to develop resources to arm early career journalists with the professional and organizational knowledge necessary to start new roles on the right foot and set themselves up for success. As a first step, we want to hear from newsroom editors who work with entry-level journalists to take stock of where there are opportunities for coaching. Please take our survey, using the link below. It will take six minutes to complete. Thank you for your time.

Job opening: Reynolds Journalism Institute Learning Center Project Manager This position will lead a collaborative project to create, launch and operate a comprehensive service to help local news organizations learn about and deploy digital tools and applications that will generate revenue, create efficiencies and grow audiences. The service will have three levels: do-it-yourself content, free consulting by journalism student ambassadors, and coding and more complex technology work offered on a discounted, fractional services model by RJI partner, the Local Media Consortium. This position is funded for three years by the Knight Foundation and, depending on the success of the project, could be converted to a full-time position in RJI. To learn more, click the link below, scroll to Academic & Staff Positions and click the appropriate link under Staff positions. Search for job ID 54227.

In 2024, the RJI Innovation in Focus series partnered with 18 newsrooms across the country to build community-focused projects. The short-term innovative experiments included creating merch with local artists, designing interactive maps, distributing zines with election information and building impact reports.

The 82nd Pictures of the Year competition is accepting entries through Jan. 12, 2025. In addition to a wide range of categories, including photographer of the year and international photographer of the year, POY will also feature topical categories for coverage of the U.S. presidential election and Olympic sports. “So many impactful photographs come from daily reporting on the issues and events that matter to people,” said Marie D. De Jesús, director of POY and its sister competition for college students, College Photographer of the Year. “It’s important for photojournalists to know that they don’t need to be on a special assignment to take award-worthy photos. There are opportunities to ‘show truth with a camera’ everywhere.” Sponsored by Nikon, the competition will be the first under the leadership of De Jesús, who joined RJI as POY director earlier this year, and it will also be the first to leverage RJI’s positioning at the Missouri School of Journalism with an innovative mentorship program.

Penny Riordan: This year, more and more publishers have revisited events in earnest, and are seeing results both in the virtual and in-person space. If you are looking to launch an events plan, here's some advice on how to get started.

Early career journalists enter newsrooms with robust reporting, writing, and multimedia skills, but they often lack the workplace skills — setting up meetings, communicating professionally, pitching ideas — required to assimilate into an organization with ease.    Rachel Schallom Lobdell is working with RJI to develop resources to arm early career journalists with the professional and organizational knowledge necessary to start new roles on the right foot and set themselves up for success. As a first step, we want to hear from newsroom editors who work with entry-level journalists to take stock of where there are opportunities for coaching. Please take our survey, using the link below. It will take six minutes to complete. Thank you for your time.