To continue providing pro bono legal support for journalists of color and newsrooms led by journalists of color, the Reporters Committee of Freedom of the Press received a $300,000 grant from the NBCUniversal News Group.
Through the grant, the Reporters Committee will be able to continue to offer its Race Equity in Journalism Fellowship for the next three years. It will now be known as the NBCU News Group Equity in Journalism Fellowship.
The fellowship, which began in 2020 and received initial support from Borealis Philanthropy, will conduct focused outreach to journalists of color and newsrooms led by journalists of color to better understand and support their unique legal needs—through pro bono legal services, resources and training.
NBCU News Group chairman Cesar Conde said in a statement, “Newsrooms build trust with their audiences when they reflect the communities that they serve.”
He added that the organization is “delighted” to partner with the Reporters Committee and their mission to protect the legal rights of journalists, particularly in historically underserved communities.
“We are immensely grateful to NBCU News Group for their generous gift, which is crucial to our efforts to understand and meet the legal needs of journalists of color—and newsrooms that are led by journalists of color,” said Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press executive director Bruce Brown. “We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve done so far in partnership with Borealis Philanthropy—and look forward to building upon that progress, to ensure all journalists can continue to produce vital reporting for their communities all across the country.”
The first NBCU News Group Race Equity in Journalism Fellow will start at the Reporters Committee this fall.