Reflective Journalism Project: Hope in Desolate Times
Bring your newsroom or publication into alignment with movements for liberation
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED! Check back for our next session details.
Are you a journalist, editor, or media maker committed to justice who wants to align your work and organization with liberation movements? Are you concerned by mainstream media’s misrepresentation of justice movements? Do you want to be part of a growing community of people who see journalism as a tool for liberation?
Join us for Prism’s Reflective Journalism Project: Hope in Desolate Times, an in-depth, interactive 3-part live training workshop and professional development program about how to write, build, and publish an accurate narrative that supports movements for justice.
Our goal is to train, teach, and share strategies with editors, journalists, and media professionals to bring your newsroom or publication into closer alignment with movements for liberation.
To learn more about program details, pricing, and the application process, jump ahead to the sections below—and don’t forget to read the FAQs!
Following the program, participants will have the opportunity to pitch and collaborate on stories for publication at Prism, receive mentorship opportunities and support from Prism journalists and editors, access exclusive movement journalism materials that you can implement in your own newsrooms or publications—and much more!
Seats are limited and reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t wait to apply!
Why are we doing this?
At Prism, we’re proud to situate our work in the growing ranks of movement journalism. Though it may be a recent term, it’s not a recent phenomenon—movement journalism is accountable to the liberation of vulnerable, marginalized people and our planet, a direct challenge to the long-held, mainstream practices that uphold the status quo under the myths of neutrality and objectivity.
In the words of our colleagues and comrades at the journalist collective PressOn:
“Movement journalism is journalism in service to liberation. This does not mean turning journalists into soapboxes for activists, but fostering collaboration between journalists and grassroots movements, and supporting journalism created by oppressed and marginalized people.”
Today, movement journalism is building an accurate record of the organizing, resistance efforts, and communities fighting oppression and is the crucial lifeblood to sustaining movements for collective liberation. Movement journalism is rigorous, principled, and committed, and we believe we need proper training and strategy-building to create an accurate shared narrative that grounds us in times of peril.
We currently contend with a second Trump presidency rife with chaos, fascism, and disinformation. From the ramping up of forced disappearances of immigrants enforced by ICE to increased surveillance and criminalization of marginalized communities to nonstop political theater that intends to destabilize us with fear, exhaustion, and disorientation, movement journalism is a powerful lens that keeps us focused. In an age of mainstream media aiding and abetting fascism and imperialism, our work as movement journalists demands an unwavering commitment to amplifying the resistance efforts, organizing tools, and resources needed to fight oppression and sustain movements for collective liberation.
With us, you’ll be learning from movement journalists who’ve been reporting on the front lines of justice movements and publishers and editors who have built media organizations that are not just mission-driven, but also movement-aligned. We’ll share editorial strategies, tactics, and skills for building relationships with sources, and engagement tools that will maximize your reporting impact, engender trust, and connect with aligned readers.
Program Details
From May 7 to May 21, Prism’s Reflective Journalism Project: Hope in Desolate Times will be hosting three live 90-minute online workshops where participants will learn how to use the editorial tools and applications of movement journalism to enhance their storytelling, activism, and media engagement.
This three-week professional development program is ideal for:
- Journalists, editors, and activists seeking concrete strategies and skills on how to produce and distribute powerful journalism that can reveal truths, shift public opinion, and shine a light on the movements that bring hope in urgent, desolate times
- Organizers seeking training on the publishing process and building relationships with journalists and editors
- Writers and journalists interested in professional development that aligns their political values with the nuts and bolts of journalism and publishing
- Editors, journalists, and managers in newsrooms or publications interested in organizational development and building a workplace culture to bring movement journalism practices to your team
- Managers and team leaders seeking technical skills and workplace policy proposals that implement equitable publishing processes in their organization
- Anyone interested in incorporating a movement journalism/solutions journalism lens in their writing or newsroom practices
We especially encourage editors, writers, and media professionals underrepresented in mainstream media or living on the front lines of injustice to apply.
We are excited to provide an informative and interactive learning experience for our participants through this program. Each session will include two parts:
- Live training sessions (1 hour each). These sessions will be recorded and available for cohort participants to revisit after the program.
- Workshop sessions (30 minutes) with Prism editors, giving participants the opportunity to share, discuss, and develop any stories they are pursuing or hope to pursue.
The breakdown of each session is as follows:
Session 1 (Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 12:00-1:30 PT/3:00-4:30 ET)
- Live training session: (1 hour)
- The power to refuse: Unpacking the journalism industry’s “myth of objectivity,” how it impacts our reporting and infiltrates our editorial processes, and the strategies mainstream media employs to shape public opinion, sow disorder, and manufacture consent. Featuring Prism’s Editor-in-Chief, Lara Witt.
- Workshop: Discussion (30 minutes)
Session 2 (Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 12:00-1:30 PT/3:00-4:30 ET)
- Live training: (1 hour)
- Audience engagement as coalition-building & political education: A deep dive into rejecting capitalist “audience growth” and approaching audience engagement and development as coalition-building, reframing community engagement as political education, informed by and accountable to movements and communities. Featuring Prism’s Audience Director, Shabnam Banerjee-McFarland, and Community Engagement Editor, Yashwina Canter.
- Workshop: Discussion (30 minutes)
Session 3 (Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 12:00-1:30 PT/3:00-4:30 ET)
- Live training: (1 hour)
- Journalism as a tool for collective liberation: An immigration justice centered training that shares the concrete reporting, editing, and publishing methods and principles Prism uses to uplift and protect communities most impacted by injustice and harm. Featuring Prism’s Features Editor, Tina Vásquez.
- Workshop: Q&A (30 minutes)
What to expect from this program
- Professional development training from frontrunners in movement journalism and solutions journalism
- Mentorship opportunities and support from Prism journalists and editors
- Opportunities post-program to pitch and collaborate on stories for publication with Prism
- Networking with a cohort of like-minded writers, editors, activists, and community leaders
- Exclusive office hours with Prism’s Editor-in-Chief, Lara Witt
- Lifetime access to session recordings and workshop materials to revisit after the live trainings
- Prism’s movement journalism “starter pack”
- Anonymous sourcing guide
- Anti-doxxing and safety guide
- Radically inclusive editorial style guide
- Audience growth as coalition building: Connecting with the Right Readers
- A certificate of completion, granted by Prism
Pricing
We are a team of journalists, editors, and media makers who believe in fair, inclusive pricing in the service of accessibility. We also believe in people being paid for their work! You’ll be learning directly from and working with seasoned professionals to train in the rigorous work of movement journalism.
This is a professional development workshop that will build your skills and capacity as a journalist and writer to understand how to align operational processes with your political values—from big picture to the details. As such, for this training we are offering a sliding scale fee based on your organization’s operational budget. As a professional development workshop, we encourage you to secure financial support from your employer to cover the program fee. However, we understand that this might not be possible for everyone who wants to attend these workshops. If you are a freelancer or intend to pay out of pocket, you are still welcome to apply.
Payment plans are available at request—we want to work with you!
Pricing tiers (based on operational budget)
- Individuals and/or orgs under $1.5 million: $350
- Orgs $1.5 million to 5 million: $550
- Orgs above $5 million: $750
We will also be extending two fully-paid scholarship seats in our cohort to account for participants who do not have newsroom or industry support. Scholarship applications are available to those who demonstrate financial need and complete the required questions on the program application. Scholarship decisions are made during the selection process only and are communicated in your decision notification. Please note that these seats will be highly competitive due to their limited quantity. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship seat, please apply via our scholarship application form INSTEAD of the general application form.
Need help convincing your boss or manager to invest in liberation futures and allow you to attend this training? We’ve put together an email template you can use to help you get the approval and professional development funds you need!
What is the Reflective Journalism Project?
The Reflective Journalism Project (RJP) by Prism trains aspiring writers, community leaders, and frontline social justice thinkers and organizers on the editorial process from soup to nuts. Since first running RJP in 2019, our goal has been to build a deep bench of content creators and grow the network of BIPOC writers telling their stories, sharing their experiences, and reporting on issues mainstream media often overlooks.
RJP aims to ensure the white-dominated news media industry no longer uses the excuse “there are no writers of color” to perpetuate homogeneous coverage of what’s happening in our democracy.
Through RJP, Prism offers standalone virtual workshops open to BIPOC seeking to learn more about the editorial process. Prism also offers a six-month editorial fellowship program in partnership with nonprofit organizations to train cohorts of BIPOC leaders or fellows.
This year, we’re opening up and expanding enrollment into the program to serve editors, journalists, and media professionals who are eager to bring their newsroom or publication into alignment with justice and liberation movements.
Check out how we’ve run this program in the past here!
Frequently asked questions
1. When will this program take place?
The program will take place in three sessions over three weeks in May on Zoom (May 7, May 14, and May 21).
2. What is the deadline to apply?
Applications open March 31, 2025 and close April 21, 2025. Keep in mind that we only have 30 seats available, and applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
3. How much does this program cost?
This professional development training is sliding scale with payment plan options available upon request. We are also reserving two needs-based scholarship seats to account for participants who do not have newsroom or industry support. Please refer to our pricing section for further details!
4. How do I pay for this program?
After we’ve reviewed your application, if you are accepted into the cohort, we will send you an email with further details and instructions on how to pay for and attend the program.
5. What should participants prepare before attending the program?
Our goal is to share movement journalism-centered editorial strategies with media makers, editors, and writers interested in using those skills to develop their publication or newsroom in alignment with movements for justice and liberation. As such, we encourage participants to have pitches or projects in mind while attending the program so we can answer questions and help develop these stories toward eventual publication.
6. Will session recordings be available for asynchronous viewing?
Yes! Sessions will be recorded and distributed to the cohort post-program
7. When will I receive my certificate of completion?
Certificates will be emailed to participants no more than two weeks after the program ends on May 21.
Want to learn more before applying?
Contact Prism’s Developmental Editor Rikki Li (rjp@prismreports.org) if you have any questions!
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED! Check back for our next session details.
Testimonials
RJP alums hail from all kinds of publications and organizations, such as Press On, The Institute For Palestine Studies, More Perfect Union, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, The Kansas City Defender, University of Kentucky Public Radio, DC Abortion Fund, and many more. Here are some reflections from our August 2024 cohort:
“Participating in this summer cohort was such an empowering experience and a reminder of why we do the work we do. The Prism staff and facilitators did an incredible job of educating us and uplifting the work of liberation movements that can be better amplified in the media. I hope we can continue to be in community with one another!”
– Michelle Zacarias, staff reporter at Latino Media Collaborative
“I really loved the small-knit community that formed as people were candid throughout the sessions. Biggest takeaway was that there are a plethora of ways to do more thoughtful journalism in service of liberation, but they require clarity, collaboration, and community. This training was immensely clarifying and helpful.”
– James Salanga, co-executive director at The Objective
“As an editor, while I went into the program having a baseline understanding of how editing is not neutral, and that the presentation of neutrality is harmful to journalistic integrity, as someone newer to the field, I left feeling like I had clear areas to direct my attention and rethink my work. Not only that, but I also felt like I had the tools to actually make changes, from technical terminology to an established process for editing and shaping the voice of a publication.”
– Lachlan Thompson, founder of Fortuna Major Press
Read past Reflective Journalism Project’s participants journalism here!