Western Michigan University's WMUK-FM (Kalamazoo) has been selected by the nonprofit group Report for America to host a journalist beginning next year. WMUK’s reporter will cover stories for a beat called “rural meets metro.” It’s designed to explore the connections between areas which can seem far apart in many ways, including politically. WMUK was one of 30 newsrooms selected this year to join RFA . In total corps members will be working at nearly 220 newsrooms across the United States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.

Report for America places journalists at media outlets across the country, providing partial funding for the positions. RFA, which is part of the GroundTruth project, is seeking a more sustainable model for journalism and to restore trust in media.

“Far too many Americans desperately need reliable, fact-based information to make decisions about their daily lives, and a growing number of local newsrooms are turning to us for support,” said Kim Kleman, senior vice president of Report for America. “We were blown away by the breadth of applications we received, and only wish we had the ability to bring on even more newsrooms this year.”

Now that the newsroom selections have been made, Report for America is seeking talented, service-minded journalists to join its reporting corps—a two-year program (with an option for three years) that delivers a wide range of benefits to its corps members.

“Report for America provides a unique opportunity for journalists to pursue meaningful, local beat reporting that sadly is missing from many of today’s newsrooms,” said Earl Johnson, director of admissions at Report for America. “Beyond talented reporters and photojournalists, we are looking for a diversity of individuals who see journalism as a calling, who want to make a difference within their communities.”

The deadline to apply is Jan. 30, 2023. Report for America is hosting a number of information sessions between now and then. To learn more, visit reportforamerica.org/apply.