The Associated Press will create a new reporting network aimed at deepening the news cooperative’s U.S. education coverage and strengthening education reporting across the news industry.
With philanthropic funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the AP Education Reporting Network will produce stories over the next two years that assess the long-term impact of the pandemic’s disruption to the U.S. education system and students.
The team will work closely with local news outlets across the U.S. and education journalism organizations to find opportunities to collaborate and share coverage, and will connect local journalists with health and economy reporters, AP reporters in all 50 states, local and national policymakers and diverse experts in related fields.
“This is an ambitious national initiative that will significantly strengthen the education journalism ecosystem. It will increase the volume and quality of coverage available to AP’s member news organizations, and expand the reach and capabilities of specialized nonprofit outlets,” said Julie Pace, AP senior vice president and executive editor. “We are redefining what it means to be a news cooperative by providing tools to help local newsrooms succeed.”
AP’s education coverage will focus on future implications for the workplace and economy, as well as opportunities for systemic change and innovation in U.S. schools.
“American schools have long struggled to confront inequity in the search of ensuring that every student has access to a quality education,” said Noreen Gillespie, AP deputy managing editor for U.S. news. “This work funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York ensures that reporting on the legacy of the pandemic’s disruption to U.S. schools will be a key editorial priority for AP and its member newsrooms.”
“The Corporation’s support for the AP Education Reporting Network reflects two longstanding priorities: education as the foundation of our democracy and journalism as a vital public service,” said Julia Weede, chief communications officer of Carnegie Corporation of New York. “At a time when local and regional news is all but disappearing, Americans need access to information about our schools, teachers, students and policies. The reporting network will meet this need by strengthening and expanding education journalism and helping to ensure a better, more equitable education for our children.”
AP will add three positions, including a news director, accountability journalist and data journalist, who will work closely with the news agency’s existing education team to produce the network’s coverage.
AP works with a variety of philanthropic organizations, including Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Lilly Endowment, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Report for America and others, to tackle traditionally under-covered topics in journalism.
More information about how AP works with outside groups is available online.
Contact
Lauren Easton
Global Director of Media Relations and Corporate Communications
The Associated Press
212-621-7005
leaston@ap.org
