The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) engages journalism professionals, organizations, scholars and communities in programs, tools, resources and workshops aimed at strengthening community-centered journalism through practical innovation.
Join us for our News Founders Workshop! This is a limited seat, off-the-record, workshop that will provide the space, guidance and resources for news founders to figure out the next step for their organizations and themselves.
Dates: November 13 & 14, 2026
Location: Reynolds Journalism Institute, Columbia, Missouri
This experience is two days of hands-on sessions and collaborative activities to workshop a path for founders to the next steps for their org and themselves. Sessions will include succession planning, transitioning to a new role (inside or outside your org), founders syndrome & burnout, financial readiness, merging with another org that aligns with your values & mission, and more. Have an idea for a session you’d love to see included? Send me a note and let me know.
RJI will provide:
- A local hotel room for November 12-15, 2026
- A limited number of flight scholarships to help those most in need attend this workshop
- Breakfast and lunch each day of the workshop, plus a welcome reception with Mizzou faculty and students
- Facilitation of support from RJI and your cohort of founders following the workshop
Join us for the Rural Revenue Transformation Workshop! This workshop is for news, information and community leaders who are located in and serve rural, low-income and geographically dispersed communities.
Dates: May 7 & 8, 2027
Location: Reynolds Journalism Institute, Columbia Missouri
This experience is two days of hands-on sessions and collaborative activities to workshop solutions for news and information leaders in rural communities. We know that the revenue tactics that may work for newsrooms who serve large populations often do not work for those who serve small, low-income, geographically dispersed communities without access to broadband and other civic infrastructure services. We want to help those serving these communities create transformative collaborative solutions, learn from each other and build strategies that will work for their specific needs.
RJI will provide:
- A local hotel room for May 6-9, 2027
- A limited number of flight scholarships to help those most in need attend this workshop
- Breakfast and lunch each day of the workshop, plus a welcome reception with Mizzou faculty and students
- Support following the workshop to help you implement and try at least one idea we came up with together during the workshop
Our sessions will be built from your needs and input, but topics we have already identified from those we’ve talked with are:
- Attracting and retaining talent
- Revenue building methods specific to rural communities
- Philanthropy and grant opportunities
- Communicating news and information without broadband
- Mixed methods mapping for small communities
Questions? Email Kat Duncan Director of Innovation Duncank@rjionline.org
RJI is hosting our annual symposium for a cohort of 30 community-centered journalists who want to come together to share and create thoughtful and actionable ways to serve our communities better.
Dates: May 7 & 8, 2027
Location: Reynolds Journalism Institute, Columbia, Missouri
This experience is for those who want to take a couple days to thoughtfully brainstorm, build and collaborate together across newsrooms, roles, teams and organizations on ideas and solutions that can benefit us all.
This weekend will be considered off the record and conducted under Chatham House rules – you will be able to take anything away from it that will be helpful to your work and utilize it, but will be asked to not quote or reveal who it originated from unless they provide express permission.
This is an opportunity for us to take time to be critical and honest about the work we do, and how we can do it better in service to our communities.
Those accepted into this symposium will receive the following:
- A room at a local hotel for May 6-9, 2027 (3 nights)
- Breakfast & lunch each day of the symposium
- A roundup of all the examples, resources and takeaways shared in the sessions + collaborative results of your work together
- Check-ins (with RJI & your symposium cohort) 3 and 6 months after the symposium to provide ongoing support + share results, challenges and takeaways
- A stipend to try a new idea you learned or developed at the symposium in your newsroom
We want you to attend if:
- You work in a community-centered role, org and/or newsroom
- You’re willing to be honest, open and think critically about your work and your newsroom in this space
- You want to collaborate, work together and share results transparently
- You want to try new-to-you methods of serving your community
- You want to listen to others and learn from their lived experiences
- Your newsroom/org & you are willing to commit to trying something you are exposed to at this symposium, (resources, ideas, methods) and being transparent about results in a published piece at rjionline.org
The topics of the sessions and the resources built from them will be participant-led and inspired, but everything will happen with guidance and support from RJI to ensure that actionable resources, activities and goals are incorporated into the weekend. We will be there to prompt, mediate and make sure every voice in the room is heard and included.
The Challenge
Newsrooms are always searching for new methods to increase revenue and deepen relationships with their communities. One avenue that has been growing across the country is newsrooms designing unique, sometimes funny or clever, but always community-centered, merch.
Whether it’s the $100k that Block Club Chicago raised with their gator watch shirts, the $7000 raised by LOOKOUT with their quick whip up of the Don’t be Patty shirts, or newsrooms building collaborative merch with local community artists – we’ve seen what results in successful merch: designing something that highlights a unique, fun or timely topic in the community that the newsroom is serving.
So this year’s challenge is for student teams to find a newsroom partner and come up with a new merch idea.
Read more about the challenge, rules and timeline.
In this 2-part virtual workshop for beginners, attendees will learn the ins and outs of creating engaging and informative vertical storytelling experiences! According to the 2026 Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute, 77% of people globally consume online news video each week. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are driving this growth. So if you’re not producing storytelling for vertical spaces, you’re not meeting all your potential audiences where they are!
In this fast-paced, practical course, you’ll learn the four key ingredients behind social video that performs. You’ll learn how to structure strong vertical video, write scripts that sound human (not like a news bulletin), and use layered storytelling to pack depth into every second. We’ll explore creative formats that go beyond presenter-led video—using props, filters, and bold ideas to make your content stand out.
This webinar series will cover:
- The four key ingredients behind social video that grabs attention and grows audiences
- Practical apps, tools, and tricks to create standout video—no big budget needed
- Real-world examples and inspiration from media, NGOs, and digital creators
Class 1: October 9, 2026 at 11am CT
Hook them in: the structure of great vertical video
- The anatomy of social video that hooks, holds, and lands
- Four proven hooks to make people stop scrolling and start watching
- Simple, practical techniques to structure your video
Speaking in human: getting the tone right
- Why tone matters
- The building blocks of tone: words, body language, and delivery
- How to spot (and avoid) journalese and unnecessary jargon
- How delivery and body language bring your script to life
Class 2: October 23, 2026 at 11am CT
Say more, faster: mastering content density
- What content density means—and why it matters for social video
- Standout examples of how to pack more into less time
- Practical ways to compress time using visuals, text, and graphics
- How to plan your story in layers using simple scripting frameworks
Make it standout: creative storytelling for social
- Simple ways to make presenter-led video more engaging and less predictable
- Creative ideas from top creators who use props and visual storytelling to stand out
- Inspiring formats across topics—from politics to sport and everything in between
- A hands-on group exercise to develop a creative treatment for a complex story
Participants in this workshop will not only leave with hands-on experience and additional resources to continue their learning at home, but will also be awarded an RJI Certificate of Completion for this training workshop.
Your instructor: Laura Garcia works for BBC’s World Service, making mid-form creative explainers for YouTube as social media specialist focused on vertical video strategy and social media innovation
Your host: Kat Duncan is the Director of Innovation at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. She leads the innovation team and their programs, workshops, partnerships and initiatives.
When this class is full, you can ask to be added to the waitlist by emailing Kat Duncan Duncank@rjionline.org