ITHACA, N.Y. — The Ithaca Voice has been selected as a host newsroom for Report for America, a nationwide program that places reporters with newsrooms in areas that need more robust news coverage.
The Voice is one of 60 newsrooms across the country selected for the Report for America program in 2024, which has now matched more than 650 journalists with local news organizations since its 2017 launch.
Through the program, The Ithaca Voice will welcome Fernando Figueroa, a senior at the University of Florida, to our newsroom. Figueroa will take on the local environmental beat when Report for America journalists start in July — the first time The Ithaca Voice will have a designated environmental beat reporter on staff, at a time when environmental coverage could not be more crucial.
Figueroa’s work has appeared in WUFT, a PBS-affiliate newsroom in Gainesville, Florida, as well as student-run newspaper The Independent Florida Alligator.
“We’re ecstatic to have Fernando coming aboard and thankful to Report for America for choosing us to participate,” said Ithaca Voice Editor-in-Chief Matt Butler. “Fernando impressed us with his past work and will bring dynamic, insightful coverage of the environment. His hiring will expand our newsroom’s capabilities and as a result, we will be able to provide a wider scope of reliable, accurate news for our readers.”
With five full-time journalists on staff, The Ithaca Voice will have a bigger staff than ever before. You can support our mission to keep local news free and accessible as we continue to strive for a higher level of coverage for our audience.
“Report for America extends a welcoming hand to journalists from diverse backgrounds, encouraging them to add their experience, perspective, and talent to local newsrooms nationwide. These storytellers help ensure that under-covered communities and issues receive the attention they deserve,” said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and alumni engagement at Report for America. “Here, journalists find not just a job but a calling—a chance to make a profound difference where it matters most.”
While many of the incoming corps members have produced award-winning work in prior newsrooms, Report for America collaborates with top journalists and journalism organizations to provide training opportunities that will help sharpen their skills, enrich their craft, and build resilience. Additionally, Report for America’s regional managers — deeply experienced, award-winning journalists — are assigned to support every corps member and partner newsroom.
“Today’s newsrooms have become so lean that it can be difficult for them to provide the mentorship and support that early-career journalists are looking for,” said Rachel Rohr, vice president of program development at Report for America. “By sharing resources and creating opportunities for peer networking, we can strengthen their reporting and well-being.”
Report for America also leverages an innovative three-to-one regional funding match model, paying up to half of a corps member’s salary, while its local sustainability team trains newsroom partners to raise the other half from local funders. This approach promotes collaborative investment in local journalism, increasing the chances of sustaining local reporting, for the community, by the community.
Report for America’s work is made possible by the Knight Foundation, Google News Initiative, Microsoft, Spring Point Partners, Vere Initiatives, Joyce Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Walton Family Foundation in partnership with the Missouri School of Journalism, The Hearthland Foundation, The Just Trust, Posner Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, Tow Foundation, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Park Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and other leading philanthropic partners.
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