Hearst Foundation’s $200K grant expands News Lab, establishes fellowship program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The News Lab at Penn State has received a $200,000 grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to expand its existing programs and establish a Hearst Fellowship program with an emphasis on supporting first-generation, transfer and low-income students in journalism. 

The News Lab, housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, trains and pays students to cover stories and document government meetings that matter most to Pennsylvania communities. Since launching in September 2022 under the direction of Maggie Messitt, Eberly Professor of Practice and editorial director of the Bellisario Media Center, the program has proven to be a critical component of student success and an important retention tool for the Bellisario College. 

"We're thrilled that the Hearst Foundation sees value in our unique model — students earning while learning, building careers while serving communities that need coverage," Messitt said. "This funding allows us to scale what we’re already doing well." 

The Hearst Foundation grant, to be used over the span of three years, will enable the News Lab to significantly increase the number of paid positions available to students and enhance professional development opportunities for  students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in journalism. Starting this fall, the funding will establish the Hearst Fellowship program, which formalizes the News Lab's commitment to supporting the student populations who have organically gravitated toward the program in its inaugural years. 

“This grant reflects our commitment to creating sustainable career paths for the next generation of talented journalists. Penn State's News Lab demonstrates the kind of meaningful impact we look for — students gaining professional experience while serving communities that need journalism," said Donna Lagani, co-executive director of the Hearst Foundation.

Addressing critical coverage gaps in journalism and education equity 

The News Lab is composed of three main programs: Centre Documenters, the local reporting cohort, and training and badging. Each program offers students skills development opportunities on campus and outside of their coursework.

Centre Documenters gives students the opportunity to grow their foundational skills, from learning to convey complex government information clearly and accessibly for the general public, to building a beat and attending public meetings. The local reporting cohort offers more advanced students opportunities to develop skills through in-depth fieldwork and investigative and data reporting. And the News Lab’s non-credit training and badging program allows all Penn State students to learn more about the field of journalism, the professional pathways available to them and skills or equipment they may otherwise not engage with until upper-level major-specific classes.

In its first three years, the News Lab has demonstrated remarkable success in attracting and supporting a diverse cohort of student journalists. Among its first 60 paid participants, 16% were federal work study students, and one-third started their studies at a Penn State campus or community college before transitioning to the University campus. Additionally, 83% had not participated in an internship prior to working in the News Lab, and one-third were able to quit off-campus jobs and continue to meet their financial needs through News Lab employment. 

The program's impact extends beyond campus boundaries.  

News Lab student journalists have produced award-winning coverage on under-covered Pennsylvania issues, including investigations into “tranq,” a combination of veterinary tranquilizer and opioids, in rural communities; maternal health care access; and the environmental impact of the East Palestine train derailment and Mariner East II pipeline.

Students have also provided election coverage emphasizing rural voices, data reporting on food insecurity and evictions, and stories around agriculture and aging. Their work has been published or broadcast in more than 70 outlets in Pennsylvania and beyond, including PennLive, the Philadelphia Inquirer, SpotlightPA, WPSU and WVPB. 

Additionally, student documenters attend and document public meetings across six townships in Centre County, bringing greater transparency to lesser-covered local governments. Centre Documenters is the first student-led and first rural program within the national Documenters Network. 

Creating pathways to professional success 

News Lab alumni have secured positions at prominent news organizations, including Cardinal News in Roanoke, Virginia; Spotlight Delaware; Lehigh Valley Public Media; WNEP-TV; the ABC affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; and the business and investment journal the Daily Upside. The News Lab’s professional opportunities and collaborations have proven instrumental in career advancement, with employers specifically citing News Lab experience as a differentiating factor in hiring decisions. 

Samantha Verrelli, a News Lab alum who earned her bachelor’s degree in 2024 and reported on the East Palestine train derailment, said that experience helped her secure her first job at Cardinal News. 

“Interviewing for this job, I was told that the editors at Cardinal hadn't considered college students until they saw my resume — and the first thing they asked about was my experience with the News Lab in East Palestine,” Verrelli said. 

Makenzie Christman, who earned her bachelor’s degree in 2023 and was a member of the News Lab’s inaugural team who covered midterm elections and a complicated tranq investigation, saw the impact of her experience first-hand when she went on the job market.

"The opportunities I was awarded reinforced my belief that I could pursue my passion," Christman said, “and my work in the News Lab helped me secure my first and second job.” 

Supporting student success and retention 

The News Lab is also a unique tool for supporting student retention. For many students, the News Lab embodies components that are critical to staying in school and graduating on time: engaging students beyond the classroom, fostering a sense of belonging and providing crucial financial support. 

Recent data shows that paid, on-campus positions like those in the News Lab play an important role in improving retention rates at Penn State. According to Penn State's University Equity Leadership Council, students with a paid job on campus have an improved retention rate by approximately 7.8%. 

“Getting paid as a reporter in the News Lab helps with the financial burden that college can pose. It is the best of both worlds — you gain professional experience accompanied by financial support,” said Abigail Chachoute, who worked at the News Lab and graduated in May.

The News Lab’s Hearst Fellowship program will increase the number of paid student journalist positions in the local reporting cohort and documenters, fact-checkers and editors in Centre Documenters. In turn, this investment will increase the number of public meetings documenters are able to attend and the coverage student journalists are able to address. 

Gifts like the Hearst Foundation grant advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the Commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.