Welcome to the Need to Know: Training Edition! Your monthly curated list of professional development resources for journalists and news leaders. Do you have ideas for opportunities to include? Send them our way using this submission form.
ICYMI: Resources from API and partners
>> Better News top five of 2025: A collection of the most read articles and case studies to adapt for your newsroom.
>> Need to Know takeover: Need to Know featured a takeover by the team that launched a creator campaign at the Houston Chronicle. The topic? The work they’ve done with influencers to increase their benchmarks.
Upcoming training opportunities
>> Lenfest Expert Network launch: The Lenfest Institute for Journalism has launched the Lenfest Expert Network, a free service connecting U.S.-based local news organizations with seasoned consultants for short-term engagements (1-6 months) focused on sustainability, audience growth and digital transformation. Up to 40 newsrooms will be selected per round and can access strategic support from experts in areas like revenue, product, organizational design and more.
>> Community conversation on neurodivergence at work: This free session, on Monday, Dec. 8, at 3:30 p.m. ET, will explore how neurodivergence shows up in workplace relationships while offering strategies for building more supportive systems and workflows. It is designed for neurodivergent staff, neurotypical colleagues, people managers and neurodivergent leaders seeking stronger tools for navigating inclusive, effective workplace dynamics.
>> Using comedy to help audiences understand the news: News Creator Corps will host an online masterclass on Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET with Emmy-winning journalist and comedian Josh Burstein, who will teach how improv and standup techniques can make news delivery more engaging across formats like monologues, explainers and sketches. Participants are encouraged to bring a story concept to workshop live.
>> Can AI help us listen to each other?: The Good Conflict team will host a free webinar on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET on how AI can support better listening, build trust and help people prepare for difficult conversations, including a demonstration of its new LoopingAI tool; registration is required.
>> Computation + Journalism Symposium 2025: The C+J Symposium will take place Dec. 11–12 with two full days of talks, workshops and roundtables on “Data Journalism Under Autocracy,” exploring how rising authoritarianism threatens trustworthy data and the work of journalists and academics. Tickets cost $150 for the public and $30 for students and include parking, meals and a reception.
>> The Stringer Foundation journalism grants: TSF is accepting applications through Dec. 31 for grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to support diverse creators working in any public media who investigate abuses of power, expose injustice and defend truth.
>> George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop: The Medill School at Northwestern University is now accepting applications for its 2026 workshop, an eight-day, fully funded creative-writing intensive for mid-career journalists working on their first novel. The workshop will take place July 7 – 15 in Evanston, Ill., with a deadline to apply of Jan. 12, 2026.
🎯 2026 fellowship opportunities
>> Kiplinger Fellowship: The Kiplinger Program at Ohio University is now accepting applications for the 2026 fellowship, themed “Saving Local News: A Practical Guide,” which will be held May 11–14 on the Athens campus; the deadline to apply is Dec. 7.
>> The Argument fellowship: The Argument is offering a year-long fellowship (Jan.– Dec. 2026) for early-career writers interested in shaping opinion journalism. Based in Washington, D.C., the program provides one-on-one editorial mentorship, monthly lectures at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center, workshops in data literacy and framing, and a $50,000 salary with health benefits. Fellows select one of four focus areas — abundance & economic policy, gender/families/culture, technology & society, or polling & political analysis — and must apply by Dec. 13 with a cover letter, writing samples and story ideas.
>> MVJ-Wyncote/Resolve Philly fellowship: The program, offered in collaboration by Military Veterans in Journalism, the Wyncote Foundation and Resolve Philly, is a six-month, paid in-person reporting fellowship based at the Germantown Info Hub in Philadelphia that starts in early 2026. Open to U.S. military veterans who are transitioning to or working as early-career journalists, the fellowship offers $23 per hour for a 40-hour work week and emphasizes community-driven and solutions-oriented coverage of Germantown and Overbrook neighborhoods. The application deadline is Dec. 14.
>> Shaufler Prize in Journalism: The Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Shaufler Prize, recognizing outstanding U.S. journalism that advances understanding of underserved communities, including people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and people with disabilities. Entries must have been published or aired between Sept. 1, 2024, and Sept. 1, 2025, and submissions are due Monday, Dec. 15; the prize awards a total of $20,000 across professional and student categories.
>> FASPE Journalism Fellowship: The FASPE program is awarding fellowships to 13–16 journalism students and early-career professionals for a fully funded, two-week study retreat in Germany and Poland from June 19 to July 3, 2026, where participants explore historical cases of journalistic complicity and modern ethics, leadership and technology. Applications are open through Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.
>> Hearst Journalism Fellowship 2026: Hearst Newspapers is accepting applications through Jan. 5 for its two-year fellowship, which includes two 12-month rotations in newsrooms such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Albany Times Union or select Connecticut publications. Fellows receive full-time paid employment with benefits, mentoring, cutting-edge digital and investigative training, relocation support and the chance to build a long-term career in one of the nation’s largest newsroom networks.
>> NICAR26 fellowship: Investigative Reporters and Editors is accepting applications through Jan. 5 for its NICAR26 Fellowship, which supports attendance at the March 5 – 8 conference in Indianapolis with free registration, a travel stipend of up to $500, four hotel nights and a one-year IRE membership. Applicants must meet IRE’s journalism-related membership standards, and fellowship eligibility renews every three years.
>> Tarbell Fellowship: The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is accepting applications for its 12-month fellowship designed for early- and mid-career journalists to specialize in covering artificial intelligence. The program includes a 10-week remote AI journalism fundamentals training, a week-long summit in the San Francisco Bay area, and a nine-month placement at a leading newsroom. Stipends range from about $60,000 to $80,000 for standard fellows and $90,000 to $110,000 for senior fellows; applications close Jan. 7.
>> MIT Knight Science Journalism academic-year fellowship: The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT is inviting applications for its 2026-2027 fellowship, a nine-month paid opportunity open to full-time journalists with at least three years of experience in science, health, technology or environment reporting. Fellows receive an $85,000 stipend, housing and travel support, health insurance coverage, and spend their time auditing courses at MIT and Harvard, attending seminars, field trips and completing a personalized journalism research project. Applications close Jan. 9, 2026.
>> O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism: Marquette University’s O’Brien Fellowship is a nine-month, full-time reporting residency that provides a $75,000 stipend, project and travel funding, relocation assistance and support from graduate student researchers to complete an in-depth public service journalism project. Fellows spend the academic year in Milwaukee while reporting nationally or internationally as needed, must have at least five years of professional journalism experience, and aim for work with significant public impact and newsroom publishing partnerships. The deadline is Feb. 15, 2026.
