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.
>> API announces 2026 summits: Find out where we’ll be and what we’re focusing on for our summit season in 2026, a year marked by elections, the semiquincentennial and a celebration of 80 years of the American Press Institute.
>> What content creators want you to know: Marlene Harris-Taylor asked a group of seven creators, including members of our second influencer learning cohort, about how your news organization can work most effectively with them in our latest installment in API’s Guide to Influencer Collaborations.
>> Partnering with communities to grow local journalism: Four strategies for empowering communities with skills and opportunities to have influence in their local news ecosystem, shared by attendees of the API Local News Summit on Inclusion, Belonging and Local Leadership.
Upcoming training opportunities
>> Leading productive community conversations: The Sustained Dialogue Institute is hosting a three-part online training Jan. 7–9 that teaches participants how to use the Sustained Dialogue process to facilitate constructive conversations across deep divides. Designed for facilitators, community leaders and pairs of co-facilitators, the series covers dialogue fundamentals, equitable facilitation tools, conflict analysis and moving groups toward collective action, with no prior experience required.
>> How to find good health information to share with your audience: News Creator Corps is hosting a class Friday, Jan. 9, from 1 to 2 p.m. EST for creators and journalists seeking trustworthy health and medical sources. Led by Dr. Kristen Panthagani, a Yale Emergency Scholar and founder of the health and science newsletter You Can Know Things, the session will offer practical guidance on finding accurate, credible health information amid widespread misinformation.
>> 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.
>> Following the money in midterms: The National Press Club Journalism Institute and OpenSecrets will host a free webinar Friday, Jan. 16, at noon EST to help local and regional journalists cover the midterms using campaign finance data. The session will walk through OpenSecrets tools, including the “Get Local!” donations tracker, and share strategies for finding, downloading and incorporating public data into accountability-focused election reporting. The one-hour virtual event is open to journalists and members of the public.
>> Addressing Health Disparities Fellowship 2026–27: The Solutions Journalism Network is accepting applications through Jan. 16 for a 12-month fellowship supporting U.S. newsrooms that cover Latino communities. Seven selected newsrooms will receive a $14,000 grant, including travel support for a journalism conference in 2027, plus training, coaching and mentorship in solutions-focused health equity reporting.
>> Tactics and frameworks to help creators combat extremism across topics: News Creator Corps is hosting an online class Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 1 to 2 p.m. EST for creators and journalists covering extremist content and disinformation. Led by media expert A.W. Ohlheiser, the session will explore how extremists gain attention online, how to evaluate and report responsibly on extremist material, and how to minimize harassment or amplification while helping audiences understand the information environment.
>> CoGenerate Community of Practice: This four-session community of practice is currently open for registration and invites members of youth-centered organizations to reimagine civic engagement by building multigenerational collaboration and shared solutions across age groups. Participants engage in peer learning, facilitated sessions and resource sharing to strengthen programs, narratives and policies that bridge generations and advance social impact. The first of the once-monthly sessions begins Jan. 22.
>> Nonprofit News Business Certificate: CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism is accepting applications through Jan. 30 for its nine-month Nonprofit News Business Certificate, a hybrid, project-based program designed to help nonprofit news leaders build sustainable organizations. The curriculum covers revenue strategy, governance, fundraising, audience development, product and operations, and culminates in a capstone project with coaching and instruction from industry experts. The program begins March 19, 2026 and runs until March 2027 (with a break for the summer).
>> Understanding nonprofit law: Blue Avocado will host a live webinar with author Elizabeth Schmidt on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. EST, offering practical guidance for nonprofit leaders on legal compliance. The session will cover mission-driven leadership, governance and fiduciary duties, advocacy rules, and the importance of documentation and public disclosure, with time for live Q&A.
>> RJI fellowships call for proposals 2026: The Reynolds Journalism Institute is now accepting applications for its 2026 fellowships, inviting individuals and organizations to propose practical, innovative projects that support community-centered journalism. Fellowship projects must be built, tested and launched during the fellowship period and be free and accessible to journalists and the public, with an emphasis on real-world impact and field-wide usefulness. Information session Jan. 8, deadline to apply Feb. 6.
📍Bookmark these training resources
- News Media Help Desk: a collection of resources, including case studies, how-to guides, explainers, a third party tools scorecard and more
- Journalism master grant and fellowship list: Upcoming deadlines and more details for individual and institutional grants and fellowships, by Diane Sylvester and Damaso Reyes
- A yearly planning workbook that helps you figure out your values and priorities while letting go of the things that are no longer priorities
