With the support of a new $105,000 grant, the West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism will continue to help West Virginia’s rural newspapers transition to the digital age.

Recently, the School’s online journalism project, “West Virginia Uncovered,” was awarded a second grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. It is the fifth grant the project has received since its inception in 2008.

This most recent grant will pay to place student interns at participating newspapers. Students will be provided a stipend and the necessary equipment needed to produce multimedia stories for the newspapers.

The money will also be used to develop and implement workshops to train citizen journalists to submit photos and stories to their community newspapers and to provide website consultation to the partner newspapers.

Project Coordinator Mary Kay McFarland says she is looking forward to continuing to strengthen the impact of rural newspapers in their communities.

“It’s an honor to have the support of the Benedum Foundation as we work to strengthen community newspapers in West Virginia,” said McFarland. “We believe that the newspapers we work with are at the heart of their communities’ information systems. As they adapt to online journalism, they have the ability to connect people and resources and to give every person a voice like never before.”

Associate Professor John Temple and a small group of students launched “West Virginia Uncovered” in 2008 to help the state’s rural newspapers adapt to the demands and opportunities of the digital age. During these first two years, the project has grown to include more than a dozen partner newspapers from around the region.

With funding now totaling nearly $400,000, Temple says that the project’s growth and reach are due, in large part, to philanthropic giving.

“Without the guidance and financial support of the Benedum Foundation, this project’s impact never would have gained this kind of scope,” Temple said. “Benedum has greatly influenced the direction we’ve taken with ‘West Virginia Uncovered.’ “

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has served West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania since it was established in 1944 by Michael and Sarah Benedum. Grants are made to support specific initiatives in the areas of Education, Economic Development, Health and Human Services, and Community Development.

In 2009, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation awarded the West Virginia Uncovered project $85,000. Other funding includes a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, a two-year $85,000 grant from the McCormick Foundation and a $10,700 WVU Grant for Public Service.

WVU
cv/10/11/10

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CONTACT: Kimberly Brown, School of Journalism
304-293-3505, ext. 5403