A proposed bill would fund a journalism fellowship program for University of Wisconsin System journalism students, matching 25 fellows to a year-long program with a $40,000 salary stipend.
Bill Author Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire, told The Daily Cardinal the goal of the legislation is to encourage reporting skills and kickstart young journalists’ careers.
“We’re talking about the cream of the crop of these students, and if we don’t have places for them to go to get lived experience with these jobs, how are we expecting them to come out of university and go into the field?” Emerson said.
The 25 fellows would be chosen and matched to participating newsrooms by a selection committee of three UW System journalism professors and two journalism industry experts.
Fellowship applicants must have a two or four-year degree in journalism, media, communications or a similar program and exemplify their affinity for increasing access to local journalism and blistering media literacy.
Their $40,000 salary stipend would ultimately stem from the next state budget, with an appropriation in the bill requiring it to be approved as a part of the state budget process — a step Emerson said she typically avoids to prevent “unfunded mandates.”
With the upcoming midterm elections in November, Wisconsin will elect a new governor and control of the state legislature is likely to change, leaving priorities for the next budget cycle largely unknown.
“Let’s make sure that we’re putting our money where our mouth is, and if this is an important program, which I absolutely think that it is, we need to make sure that the funding is there as well,” Emerson said.
Other states like California and New Mexico have passed similar laws implementing journalism fellowship programs meant to bolster local journalism.
California’s two-year program through the University of California, Berkeley is the largest publicly funded journalism program in the country, supporting 74 fellows in the 2025-2026 session. $35 million is invested into the program, and salaries for fellows start at $60,000.
New Mexico’s program is 12 months and includes summer interns in addition to fellows. Although smaller, the program focuses on rural and underserved communities.
“The key to America and to democracy is making sure that we have a thriving journalism practice out there,” Emerson said. “I mean, they’re the ones that keep us and other entities in check.”
