RJI Innovation Team

Join us to ask questions about hosting an RJI Student Innovation Fellow in your newsroom this summer! bit.ly/Summer2026Q-A

Building a civic health guide that inspires action and education Lessons learned from creating Sioux Falls 101.

Building a civic health guide that inspires action and education rjionline.org/news/buildin...

Enter the RJI Student Innovation Competition! First place prize is $10,000. Any US based college student/team is welcome to apply. rji.submittable.com/submit/33207...

Covering the drug supply, risks and trends Educating readers, listeners, and viewers about drugs, risks, and their effects—without overstating threats

Educating readers, listeners, and viewers about drugs, risks, and their effects — without overstating threats rjionline.org/news/coverin...

Subscribe to our monthly innovation newsletter to keep up with all our deadlines, programs and opportunities! bit.ly/innovnewsrji

The bridge role: How newsrooms can connect immigrant communities with decision-makers We built an editorial product to promote change and connect communities that have unequal access to power.

We built an editorial product to promote change and connect communities that have unequal access to power. rjionline.org/news/the-bri...

Report like an anthropologist From ethnographic interviews to semiotic mapping: Small newsrooms can do big things, you just need the right tools.

From ethnographic interviews to semiotic mapping: Small newsrooms can do big things, you just need the right tools. rjionline.org/news/report-...

Introducing the Science Reporting Navigator Use the navigator to help you integrate science into any story.

If you’re emailing a scientist, you’ll find an email template ready to copy, paste, and customize. If you’re reporting on a new study, you can complete a worksheet to help you construct a rough draft with the key elements in place. rjionline.org/news/introdu...

Creative experiments in fundraising, from shared proceeds to microgiving and countdown clocks A conversation with Mariko Chang, Honolulu Civil Beat.

Read about how Honolulu Civil Beat put the fukubukuro in fundraising rjionline.org/news/creativ...

Anonymous portraiture The presence in absence.

In our workshops, students have shared images from anonymous portrait sessions asking, “Is this anonymous enough?” To which we respond: “Why are you asking us? Ask the individual in the photograph.”

rjionline.org/news/anonymo...

How Colorado Sun let employees become their own bosses The outlet changed its business model to give journalists a “voice and a vote.“

The outlet changed its business model to give journalists a “voice and a vote” rjionline.org/news/how-col...

Help RJI Fellow Claudia Amaro learn the needs of your newsroom bit.ly/amarosurvey

Subscribe to our monthly innovation newsletter to keep up with all our deadlines, programs and opportunities! bit.ly/InnovTeamNews

Anthropology and journalism are close kin. Both disciplines use similar methods to engage and build trust with communities. Join us for a two-part workshop for reporters to refine existing methods and learn new ones from anthropology. Register here: bit.ly/AnthroJournoWorkshop

How to find grant money for your next local reporting project Funders, application tips and getting started.

How to find grant money for your next local reporting project rjionline.org/news/how-to-...

Today is the day! The launch Science Reporting Navigator, a learning course to help journalists integrate science into every beat. Check it out: rjionline.org/news/introdu...

Newsletter A/B tests you can try — and how to set it up Experimenting by adding links and generating AI summaries for newsletters.

Newsletter A/B tests you can try — and how to set it up rjionline.org/news/newslet...

Introducing the Local News Go Bag Toolkit This resource provides news outlets with a set of tools and templates to begin preparing and refining their emergency coverage.

The local news go bag platform helps prepare and support local newsrooms, journalists, and communities facing and reporting on natural and environmental disasters rjionline.org/news/introdu...

Making the case for youth media to newsroom leadership Why youth media is worth the investment.

We cover four ways a youth media program can benefit a newsroom:

Create a talent pipeline
Train reporters and producers as editors
Help meet source and story diversity goals
Introduce your station to new funding opportunities

rjionline.org/news/making-...

RJI Fellow Rebecca Ritzel was a guest in the Principles of Journalism in Democracy class. For the next year, Ritzel will create an online repository of resources for newsrooms that want to pursue nontraditional lines of funding for arts coverage. rjionline.org/person/rebec...

Ryan Restivo speaks about YESEO App at ONA25! Ryan built YESEO through this RJI fellowship, and is continuing to add features and updates to help journalists optimize their SEO through his free, easy to use slack app. www.yeseo.app

Report like an anthropologist From ethnographic interviews to semiotic mapping: Small newsrooms can do big things, you just need the right tools.

Week one: trust-building and interviewing techniques.
Week two: observation methods and bias checks. Between sessions, try the tools on your beat. In session two, get personalized coaching on what worked and what didn’t. rjionline.org/news/report-...

Play the Missouri News Network wordy! All words are Mizzou and local themed :D www.missouribusinessalert.com/play/

Before entering a space Insights from the other side of the lens.

Safety is also a shared responsibility, not just something that rests on the shoulders of the photojournalist in the field. It begins long before the assignment starts – in the conversations, planning, and support structures built within the newsroom itself. rjionline.org/news/before-...

The JournalismAI Innovation Challenge, supported by the Google News Initiative, aims to fund projects/tools from news publishers to help fight misinformation and disinformation, experiment with new… JournalismAI Innovation Challenge Project Showcase - The Oglethorpe Echo

RJI Fellow Ryan Restivo, creator of the YESEO App, shares his latest work with the The Oglethorpe Echo where they tested new workflow ideas supported by the JournalismAI Innovation Challenge www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMGo...

Excited to welcome Adriana Lacy, Liz Kelly Nelson, Anna Almendrala and Liz Worthington to the RJI Student Innovation Competition! They'll be our amazing judges this year and will work together to award the $10,000 prize for the top innovative project.

Read more: bit.ly/studentcomprji

Are your ready to apply for an RJI Fellowship? Applications open Dec 1! bit.ly/rjifellowships

Wordy - Can you guess today's word? Can you guess the 5-letter word? Play Wordy on KOMU.com.

CHAMPION! :D Missouri News Network Wordy 9/26/2025 1/5
www.komu.com/wordy/
🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

What is a non-traditional newsroom? Co-ops, staff-led nonprofits, and democratically-run newsrooms are on the rise.

This isn’t an aberration. It mirrors our communities’ increased desire for worker-owned and -run businesses.

rjionline.org/news/what-is...

Taking the first step: How to explore walking tours for your newsroom Consider these four factors during your first brainstorm.

You’ve mapped a promising route, found synergy between your reporting and tour content, and identified someone ready to talk loudly and potentially walk backwards, but: Who is your tour for? rjionline.org/news/taking-...