The California Newsroom Receives a Gift to Extend the Collaborative’s Efforts to Address the Needs of the State's News Deserts

The gift is part of a $5.5 million contribution by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to NPR to expand the network’s collaborative journalism efforts to boost local news coverage in California, the Midwest and other regions across the country.

NPR has announced that it has received a $5.5 million grant from philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation to expand the network’s collaborative journalism efforts. This gift includes funds to support The California Newsroom, which is administered by KQED. 

The California Newsroom is a collaboration between KQED, CapRadio, LAist, KCRW, KPBS, CalMatters, NPR and more than a dozen public media organizations around the state. Together, they leverage their collective resources to strengthen the quality of local news and amplify stories that otherwise might not reach so-called news deserts within the state and nationally. The newsroom focuses exclusively on California and the issues and events that directly affect Californians. 

A portion of the Schmidts’ gift will fund four positions in the California Newsroom for a three-year period: an investigations editor and a data journalist plus two new editors to support expanded content on both digital and audio platforms. The gift will also fund new positions in The Midwest Newsroom, enable creation of a regional newsroom in the Appalachia/Mid-South area, bolster an existing public media collaboration in the Mountain West and fund a multi-station visual journalism pilot in New England.

“We are incredibly grateful for this gift,” says Holly Kernan, chief content officer at KQED. “As the network of regional media institutions continues to grow to serve our diverse audiences and combat growing polarization, this gift–and the strength of the partnerships it serves–will help ensure that fact-based, independent news reaches all Californians.”

The California Newsroom was formed in early 2020 with the support of an initial grant from the Schmidt Family Foundation. The collaboration quickly surpassed expectations, creating shared standards and practices, delivering robust training to reporters across the state, providing day-to-day editorial support, and adding partnerships beyond public media to augment investigations and distribution.

Today, the California Newsroom’s core team works with stations, journalism schools and other partners on investigations that have won awards, spurred civic action and changed state law. Their shared services model meets the varied needs of large and small stations, builds capacity across the state and amplifies local news. Training is core to the newsroom’s mission and each member of the team holds teaching and coaching as an essential part of their job.

Since 2020 the Schmidts have provided $10.2 million in gifts to support the NPR’s Collaborative Journalism Network, which now links several regional collaborations across the country. The Schmidt family has also been steadfast supporters of KQED, with gifts totaling more than $20 million since 2013.

About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. kqed.org