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������ student journalists will , with support from a grant from Grist and the Center for Rural Strategies.

The organizations recently awarded $100,000 to newsrooms and freelance journalists around the country to carry out rural reporting projects, and ������’s Collaborative NewsLab was one of 15 recipients. With the grant’s support, four journalism students will report on stories that investigate long-term issues related to the hazardous chemicals and hazardous waste disposal, and how such events can affect rural areas with little political firepower or money to advocate for themselves.

The students’ stories — which will encompass audio, photo, data visualization and written content — will air on Ideastream (a partner for the grant) and across the Ohio Newsroom’s statewide network of NPR affiliates and be published under a Creative Commons license on the .

Professor Jacqueline Marino and instructor Rose Murphy will supervise the students, and they will also meet weekly with the Ideastream news team.

������ the Collaborative News Lab

NewsLab, established by the School of Media and Journalism at ������ in 2020, provides mentored and paid professional reporting experiences for students, while also connecting under-resourced professional media partners with quality, reliable coverage focused on local communities and issues.

������ Grist

Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. According to its website: “Our goal is to use the power of storytelling to illuminate the way toward a better world, inspire millions of people to walk that path with us, and show that the time for action is now. Since 1999, we have used the power of journalism to engage the public about the perils of the most existential threat we face. Now that three-quarters of Americans recognize that climate change is happening, we’ve shifted our focus to show that a just and sustainable future is within reach.”