Knight Foundation

At the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase II of the Lofts at Mercer Village,  Mercer President William Underwood announced an effort sponsored by the Knight Foundation to bring together professional journalists and students in a joint newsroom in College Hill Corridor.
A $4.6 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will create the Center for Collaborative Journalism, to be located on the first floor of Phase II of the Lofts. Mercer is partnering with The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB Media) to give students a chance to work alongside professionals in the field.
The effort is also aimed at expanding media involvement in the community. In coming years, the joint newsroom will lead community engagement projects that involve Macon residents in creating the news by choosing which issues to cover, reporting, debating problems and creating solutions.
“We hope Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism and GPB Radio Macon will shine as examples of the kinds of journalistic excellence in the digital age that helps communities build themselves,” said Beverly Blake, Macon program director for Knight Foundation. “I am proud of Macon, and I want it to thrive. A vibrant information ecosystem will help that.”
Mercer is receiving $3.74 million of the grant to create the center itself, which will be part of a mixed-use building in the Lofts also housing Mercer students.
GPB Media will use $854,000 of the funding to expand its staffing and create richer news and local programming.
“GPB is a trusted Macon citizen and an active presence in the communities of Central Georgia,” said Teya Ryan, president and executive director of GPB Media. “Combining the talents of The Telegraph newsroom with GPB Radio and tapping into the digital DNA of Mercer journalism students, we will create a town hall for Macon an Central Georgia with more enterprise reporting, more storytelling about this community and far greater reach across all media platforms.”
In addition to GPB staff, editors of The Telegraph will have offices in the Center.
“Our goal with this partnership is to harness our collective resources to elevate community and civic journalism, involve and engage more citizens, readers, listeners, web and mobil users, and provide a unique learning environment for both new and seasoned journalists,” said Sherrie Marshall, Executive Editor of The Telegraph.
After the announcement of the grant, key figures in the development and implementation of the plan participated in a ceremonial “turning of the dirt” for Phase II of the Lofts. President Underwood then unveiled floor plans and renderings of the Center.
Phase II of the Lofts is set to open in July 2012. The Journalism and Media Studies department will have classroom and office space in the Center. Larry Brumley, Senior Vice President for Marketing Communications and Chief of Staff, said it has not yet been decided how student media outlets like The Cluster will be affected by the move.