This four-year grant will support editorial assistance, emergency coverage, and specialized training for public media journalists nationwide.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2025) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded an additional $750,000 for a four-year grant to the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) to support its Editor Corps program, a vital initiative that provides short-term editorial assistance to public media newsrooms across the country. This new funding builds on the two-year, $200,000 grant CPB announced earlier this year in support of the PMJA Editor Corps, securing the service through 2031.
Launched in 2020 as an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Editor Corps has evolved into a critical resource for small and rural public media stations. To date, PMJA has provided more than 5,000 hours of editorial assistance to 68 public media stations in 32 states and Washington, D.C., offering experienced editorial support during staffing shortages, breaking news events, and special reporting projects.
With CPB funding offsetting costs for participating stations, the Editor Corps will continue operating on a tiered fee model, enabling more stations to join based on their station size and budget. This latest grant brings CPB’s total investment in the Editor Corps program to $1,291,000, underscoring CPB’s commitment to strengthening local journalism, enhancing editorial oversight, and supporting the long-term sustainability of the public media system.
“CPB has long championed an independent press as essential to our democracy,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “This funding builds on our longstanding support for public media newsrooms, ensuring they have the resources to respond to and serve their communities with timely, accurate, and relevant journalism that connects to people’s everyday lives.”
In 2024, PMJA conducted a comprehensive system-wide Learning Needs Assessment (LNA), which identified a growing demand for editor training among early- and mid-career newsroom and news leader professionals seeking to enhance their editorial skills. Accordingly, the additional funds will further support the development of a specialized editor training curriculum designed to build editorial capacity within the public media system and address both immediate and long-term needs.
“PMJA is deeply gratified that CPB continues to recognize the value of the Editor Corps through this additional funding, allowing us to continue the program well into the future,” said Christine Paige Diers, Executive Director of PMJA. “We join the rest of the public media system in thanking CPB for continuing its commitment to local journalism and to the American public through this investment.”
The Editor Corps remains a cornerstone of PMJA’s mission to support public media journalists as they commit to the highest levels of editorial integrity and transparency in delivering trusted, fact-based reporting in communities nationwide.
About PMJA
Founded in 1985, PMJA empowers and advocates for public media journalists. With over 135 member newsrooms across all 50 states and Guam, representing over 2,000 journalists, PMJA works to cultivate news leaders and elevate quality journalism in local and regional public media. The organization strengthens local newsrooms, provides vital professional development, and fosters collaboration, ensuring communities nationwide have access to high-quality, impactful journalism.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967. It has helped support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services. With the rescission of federal funds for FY 2026 and FY 2027, CPB is in the process of winding down operations. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn.
