Alaska Legislative Reporter Exchange

An effort to share knowledge and gain experience across the state

Nov. 2, 2023 — The Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism announces its 2024 Legislative Reporter Exchange Program. Alaska newsrooms can send a reporter to cover the Legislature in Juneau for a month, and a UAA journalism student will fill in at the newsroom while the reporter is away. (ACEJ program will cover housing and travel costs for the reporter and intern.)

**UPDATED with 5:00 p.m. deadline for applications

Here’s how it will work:

  • The visiting reporters in Juneau will be there to cover legislative and state government stories, particularly stories of interest to their home communities.

  • Limited to two exchange reporters at a time in Juneau, 30 days each, one broadcast and one print at a time, with a maximum of two print and two broadcast during the session.

  • Open to all news media organizations in the state other than the three largest newsrooms in Alaska (Anchorage Daily News, Alaska’s News Source, and Alaska Public Media).

  • Reporters who want to come to Juneau are required to have a minimum one year of experience at their Alaska news organization.

  • Applicants will be required to submit work samples and references. A committee of the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism (ACEJ) will select the reporters to participate.

  • The applicants' home news organizations will need to agree to participate in the program.

  • The UAA intern will arrive at the home newsroom a week before the reporter heads to Juneau, to allow the hand-off of stories and contacts for the job as fill-in reporter.

  • Larry Persily, former ACEJ Board chair and owner/publisher of the Wrangell Sentinel will be the supervising editor/mentor for the reporters in Juneau.

  • The local newsrooms will manage the work of UAA student interns; additional assistance could be provided on a case-by-case basis.

  • Any reporting by the visiting journalists in Juneau will be available first to their home news outfit and the editing news outfit, and then to news organizations statewide.

  • The participating hometown news organizations will continue to pay the salaries of their reporters while in Juneau. ACEJ will pick up travel and housing costs and pay the visiting reporter a small stipend to help cover out-of-pocket costs while in Juneau.

  • ACEJ will pay the interns $500 a week while in the rural newsroom, and cover travel costs. ACEJ will work with the host news organization to ensure adequate housing is available.

  • At the end of the exchange, the reporter and intern will each share with ACEJ a summary of their coverage and highlights of the program.

For more information, call 907-232-9169 or email akjournalismcenter@gmail.com.

The application period for reporters is open now for the 2024 legislative session, through Dec. 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. AKST.

Deadline for UAA students to apply as an intern is December 15, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. AKST.