Hitting the ground reporting: A day in the life of Report for America corps members

Report for America is a great opportunity for newsrooms to utilize a program that doesn’t want anything from them, except for them to succeed. We are helping newsrooms with great reporters who understand the industry and their job. They’re receiving training and support throughout their corps member tenure, relieving newsrooms of that burden.”

Jason Blakeney, director of corps and newsroom excellence at Report for America

Stabilizing and growing the news industry requires updated business models and revenue strategies, expanded coverage of today’s important topics and issues, more visual storytelling, embracing digital technologies and tools and utilizing new engagement channels, such as newsletters, podcasts, events and social media. Arguably, the most important ingredient is new blood: bright, sharp and ambitious young and experienced journalists, editors and visual creators with the skills and vision to drive the industry forward.

Report for America (RFA) has established itself as a prime source for new staff members. It matches news organizations seeking to fill a specific role or cover a particular beat with “corps members” — journalists who are trained and prepared to contribute from their first day in the newsroom. According to the recently released 2025 Impact Report, RFA placed three corps members in its first class (2018–2019), with one being hired for a permanent position. Seven years later, placements increased to 97 in the 2025 class, with 53 (or 55%) of them securing permanent employment.  

RFA corps members receive a salary like other journalists. However, the program splits the cost, with RFA paying 50%, the news organizations 25% and local donors 25%.

“Report for America is a great opportunity for newsrooms to utilize a program that doesn’t want anything from them, except for them to succeed. We are helping newsrooms with great reporters who understand the industry and their job. They’re receiving training and support throughout their corps member tenure, relieving newsrooms of that burden. Our local news sustainability team assists them with finding grants and developing different revenue streams,” said Jason Blakeney, director of corps and newsroom excellence at RFA.

Four corps members shared their corps stories for this article, revealing how well prepared they are for their assignments, the support they receive from RFA and an inside look at their typical “day in the life.” 

A day in the life of Amanda Pérez Pintado

Amanda Pérez Pintado, Report for America corps member, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI), San Juan, Puerto Rico

After starting her journalism career in 2018 at Puerto Rico’s largest daily newspaper, El Nuevo Día, Pérez Pintado became a first-year RFA corps member in 2021. She covered agriculture, business and labor at Investigative Midwest in Champaign, Illinois. She then worked for USA TODAY in New York before returning to Puerto Rico in 2023 to accept an offer from El Nuevo Día. Today, she is a health reporter at Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI) in San Juan, which is her second RFA assignment. Pérez Pintado earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus and a master’s from New York University.

“El Nuevo Día is where I cut my teeth and grew as a journalist, covering local news. I firmly believe in the mission of strengthening local news as the backbone of democracy. That’s what drew me to Report for America in the first place,” said Pérez Pintado.

Amanda Pérez Pintado, center, at a Senate confirmation hearing for Puerto Rico’s health secretary

She was new to investigative journalism when she joined Investigative Midwest. That experience helped her develop new skills, which have led to her working on bigger stories at CPI.

“I hit the ground running in my second year. I had story ideas on deck. I published my first story as a corps member in July, and I’m already working on my second and third stories. I enjoy the challenge of investigative reporting, working a beat versus general assignments. I’ve learned so much at CPI under the guidance of my editors,” she said.

Amanda’s typical day

• Review the day's news. Scan headlines, newsletters, press releases and social media. 
• Respond to any emails. 
• Respond to any pending records requests and other inquiries. 
• When starting a new project, I spend time doing background research to determine whether there’s enough for a potential story. If it seems promising, I pitch it to my editors.
• When I’m already working on a project (and have done enough reporting), I spend time drafting sections of the story and revising my work.
• Interview sources by phone or in person and stay in touch with recurring sources. Cover any events or press conferences related to my beat. 
• Craft a to-do list for the next day. 

A day in the life of Nikolai Mather

Nikolai Mather, Report for America corp member, WHQR Public Media, Wilmington, North Carolina

Mather is a third-year corps member, starting his second year at WHQR Public Media in Wilmington, North Carolina, as its rural communities reporter. His first year was with the Athens-Banner Herald in Athens, Georgia. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“Because I covered rural communities in Athens, WHQR selected me to report on Brunswick, Pender, Columbus and other counties surrounding Wilmington. I do love politics because every county is unique. RFA is very diligent about humanizing the communities corps members cover and ensuring we understand the communities where we will live and report. It’s been a joy covering southeastern North Carolina — one of my favorite places on the planet,” Mather said.

Working at a public radio station has allowed Mather to record many of his stories for broadcast, although he had no previous on-air experience. He was initially reluctant, as he readily admits he hated the sound of his voice, but eventually embraced the audio process.

“Audio is such an interesting medium for me, and I’ve come to appreciate it. I’ll probably stick with radio and WHQR as long as ownership will have me. Although I still have a strong affinity for print journalism,” Mather said.

Nikolai’s July 31^st workday

• 10 a.m.: Clock in, check email
• 10:30 a.m.: Check agendas for next week's three county commission meetings.
• 11 a.m.: Check legislation in the General Assembly. Receive edits on a lengthy script about House Bill 805 from my editor.
• 1 p.m.: Back to editing. With my editor’s approval, we can record the podcast episode in the studio.
• 1:30 p.m.: My editor and I discuss whether I ought to do a quick spot on the unexpected passing of a local mayor.
• 2 p.m.: Pre-scheduled interview with the assistant county manager of Brunswick County, Niel Brooks, who’s there to tell me about some new changes coming to the county’s stormwater and floodplain ordinances.
• 3 p.m.: Start preparing to host the evening show. I write the newscast, pulling headlines from other local news agencies and our stories. I'll also prepare the studio for broadcast, loading stories from our “vault” (audio repository) as well as things like promos, underwriting credits, music, etc.
• 4 p.m.: Host “All Things Considered.” This is our nightly news show covering national, state and local news. I host the show twice a week and do two newscasts per hour. Today, I finished my podcast script about HB805.
• 6 p.m.: This is when my shift ends. I clear the decks, organize our newscast for tomorrow's morning show and close the studio. Then, I go home!

A day in the life of Corli Jay

Corli Jay, Report for America corps member, The TRiiBE, Chicago

Having gained valuable experience as a general reporter at Crain’s Chicago Business and a freelancer in the Chicago market, Jay joined The TRiiBE in Chicago. It launched in 2017 with a mission to reshape the narrative of Black Chicago. This is her second year as an RFA corps member at the digital media platform. She is the community investment reporter. Jay is a 2018 graduate of Chicago State University with a bachelor’s in media arts.

“The TRiiBE and Crain’s both offered me a position a few years ago. At the time, The TRiiBE didn’t have the budget to hire me, so I took the job at Crain’s. When The TRiiBE became part of the RFA cohort, the financial support allowed it to hire me. I was contacted before it was announced publicly, and ownership wanted me to apply for the RFA assignment,” Jay said.

RFA corp Member Corli Jay, left, interviewed a resident of Englewood (Chicago South Side neighborhood) about the transformation of a shuttered elementary school into affordable housing.

She enjoys reporting on community investments, specifically in Chicago’s South Side. She has more opportunities to engage with the community, understand small-business owners’ challenges securing loans from banks and tell thought-provoking and explainer stories about the systemic barriers to investments in predominantly Black communities.

“I would like to stay with The TRiiBE for an extra year, since it has the optional third year to keep me. This is only my second full-time journalism job, and I would love to gain as much experience as I can in different newsrooms to expand my skills,” Jay said.

Corli Jay, left, spoke with Alderwoman Maria Hadden, right, during a City Council meeting.

Corli’s typical day

• Our day starts at 9:30 a.m. We are in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays.
• Our editorial meetings are on Mondays at 10:30 a.m., which usually last 45 minutes to an hour. 
• During those meetings, we reflect on the prior week. We discuss what worked and what didn’t the previous week as it relates to stories, social media and engagement, and where we can improve. Then, we discuss the current week and our various pitches or are given story ideas by others.
• Following the editorial meetings, we report on stories and attend to calls as we see fit. I usually process my emails and schedule calls if I didn’t already have some interviews scheduled.
• Sometimes, I collaborate with my colleagues, but mostly I work independently throughout the day at my desk. I usually set source meetings for days we are not in the office, unless the source is in the area.

A day in the life of Danielle Dawson

Danielle Dawson, Report for America corps member, InvestigateWest, Seattle

Danielle Dawson, a first-year corps member, is working her dream job as a collaborative investigative reporter at InvestigateWest. She became a corps member because she was confident that Report for America would open the door to an investigative reporting opportunity. Her internship at inewsource, an award-winning local investigative publication in San Diego, was an early experience that motivated her to seek investigative reporting roles. Dawson earned two degrees from the University of California, Irvine, in literary journalism and dance, and then a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

“I felt drawn to Report for America in its mission to fill the gaps that are left by how much local news has shrunk. I also wanted to explore other parts of the U.S. and do boots-on-the-ground journalism. It felt like this was what I was supposed to do: high-impact, mission-driven journalism that intentionally tries to reflect a community and its needs,” Dawson said.

Previously, Dawson was a digital reporter at FOX 5/KUSI in San Diego, working odd hours and writing many stories every day. At InvestigateWest, she can work at a slower pace and have the time to explore the complexities and nuances of an issue.

“I want to continue with my RFA assignment for all three years, and at InvestigateWest. Although I’m focused on the next three years as a corps member, I envision myself working in the nonprofit space and doing more mission-focused work,” Dawson said.

Danielle’s typical day

• 8:00 a.m. – Read current information about central/eastern Oregon and new stories from my newsroom and other sources that cover topics of interest to me through an accountability lens.
• 9:00 a.m. – When I'm officially “on the clock,” I respond to emails I’ve received and send emails/follow-ups to people to interview for a story.
• 9:30 a.m. – Editorial meetings are on Mondays. “Craft and staff” meetings are on Thursday. The staff gathers to focus on one topic or a recent story. We’ll also discuss an aspect of the craft.
• After 10:30 a.m., my day is dependent on the status of a story. For my first story, I wrote a first draft and then worked the following days reviewing edits and adjusting the draft. 
• I usually have a one-on-one meeting with my editor at approximately 2:00 p.m. Then, I’ll either continue working on a story, visit the RFA hub for training opportunities or review other local news coverage to learn more about the communities I’m covering.

Blakeney is impressed by how corps members support each other: “They treat each other like a cohort. They’re always communicating on our app, leaning on each other and learning from one another. It gives you confidence about the future of the industry. Watching these journalists and the way they care for each other makes you feel the industry will be okay, if the dollars are there.”

Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010.  He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.