ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Association of Broadcasters (GAB), member stations, are invited to apply for the 2025-2026 Griffiths Innovators program — a unique opportunity that pairs University of Georgia journalism students with media outlets to collaborate on innovative solutions for today’s news challenges. APPLY HERE.
Part of the Journalism Innovation Lab within the Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management & Leadership, the program is funded by media veteran Richard T. Griffiths, former CNN executive and president emeritus of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. The initiative provides journalism majors with hands-on experience while helping newsrooms explore new strategies to better serve their audiences.
Participating stations and news organizations can choose between two program formats:
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Innovation Fellows: A remote partnership in which a UGA student works 2 hours per week from September to April, excluding academic breaks.
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Digital Natives: An immersive, one-week on-site experience during the first week of January.
Each version includes 40 hours of dedicated student work focused on research, strategy, and innovation. Please note that this is a full-time program. All student scholarships and travel expenses — including hotel and meals — are fully funded through the Griffiths Innovators program.
All student scholarships and travel expenses — including hotel and meals — are fully funded through the Griffiths Innovators program.
“We really liked being able to have the outside research that backed up what we were already theorizing. It allowed us to say “okay- we were right, lets implement some best practices now.”
Katherine Wideman (News Director) WSAV Savannah
Applications are due by August 1, 2025, and 7-8 news organizations will be selected for the upcoming cycle.
As a bonus, Griffiths is also offering participating newsrooms a free in-house training session on Trusting News and Open Government, providing practical tools to build audience trust and navigate public records and open meetings more effectively.
“This program is a win-win,” said Dr. Amanda Bright, Griffiths Innovators director. “Newsrooms benefit from a fresh perspective and strategic support, while students gain invaluable experience contributing to the future of local journalism.”
To apply or learn more, visit the application link or reach out to Dr. Amanda Bright at amanda.bright@uga.edu.
