Mentorship-to-Leadership Pipeline

Runs a 21-month paid fellowship for high school students from New York City public schools, including training through a custom curriculum, mentorship, and opportunities for published work; graduated the first cohort of seven students in April 2025.

Selects and publicly announces a cohort of student writing fellows each year as part of its fellowship initiative for emerging journalists.

Funds and provides fiscal sponsorship to organizations engaged in activities that strengthen independent media and amplify diverse journalistic voices.

Conducted a 2022 study on gambling impacts among Asian American populations in the greater northeast region, examining motivations and social consequences including domestic violence, mental health, and family disruption, and published the findings.

Creates and distributes over 50 pages of educational materials, including student and teacher resources, based on The Nation magazine’s archival content to teach U.S. history.

Produces and publishes over 100 original journalistic pieces annually written by student journalists, covering campus campaigns, legislative issues, and local topics relevant to youth.

Organizes an annual conference for student journalists featuring workshops, seminars, discussions, and networking events, with free attendance, meals, housing, travel reimbursements for up to 50 students, and free subscriptions to The Nation provided to all attendees.

Offers six full-time paid internships annually—five editorial and one business—providing mentorship, training in fact-checking, ethics, article pitching, and publishing opportunities. The 2026 Spring/Summer cohort includes five editorial interns and one publishing intern.

Conducts and publishes investigative reporting on public issues affecting communities, such as transportation changes in Eastern Queens.

Offers training programs, seminars, and editorial development in fact-checking, ethics, and reporting led by experienced columnists, editors, and guests to equip emerging journalists with skills to distinguish factual information from conjecture.

Provides coaching and mentoring services to local news organizations across the United States.

Organize and manage national competitions including the Pinnacle Awards, Apple Awards, and Film & Audio Festival to recognize excellence in student journalism, media production, design, and organizational achievement across print, broadcast, digital, and multimedia formats.

Conduct year-round advocacy through the First Amendment Advocacy Committee to defend student media independence and provide confidential guidance and institutional support to members facing censorship, press freedom challenges, or job security issues.

Offer structured training programs for college media advisers including New Adviser Training (four times per year), Summer Training, and advanced online courses, with certificates of completion for participants.

Operate a members-only listserv and virtual confabs to enable communication, resource sharing, and peer support among college media advisers and educators across the United States.

Awarded $12,190 in grants to support its educational, professional development, and advocacy programs for college media advisers and student journalists.

Organize and host two national conventions annually (fall and spring) featuring training sessions, keynote speakers, networking opportunities, student media contests, and award ceremonies for college media professionals, advisers, and students.

Conduct free, monthly one-hour interactive webinars (CMA Confabs) and other virtual sessions on journalism education, media law, and newsroom management to support professional learning and community building among college media advisers.