Empowering Local Journalism: The "Earn Your Press Pass" Initiative

Small-town newsrooms across the United States face unique challenges that have come about as a result of the availability of information, consumer trust, and revenue streams that were once paramount becoming extinct. The struggle to attract fully-trained journalists to rural communities has become increasingly pronounced, driven by factors such as a reluctance among recent graduates to relocate to smaller towns and financial constraints, including burdensome student loans. However, in the heart of south-central Kansas, Lindsey and Joey Young, proprietors of Kansas Publishing Ventures (KPV), found an innovative solution to address this issue. Their brainchild, the "Earn Your Press Pass" initiative, is a transformative approach to training journalists within the very communities they report on.

The inception of Earn Your Press Pass can be traced back to a job interview at KPV in early 2020: A journalism school graduate was applying for a position, and all was going well until she revealed her plan to work remotely, an hour away from the community she would cover daily. This scenario highlighted the acute need for a local solution to journalism training. Initially, the Youngs explored collaboration with local colleges to offer journalism training to community members. However, this approach proved to be too expensive and rigid.

“Classes meet at certain times and have assignments due at certain times. It limits my pool of potential hires if they have to commit to a certain time and place for class,” said Lindsey. Drawing from her experience as a high school teacher, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create useful resources (information sheets and 10-minute instructional videos to teach the fundamentals of journalism) which ultimately became the foundation for the Earn Your Press Pass initiative.

KPV has partnered with the Kansas Press Association, which pays $2,000 annually and has extended the course to its members either free of charge or at a nominal cost. Today, Earn Your Press Pass has gained traction in 18 U.S. states, including Nebraska, Texas, Montana, and Wisconsin. Newspapers can also independently subscribe to the initiative rather than at the behest of a statewide or nationwide association.

“[It] opens up the doors for what an ideal candidate can be for your newspaper,” said Lindsey. Earn Your Press Pass has the potential to level the playing field of journalism: it provides an alternative pathway for individuals to enter the field without the traditional route of university journalism programs, which can cost prohibitive amounts of money and alienate diverse communities. This approach broadens the horizons of what an ideal journalism candidate can be for local newspapers—who may one day ascend to the national level..

Casey Jacob, an Earn Your Press Pass student, has managed to freelance for Harvey County Now for four years while homeschooling her children. The course equipped her with a knowledge of common journalism terminology and how to structure her writing in creative and compelling ways. With newfound confidence, Jacob has increased her contributions to the paper significantly, and has felt that she needs to “bother her editor less.”

Laura Fowler Paulus at the Hillsboro Press in Kansas said that Earn Your Press Pass offers a valuable tool for efficiently training interns and new hires. A high school intern with no prior experience joined Paulus in the fall of 2022. She noted, “My strength is writing and editing, not teaching [the intern] how to do it…But Lindsey is really good at [that]. By having that tool, I could be writing while [the intern] was sitting there training.” 

The success of Earn Your Press Pass has extended beyond the Youngs' initial vision. Newspapers in Canada have expressed interest in adopting the training course, reflecting its potential to transcend national borders. Lindsey Young envisions further expansion through newsletters, podcasts, and even translations into Spanish. "I think there's so many great things going on in rural journalism," Lindsey cheerfully said.

In the face of the ongoing challenges in the journalism industry, particularly the closure of newspapers, Earn Your Press Pass serves as a beacon of hope. It enables rural papers to cover more of their communities, fostering a sense of relevance and community engagement. With the support of their communities and initiatives like Earn Your Press Pass, these small-town newspapers can continue to thrive.