Cerritos College awarded $50K to support campus newspaper

NORWALK – Cerritos College received a $50,000 grant from Press Forward to support local and student journalism. The college was selected as one of only 200 newsrooms out of 900 applications.

The grant funding will allow the college’s student newspaper, Talon Marks, to publish a special magazine twice a year and build partnerships with local media outlets, community groups, and K-12 schools.

With his support, Talon Marks will collaborate with independent journalism outlets to report on the issues that matter to our community. Student journalists will work alongside these outlets to fill gaps in coverage, such as food deserts, the working conditions of local food workers, transportation, and the experiences of migrant communities.

Additionally, Talon Marks will publish the Wings Magazine twice a year and organize events to engage the community and gather input from families and students about the content they want to consume.

“This grant will help our journalism program keep local journalism alive,” said Christian Brown, professor of journalism and department chair of journalism and media studies at Cerritos College. “Many important stories aren’t being told, especially in Southeast LA County. Our students need pipelines, connections, and a strong portfolio of writing, photography, audio/video production, page design, and social media management skills to succeed in today’s media landscape. This funding will help our journalism students of color from underserved backgrounds bring their diverse experiences into local newsrooms.”

Press Forward is a national movement aimed at strengthening our democracy through local news. A coalition of funders is investing more than $500 million to support local newsrooms, fill gaps in coverage, and build the infrastructure needed for journalism to thrive.