SUNY Chancellor King Highlights Student Journalists Participating in Institute for Local News
August 28, 2025
First-of-its-Kind Statewide Program Placed 20 Student Reporters at 15 Media Outlets in the State for Summer Internships
200 SUNY Students and Faculty Participated Over the Past Academic Year
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today highlighted the Institute for Local News (ILN) at SUNY and the participating student journalist interns from this past summer session and for the coming academic year. SUNY ILN is an initiative launched by Chancellor King in 2024 to provide students with year-round reporting and internship opportunities in community newsrooms. It is in partnership with 30+ publishers to provide essential information throughout New York State.'
"Journalism is an essential profession that provides a service to communities and acts as a cornerstone of American democracy," said SUNY Chancellor King. "With staff reductions and the closure of news outlets, access to local news has slowly been chipped away for many communities. To help address this crisis, and to support student journalists with on-the-job training and internships, it was an honor to help launch SUNY ILN and I am thrilled with how many students and newsrooms have already benefited. I look forward to even more student journalist interns supporting local news outlets over the coming academic year and beyond."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Journalism is a vital resource that provides communities with the information they need to understand issues that may affect them. SUNY is proud to have helped facilitate these summer internship placements with newsrooms in New York State and provide work opportunities for students to prepare them to work in this important field. We thank state leaders, especially Governor Kathy Hochul, and partner newsrooms for helping ensure that the inaugural year of this program was a success."
Director of the Center for Community News Richard Watts said, "A lot of people worry about the future of local news. SUNY is doing something about it. Kudos to the SUNY leadership and the faculty across the system who are engaging young people in reporting for their local communities and making a difference. Student reporters are reporters, and SUNY is at the forefront of reinventing what journalism can be."
State Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Toby Ann Stavisky said, "The continuation of the Institute for Local News at SUNY demonstrates their commitment to offering real-world experiences that prepares students for successful careers. When I worked on my college newspaper, The Syracuse Daily Orange, I gained invaluable skills that continue to serve me today. I know firsthand how rewarding and formative this experience will be for every student involved."
State Assembly Committee on Higher Education Chair Alicia Hyndman said, "The State University of New York deserves immense credit for its proactive and vital partnership with news outlets in the creation of these internships. By taking on journalism students from across the SUNY system, they are providing an invaluable opportunity for young talent to hone their skills and forge careers in journalism, especially at a time when news outlets nationwide are facing significant challenges. This initiative is crucial for the future of robust, local journalism. I commend SUNY for their foresight on this endeavor."
SUNY ILN was launched in October 2024 and is the first statewide program in the country to address news deserts with news stories written by college students. The initiative is funded in part by the Lumina Foundation and in partnership with the Center for Community News at University of Vermont. Through SUNY ILN, 200 SUNY students and faculty participated over the past academic year. Additionally, 20 SUNY students took part in paid summer internships at 15 New York news outlets. The initiative is part of Chancellor King’s goal to provide every undergraduate student with an internship or other experiential learning opportunity by the time they graduate.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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