The Leadership Academy for Women in Media is one of Poynter’s most competitive programs, and today we announced the first of three classes selected for the 2021 cohort. Meet those 30 people here. 

I loved the sentiments that lead faculty Samantha Ragland shared in the announcement:

“After going online for both the September and October 2020 academies, I have to say that this May academy is going to be off the chain ... We have seen the cohort magic sparkle up from a Zoom call, and we can't wait to foster it again this year.”

• Build a Stronger Team by Being a Better Coach: June 28-30, 2021
• Lead With Influence: August 2021
• Leadership Academy: Oct. 24-29, 2021
• Essential Skills for Rising Newsroom Leaders: Dec. 12-17, 2021

Live online event, May 10-13

Facts took a bit of a beating in 2020. Let’s turn the page and celebrate the truth! United Facts of America, brought to you by PolitiFact and the Poynter Institute, is a celebration of fact-checking featuring some of the most important voices in media, health care, politics and technology.

You’ll have the chance to ask Dr. Anthony Fauci questions about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic and get the facts about coronavirus vaccines. You’ll hear from Gabriel Sterling, the Georgia elections official at the center of countering election misinformation in his state. And you’ll learn from expert fact-checkers from PolitiFact, the Washington Post and FactCheck.org.

You also have the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes during a VIP experience with CNN’s Brian Stelter and PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief Angie Drobnic Holan where they’ll discuss the U.S. media and American politics. 

Get tickets now to access four days of forward-thinking conversation about the role of facts in our lives.

Tickets: $50 

VIP experience: $100 (includes a private virtual happy hour with CNN’s Brian Stelter and small group break-out sessions with PolitiFact fact-checkers)

Accelerator program, August-December, 2021

With Poynter’s College Media Project, student media organizations will receive the support they need to elevate their journalism skills and generate impact on their campuses. This unique semester-long program — which is set to offer custom in-person workshops as well as regular online seminars and coaching on a major reporting project — can help student media programs realize their potential to play a critical role as community facilitators in the marketplace of ideas.

If selected, your student media organization will also receive $1,500 to spend on a reporting project or event that advances civil discourse on your campus.

Apply by: May 2.
Cost: Free.

Online group seminar, July 5-23, 2021

In a world where speed is of the essence, there’s less time for the many layers of editing that have traditionally stood between writers and readers. Fortunately, if you write, you have a facility for language that you can use to edit. In this six-session course taught by former New York Times copy chief Merrill Perlman, you’ll gain the skills you need to polish your own prose.

Tune in to live training sessions twice a week for three weeks. You will learn how to check your work for clarity, organization and understanding, find more errors in copy, whether of style, grammar, punctuation or flow, and correct errors more efficiently and effectively.

As you grow as a self-editor, you'll also connect with fellow writers through a weekly group text chat, live video sessions and assignment feedback. 

Cost: $349.

On Poynt live webinar, April 22 at noon Eastern

Cost: Free — Thanks to the support of the Knight Foundation. 
Suggested donation: $15.00.

How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust
Self-directed, start anytime
This online, self-paced course will help journalists understand mistrust and gain a better understanding of what trust in news looks like in the U.S. It will also provide you with tips and tools to be more transparent, more engaged and more open with your readers. Cost: Free. Suggested donation: $15. Enroll now.

The Words We Use to Cover Criminal Justice, Jails and Prisons
Webinar, April 21 at noon Eastern time
This one-hour webinar will challenge you to think more critically about the language you use to describe incarcerated people in your reporting. Hear experts from The Marshall Project review their findings after examining their own reporting. Cost: Free. Enroll now.

Will Work For Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism
Online group seminar, May 18-June 8
This popular online group seminar will help you build an investigation, from the seed of an idea to a powerful execution. Cost. $399. Enroll now. 

Reporting in the Age of Social Justice
Online group seminar, June 7-10
In this four-day digital workshop, journalists will gain skills to help them tell stories that matter to audiences and that leave a distinct mark on society. Cost: $150. Apply by May 10. Apply now.

High School Journalism Program 
Online group seminar, June 14-25 or July 12-23
If you have a high school student in your life who wants to affect change, shine a light on issues that affect friends and family, and has a passion for finding facts, we invite them to apply for the Poynter Institute’s prestigious High School Journalism Program this summer. Cost: $395.
June —Apply by May 17. Apply now.
July — Apply by June 14. Apply now.

Newsroom Readiness Certificate 
Self-directed course, start anytime 
This self-paced course includes five lessons about newsgathering, interviewing, media law, media ethics and diversity — basics all journalists should master.
Cost: $49.99.
On Sale! $29.95. Enroll now.

MediaWise for Seniors Fact-Checking 101 (April 2021)
In this short online course, Christiane Amanpour, Joan Lunden and other special guests will help you improve your media literacy. You’ll learn how to spot misinformation on the internet, especially around COVID-19 vaccines, and feel more confident finding facts on Facebook and other social media platforms. 
Cost: $49.95.
Cost: Free This training is offered at a discounted price thanks to support from Facebook.
Enroll now. 

MediaWise Fact-Checking 101
Self-directed course, start anytime 
This one-hour course, designed for young adults, will introduce you to the tools and techniques you can use to fact-check information across your favorite social media platforms. 
Cost: $49.99.
On Sale! $29.95. This training is offered at a discounted price thanks to support from Facebook. Enroll now.

MediaWise Fact-Checking Certificate
Self-directed course, start anytime
This advanced online fact-checking course, designed for young adults, will teach you tools and strategies professional fact-checkers use to verify information on social media.
Cost: $149.99.
On Sale! $99.95. This training is offered at a discounted price thanks to support from Facebook. Enroll now.

Virtual Teachapalooza: Front-Edge Teaching Tools for College Educators
Online conference, June 4-5
Now in its 11th year, Teachapalooza is the place for college journalism educators to catch up, power up and reignite their passion for teaching. Join us for two fast-paced days of relevant, cut-to-the-chase learning for journalism educators. Question the nature of objectivity, plan for the future of higher education post-pandemic, learn new tools to make your life easier and join your peers in virtual happy hours. Cost: $150. Apply by: May 10. Apply now.

Professor’s Press Pass
Get access to a growing library of case studies, taken straight from the newsroom and adapted for your college classroom. Subscribe for $12/month.

TV News Toolbox for Teachers 
Activities for the classroom, start anytime 
Bring duPont, Peabody and national Emmy award-winners from local and network news into your classroom with this collection of 38 microlearning activities organized into eight lessons. 
Cost: $75.
On Sale! $29.95. Enroll now. 

Open Records Success: Strategies for Writing Requests and Overcoming Denials 
Self-directed course, start anytime 
This course, designed for first-time and student journalists, will make the process of requesting public documents easier. Participants will learn precisely how to word requests and how to overcome objections and denials from public agencies. 
Cost: Free. Suggested donation: $20. Enroll now. 

Internship Database
Students can look for summer, fall and spring internships while news organizations can submit their openings for paid internships in Poynter's new database. Explore now.

Language, Math and News Literacy Certificate
Self-directed course, start anytime
This new certificate is exactly what it promises: a rigorous assessment-based course that focuses on three areas key to a career in today’s communications job market: language, mathematics and news literacy.
Cost: $89.95.
On Sale! $64.95. Enroll now.

• Some personal news: We have a new series on layoffs and the people who left news during the pandemic. Please tell us your story. By Kristen Hare.
   
• Does the mainstream media need to bring back the ombudsman to restore credibility and trust? By Dan Salamone.
   
• What the HBO QAnon documentary series revealed about the identity of ‘Q’. By Samantha Putterman.
   
• How the AP Stylebook has kept up with the pandemic. By Angela Fu.
   
• 3 don’t-miss media stories from the weekend. Tom Jones.

• Web Project Manager — Poynter, St. Petersburg, Florida
   
• Back-end Developer— Poynter, St. Petersburg, Florida
   
• Marketing Communications Writer — Poynter, St. Petersburg, Florida
   
• Marketing & Fundraising Coordinator — Poynter, St. Petersburg, Florida

• Cannabis: Health Effects and Regulatory Issues — April 16 at 2 p.m. Eastern, SciLine | AAAS
   
• Voices4Everyone supports a national conversation building mutual understanding, trust, and civic engagement through more inclusive civil discourse.
   
• RTDNA has created the SAFE Journalist Training & Resource Center to provide newsroom managers, field journalists and freelancers with the knowledge and tools to stay safe during daily reporting and escalated events including civil unrest.
   
• The International Women’s Media Foundation has a fund for U.S.-based journalists of any gender who have been targeted while reporting during political unrest. You can apply for funds here.

• Apply to the Lipman Fellowship: Two $10,000, non-residential fellowships will be awarded to working journalists by the Lipman Center For Journalism and Civil and Human Rights at Columbia Journalism School. Work with Jelani Cobb to report a significant civil or human rights story supported by the center's resources. Deadline: April 30.