2026 Community Journalism Class: Citizen as journalist
Community Journalism class:
Citizen as Journalist
Program Overview
About the Citizen as Journalist Program
PSA’s “Citizen as Journalist” class, launched in 2023 with funding from the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, is an introduction to citizen journalism through a liberatory framework. We use journalism tools and mechanisms to support community members in bearing witness to community stories through the prism of those who live at the periphery.
The Citizen as Journalist program incorporates this process to create a unique approach to local news–centering the community voice must challenge the extractive model of journalism and place the shaping of the storytelling in the hands of the community.
Get to know the work
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How this program furthers our mission
Public Square Amplified (PSA) is a grassroots local nonprofit newsroom headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, founded by a team of Black women, led by Josie Gonsalves, with over 80 years of combined experience in the academic, nonprofit, journalism, and community organizing sectors.
PSA positions journalism to deconstruct our shared racialized space and the power of construct and context in curating and consuming news. Our reporting centers on democracy, social and economic justice, racial equality, and the immigrant experience rooted in community.
The Citizen as Journalist puts these values into action by training community members to tell community stories from a community perspective. With this and in all of our work, we are telling the story of New Jerseyans from the perspective of New Jersey, the nation, and the world.
Overview
PSA's "Citizen as Journalist" program takes participants through an experiential learning process to inspire storytelling that centers the voice of activists, students, workers, and immigrants. The modules of learning are developed prior to the start of the new program.
Participants will learn to manipulate journalism tools to explore and document their storytelling and engage in first-person reporting. Participants will be exposed to multimedia production, long-form writing, sourcing, interviewing, photography, and more.
The class opens the storytelling world to community members who are untrained in journalism and news reporting and creates spaces for them to witness events that impact their lives and the transformation of their communities. Those members who are working journalists will be exposed to new ways of centering the peripheral voice and social movements.
Time Commitment
Classes are typically held in the PSA's virtual newsroom and include periods of hands-on, in-the-community news-story gathering. The introductory class and the final wrap-up class and celebration will be held in person near PSA's headquarters in Newark. Class periods usually last for three hours long, and time is assigned for class preparation, including assigned readings, videos, and community meetings to support the ongoing training and assignments.
Compensation
Class participants could qualify for a stipend.
Deliverable
Participants will engage in a collaborative news-gathering process and produce collective content through writing, videography, and audio with rigorous research. By the conclusion of the class schedule, participants will be expected to produce a minimum number of pieces for the newsroom.
2026 Class Information
If you are interested in joining us for the 2026 PSA Citizen Journalism class, please apply here.
All applications must be received by June 3, 2026. No exceptions will be made. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@publicsq.org.
NOTIFICATION
Class of 2026 will be announced by June 10, 2026.
Meet the Editorial Advisors
Ande Richards
Ande Richards is a multimedia journalist committed to using storytelling as a transformative medium. She thinks democracy is malleable – it’s what you make it.
Brian Branch-Price
Brian Branch-Price is a National Headliner Award-winning photographer. He focuses on portraiture, reportage, and editorial photography and specializes in Black and White photography.
Participant Contributions
2025 Community Journalism Class in the Media
Meet the 2025 “Citizens as Journalists” Class
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Ishani Bakshi
Ishani Bakshi is a rising senior at Edison High School in New Jersey, where she serves as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, among other leadership roles. She is also an award winning writer for her work with Public Square Amplified.
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Jennah Cherry-Romain
Jennah Cherry-Romain, a Newark, NJ native and 2025 graduate of Malcolm X Shabazz High School, is deeply involved in community programs focused on advocacy and social change.
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Shriaditi Kancherla
Shriaditi Kancherla is an Edison High School STEM Academy student, where she is involved in several civics and cultural clubs and is the State Student Chapter Leader of the Garden State Scholastic Press Association.
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Ka’Cheena Lucas
Ka’Cheena Lucas is a mother, writer, and spiritual entrepreneur based in New Jersey. She is the founder of Evolving with Ka’Cheena, a multidimensional wellness brand.
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Anthony Orlando
Anthony Orlando is a NJ native and passionate storyteller who completed his first novel at age 12. He majored in English/Film & Media at Lafayette College and is a freelance reporter for multiple local and national online news outlets.
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Prabhjit Singh
Prabhjit Singh is a Jersey City native entering the Honors College at Rutgers University, he is Director of ESL Curriculum at Words Beyond Worlds and as a consultant for Accessibility Access.
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Raymond Spencer
Raymond Spencer is a multi-disciplinary artist, award-winning filmmaker, self-published author, actor, professional photographer, federally licensed drone pilot, and the host of The Leaving Evidence Behind podcast.
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Sadie Springer
Sadie Springer is a New Jersey native and rising sophomore at Brown University, where she is studying Political Science with a focus on equity, governance, and grassroots power-building.