Do you have stories to tell about the environment, climate change and health in your neighborhood? Are you interested in getting involved in community journalism? Planet Detroit wants to work with you!

Apply to join our Planet Detroit Neighborhood Reporting Lab, where you’ll receive comprehensive training and mentoring on the reporting process, from identifying a story to honing an angle to research and interviews to crafting your story and making it shine.

No experience required. You’ll need curiosity, care for your community, access to a computer and the internet, plus a smartphone to record and take photos. 

Up to 20 participants will meet for six weeks on Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 6 pm to 7:30 pm to learn reporting skills and share work. Class will be held on these dates: Feb 13, Feb 20, Feb 27, March 5, March 12, and March 19.

All participants will receive mentoring through the Detroit Writing Room, and those who complete and publish stories will receive a $300 stipend.

View prior neighborhood reporters’ work here.

To apply, complete this application form no later than Tuesday, Jan. 16. Finalists will be notified on Jan. 26 and will be asked to submit a more complete story pitch.

Planet Detroit’s Neighborhood Reporting Lab is made possible with the Americana Foundation’s and Kresge Foundation’s support.

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Nina Misuraca Ignaczak is an award-winning Metro Detroit-based editor, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. She is the founder, publisher, and editor of Planet Detroit, a digital media startup focused on producing quality climate, equity, health, and environment journalism that centers grassroots voices, holds power accountable, and spotlights solutions. Planet Detroit has received awards and recognition from the Society for Professional Journalists Detroit, the Institute for Nonprofit News, and LION Publishers since its establishment in 2019. Prior to her journalism career, Nina worked in urban planning in local government and nonprofit sectors, holding a Master of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.