A quick note to our readers: This week, a local university will be announcing a new journalism initiative. We wanted to share our side of the story ahead of that announcement—not to diminish it, but to provide some context on why Berks Weekly is not included.
Berks Weekly was involved in the early planning stages and contributed ideas that helped shape the direction of the project. Last fall, we partnered with the university to give students real-world experience in journalism—something we’ve always been happy to support.
As alumni of the university, we were optimistic about continuing that relationship. But what had previously been a flexible and collaborative partnership was ultimately folded into a new, more formal structure. The university began packaging this work into a larger initiative—complete with contracts and added requirements. While that approach may work well for other regional news organizations invited to participate, it introduced new barriers for us. As a small business, we simply couldn’t take on everything without an impact on our limited time and small operating budget.
It also felt like a fast move to launch the program and announce it publicly—despite the fact that the details and overall mission of the initiative were never clearly outlined. Aside from the contract, we weren’t given much insight into how the program would operate or what the long-term goals were.
It’s disappointing to now be on the outside of something we contributed to—but we remain proud of the work we’ve done with students and our continued commitment to local news in Berks County.
We’ll share more in the days ahead. Thank you, as always, for your support.