RJI Vision and Mission
Exterior view of the new RJI building on 9th Street in Columbia, MO.
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) exists to develop and test ways to improve journalism through new technology and improved processes. In partnership with media organizations and nonprofits, RJI delivers technological and strategic innovations in journalism and advertising.
RJI was launched in 2004 with an initial grant of $31 million from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. In conjunction with the centennial celebration of the Missouri School of Journalism, it officially dedicated its world headquarters in September 2008. This 50,000 square-foot facility on the University of Missouri campus has state-of-the-art resources to test and demonstrate new technologies, experiment with convergence news production and delivery systems, and conduct real-time and virtual seminars and conferences.
RJI’s work crosses diverse specialties within journalism, including media convergence, editorial content and methods, the evolution of advertising, innovation in management and the impact of new technologies. It also includes varied fields on campus such as law, computer science, marketing, education and other disciplines.
The vision
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute is a world-class center for researching and testing new models of journalism in this era of technological advances. RJI makes the most of its location in a premier, hands-on journalism school at a research-extensive university and the collective creativity of visiting professionals and researchers. It assumes a leading position among centers devoted to journalism and media studies.
The mission
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute engages media professionals, scholars and other citizens in programs aimed at improving the practice and understanding of journalism in democratic societies. There are two distinct parts to the mission:
- Reconnecting journalists and citizens around the importance of journalism in a democracy, and
- Using technology to enhance methods that help journalists reach citizens in many ways.
What is RJI’s focus?
RJI focuses on innovation and problem-solving aimed at improving the practice and understanding of journalism and all of its diverse specialties. The primary programs to carry out this focus are:
- The intellectual work of the Donald W. Reynolds Fellows while in residence. Each RJI Fellow will be expected to produce a major project intended to enhance the practice or understanding of journalism or advertising. RJI will conduct appropriate forums and other events and publish summaries of the work to expand the impact on real-world media.
- The one-of-its-kind Journalism Futures Lab and Demonstration Center. In these closely related programs, professionals, students and researchers work on exciting new experiments in the forms and technologies of journalism and advertising. Products of these incubators will help media around the world discover ways to better serve their audiences.
- Periodic public-practitioner forums on critical, timely issues in journalism practice. Journalists often pay insufficient attention to and demonstrate too little understanding of public attitudes toward the media. Likewise, most media consumers have little understanding of how and why journalism and advertising professionals do what they do. RJI will work to improve the two-way understanding that is crucial to democratic societies.
- An extensive publications program, including exhibits, research summaries and curriculum materials and related workshops built on RJI research and other RJI activities, the Missouri School of Journalism and its affiliate professional organizations.
Who benefits from the work at RJI?
- Citizens of democracies around the world will benefit from better journalism — through new journalism approaches based on emerging technologies and through a better understanding of good journalism.
- Donald W. Reynolds Fellows will take their experiences back to their organizations.
- The partnership ventures with other organizations will reach members of the public who otherwise might have little direct media contact.
- The publication and curriculum programs of RJI will reach beyond the direct participants.
- Students and faculty of the Missouri School of Journalism will benefit from participation in RJI’s work and from the expertise of Donald W. Reynolds Fellows.