Voices of military veterans in nonprofit news
“Be there early. Take the initiative. Talk to people. Get the work done.” That’s the approach Christopher Janaro learned during four years in the United States Navy, and now he brings it to his work as a reporter with INN member City Limits in New York City.
Veterans make up about 6% of the adult U.S. population, but census data indicates they comprise roughly 2% of all media workers.
“You’re missing a huge segment of the population’s perspective,” Janaro said of veteran underrepresentation in newsrooms. “And veterans are committed to service, which translates well.”
Janaro, the inaugural Newmark Veterans in Journalism fellow, joins City Limits to cover zoning, land use and development. The fellowship is a partnership between Military Veterans in Journalism (MVJ), the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and funded by Craig Newmark Philanthropies. Fellows complete their master’s in journalism at CUNY and then join an INN member newsroom for nine months as they begin their careers in journalism.
Ensuring members are able to bring on new talent with diverse lived experiences is a high priority for INN, which seized the opportunity to collaboratively build a program to increase the number of veterans in nonprofit news while ensuring those emerging journalists receive the outstanding mentorship INN members provide.
Janaro, who is from a family of public servants, is an avid photographer. He earned an arts degree in college, but it was a tough road after graduation.
“Nothing was happening, and I hadn’t been anywhere and I felt like a failure and I wanted to make good.”
So, Janaro joined the Navy and spent four years as an aviation electronics technician. He loved the work, but he kept photographing, too, and eventually made his way back to school and a freelance photography career. That took him to political rallies, such as the 2016 Democratic National Convention and numerous campaign rallies for both parties during the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
And then he came across the Newmark Veterans in Journalism Fellowship Program application.
“I thought I wasn’t smart enough and wouldn’t be a contender,” Janaro said.
But with support from his partner and MVJ he was accepted to the program and turned his focus to writing at CUNY. Based on his career goals, INN matched him with City Limits for a full-time, nine-month paid fellowship.
“I’ve had to hit the ground running with my reporting, and admittedly, it was intimidating going into my new zoning and development beat,” Janaro said. “I felt so anxious. Fortunately, the leadership at City Limits has been exceptionally supportive in helping me acclimate while helping to make introductions to many of my current and future sources. I’m still learning, but they have been terrific mentors in helping me get the lay of the land.”
Two weeks into his new role, Janaro has already published stories on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s housing policy and a major rezoning project.
“On top of just learning to be a better storyteller, working with City Limits is preparing me to be a real reporter in the sense that they are helping me build a real network of sources and contacts that I can take with me anywhere my career goes.”
Interested in hearing more veteran voices in nonprofit news? Check out INN member The War Horse, founded by Thoman Brennan. Thomas served as an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan before studying investigative reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism
