9/19/2017 11:00 AM

FUSION today announced a partnership with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) to create an internship program that will provide opportunities for recently incarcerated youth. The six month program will provide participants with a chance to learn the basics of multiplatform storytelling including how to write, research, produce, and edit a video report. While participants will work with TV producers, they will also have an opportunity to collaborate with teams across Fusion Media Group’s (FMG) digital portfolio.

“We are committed to putting a spotlight on the social justice issues that matter to diverse youth, and that has included telling the stories of those impacted by our broken criminal and juvenile justice systems,” said Daniel Eilemberg, President of FUSION. “By providing opportunities to formerly incarcerated young men and women as they re-enter society, we hope FUSION can help drive some positive change through this relationship with Anti-Recidivism Coalition.”

“I am deeply grateful for our partnership with FUSION as they are offering a game changing opportunity to an often forgotten group of young people. ARC members can bring a new and fresh insight and perspective to the entertainment industry, one that is often lacking. I’m glad that FUSION is leading the charge to move in the direction of greater diversity and creating true career pathways for a population of young men and women striving for a second, and often times a  first, chance,” said Scott Budnick, Founder/President of The Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

The launch of this program marks a step the network is taking to address one of the social justice issues it has been reporting on for years. With the award-winning documentary “Prison Kids: A Crime Against America’s Children” FUSION reported on the America’s broken criminal justice system through the eyes of juveniles. The network was recently recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) with the 2017 NABJ Gannett Foundation Al Neuharth Award for Innovation in Investigative Journalism for its documentary “Numbers Game,” which examined the inadequate and outdated collection of crime statistics and how this practice skews policing and public policy. In early 2017, FUSION announced a new cross-platform content initiative to elevate conversations around social justice issues that impact young, diverse communities, and often don’t receive the media coverage these issues merit.