As digital media changes how we consume information, and newsrooms scramble for resources, we need to train the next generation of reporters to keep journalism accountable.

Ensuring that journalism continues to have integrity — by subscribing to local news outlets, supporting nonprofit media and demanding transparency from elected officials — is a shared civic duty in a democracy. And higher education institutions, nonprofits and news organizations are playing a vital role in keeping the Fourth Estate relevant and essential to American life.

At more than a dozen major public and private universities across the country, including the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, we are collaboratively training the next generation of investigative journalists. In UF’s Fresh Take Florida program, for example, students work alongside seasoned professionals to report on issues of statewide importance — from government accountability to environmental degradation. Their stories appear free of charge in major outlets across Florida and the nation, filling critical gaps as local newsrooms shrink.

In fact, our student reporters in Florida now outnumber professional journalists on assignment. If we send 15 student reporters to the state Capitol, we’ve doubled the press corps in Tallahassee. These young journalists, guided by experienced editors and professors, are producing high-impact stories that hold the powerful accountable and inform the public.

But we’re not just training the next generation of journalists; we’re also developing new tools for professional newsrooms to support their work. Our new data service aggregates public records from across the state, making it lightning-fast for journalists to uncover wrongdoing. This groundbreaking service allows newsrooms to track individuals of interest, such as elected officials, candidates and even college athletes. If someone on the list is arrested, sued or issued a ticket, the service alerts journalists automatically. This is a game changer for newsrooms with limited resources, enabling them to report stories that might otherwise slip through the cracks.

By sharing this powerful tool with newsrooms at Gannett and McClatchy, where expensive research services like LexisNexis have been curtailed or eliminated, we’re helping to ensure that even the smallest outlets have access to the data they need to do deep, impactful investigative reporting. As we continue to refine and expand the service, we believe it has the potential to revolutionize the way journalists report on accountability at all levels of government.

In the spirit of joining forces to support investigative journalism, the University of Vermont leads the way, documenting and supporting university-led initiatives to address the local news crisis. Their Center for Community News has become a hub for research and collaboration, bringing together journalism programs from across the country to share best practices and innovative models for sustaining local journalism. Recently, several colleges, including UF, published a report exploring what college journalism programs are doing now and how they can be expanded to include more opportunities for collaboration.

Thirty years ago, investigative journalists were so competitive that they resorted to sabotaging the only payphone at the courthouse to ensure they — and only they — had the scoop on a critical verdict. These days, news organizations realize that they must collaborate to be competitive.

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This collaborative spirit is at the heart of the UF College of Journalism and Communications Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, which recognizes the best in state government reporting. The 2024 winner proves the power of partnerships: The Texas Tribune, Frontline and ProPublica teamed up to expose the failed police response to the Uvalde school shooting, the need for meaningful gun legislation in Texas and the need for better preparation in many states when it comes to mass shootings. Their reporting, which included a documentary that used police bodycam footage, showcased the impact of collaborative, data-driven investigations that held those in power accountable.

As the Collier Prize is awarded at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, it will serve as a powerful reminder that investigative journalism is not dying — it’s adapting. With the support of universities, nonprofits and engaged citizens, it will continue to evolve and thrive in the digital age.

We’re never going to not need journalists. Democracy needs trustworthy, independent-minded journalists who seek the truth and report it. But journalism also needs people who value and support that work. The future of investigative journalism is in our hands, and it’s up to all of us to ensure that our citizens are informed — and inspired — to engage in the democratic process.

Ted Bridis is an award-winning investigative journalist and senior lecturer at the University of Florida. Before joining UF in 2018, he led the Associated Press’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington investigative team. He is known for his expertise in source protection, Freedom of Information Act law and uncovering high-profile stories like Hillary Clinton’s private email server and Paul Manafort’s foreign lobbying.