Thursday, February 28, 2019

Knight Foundation to put $300 million in journalism over 5 years


The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will double its investment in strengthening journalism to $300 million over five years, the foundation has announced. The focus is on building the future of local news and information, “which are essential for democracy to function,” the foundation says.
“Without revenue, you can’t pay reporters. Without reporters, you can’t develop consistently reliable news reports about what’s happening in your town. Without that reliable news report, you can’t figure out how to run local government. It isn’t rocket science,” said Alberto Ibarguen, Knight Foundation president. “We’re not funding one-offs. We’re helping to rebuild a local news ecosystem, reliable and sustainable, and we’re doing it in a way that anyone who cares can participate.”
Among those receiving support in the effort are American Journalism Project, ProPublica, Report for America, Frontline PBS, NewsMatch, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund, the News Literacy Project, the Solutions Journalism Network and Cortico.
Knight is investing an additional $35 million in research to support the creation and expansion of research centers around the United States.

No comments: