Stay up-to-date on the latest news, trends and perspectives in media and philanthropy.

Media Impact Funders is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to our board of directors: Kaitlin Yarnall, senior vice president of Media Innovation at the National Geographic Society; and Tim Isgitt, managing director of Humanity United; and Carmen Lee, communications officer with The Heinz Endowments. Yarnall and Isgitt, whose appointments begin in […]

Job scarcity, unpredictable hours, power imbalances on staff, deadline pressures. For decades now, the fast-paced, high-stress culture in newsrooms has created conditions in which abuse of power and sexual harassment may occur. But it’s only recently that the bad behavior is getting the attention it deserves. Thanks to a landmark 2014 study by the International Women’s […]

Philadelphia, PA—The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded Media Impact Funders (MIF)—a member-supported network of funders who support media in the public interest—a $200,000 grant to identify and expand the number of community foundations, place-based foundations and other funders interested in supporting local news and information. With the spread of misinformation, deep […]

This week, the Peabody Awards announced nine winners in the Documentary category, including Chasing Coral—the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning film that uses beautiful time-lapse imagery to document the world’s dying coral reefs—and Newtown—the gripping story of a community struggling to recover from the deadly mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. (You can view the […]

Sexual harassment has been in the headlines since October, driven by women’s reactions to the high-profile outing of Harvey Weinstein as a serial sexual predator.

Editor’s note: in November 2017, MIF hosted a discussion about the film Command and Control, which gives viewers a chilling glimpse into America’s nuclear weapons program. It chronicles a deadly accident at a missile site in 1980, and poses the question: What if the weapons built to protect us threaten to destroy us? It marks the latest […]

Update as of Dec. 14, 2017—The FCC voted 3-2 today to repeal net neutrality regulations intended to keep the internet open and fair. “It is not going to destroy the internet,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, responding to the groundswell of support from the public and internet businesses for net neutrality. “It is not going to […]

Editor’s note: Much like Hollywood and the entertainment and media industries, the culture of sexual harassment at Silicon Valley tech companies is no longer a shameful open secret. Over the last few months, several high-profile men in tech have resigned or been fired over allegations of sexual harassment.

Update as of Dec. 19, 2017—We have completed our webinar series. Read up on the various ways in which funders are fighting misinformation on the three points of the information system: production, distribution and consumption. By Kelly Born | Program officer for the Madison Initiative at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation “Fake news” continues to spread like […]

The recent violence in Charlottesville, Va., has thrust racist ideas into the national conversation in ways Americans haven’t experienced before. Of course, tensions around race relations in the U.S. have been steadily building over the past few years, with high-profile protests around police shootings and a resurgence in hate groups. Intolerance in the streets has mirrored […]

WXPN’s 17th annual NonCommvention—considered the premier gathering place for noncommercial music radio stations, industry members and music fans—is under way at World Café Live in Philadelphia. Performers this year include Blondie, Ani DiFranco, the Pixies, Benjamin Booker, and more.